Kate Middleton Absolutely Stuns In Her Signature Color

The Commonwealth Day service is one of the biggest events for the royal family — and one of the biggest for fashion. With this year's event finally taking place in person once again, there's no doubt that Kate Middleton did not disappoint. 

The annual Commonwealth Day service celebrates the 54 members of the Commonwealth and is held at Westminster Abbey, though last year's was canceled due to the pandemic. During the service, all members of the royal family are typically in attendance, though this year Queen Elizabeth II was not in attendance. Instead, she reportedly asked Prince Charles to represent her, per People.

While the queen did not mention a reason for her absence, the monarch has been struggling with illnesses this past year and recently contracted COVID-19. The queen is reportedly feeling fine since her diagnosis and released a message regarding the celebration, saying it is "rewarding" to work amongst the Commonwealth, as it "combines a wealth of history and tradition with the great social, cultural and technological advances of our time," per Town & Country. While the queen was undoubtedly missed during the service, her royal family members stepped in to represent her — but Kate Middleton did more than just step in for the queen. Kate stepped out in her signature look and it has everyone talking.

Heading into the Commonwealth Day services, Kate Middleton wore a shin-length, royal blue coat dress with a velvet collar. With a matching royal blue fascinator, Kate wore her hair swept into a curled, half-up hairstyle. To accessorize the look, the Duchess of Cambridge held a small clutch with gloves while wearing matching royal blue pumps, per Elle. Prince William also committed to a blue ensemble by wearing a navy suit and light blue tie.

While Kate's outfit is one of her signatures — at the 2020 ceremony Kate wore a similar coat dress with velvet collar, though that time in red — fans picked up on the subtle message Kate sent with her outfit. Matching with the blue tones of her look, Kate wore diamond and sapphire drop earrings with a matching pendant necklace. Not only are the jewelry pieces special because they were designed after Princess Diana's sapphire necklace, but the first time Kate debuted these pieces was when she met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska, per Town & Country. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been outspoken in their support for Ukraine by speaking out and attending local Ukrainian cultural centers. 

Obviously, the meaning behind this Commonwealth Day didn't get past the Duchess of Cambridge: Stepping in for the queen and stepping out to send a strong message for Ukraine. And she certainly did it all in style!