It is the first Christmas since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, and duly the Royal family have marked the occasion with a show of sartorial unity.
Attending the annual Christmas Day church service at Sandringham and a subsequent walkabout to greet members of the public gathered outside, King Charles and Queen Camilla led the family, who appeared to have all dressed in a harmonious festive colour scheme.
Coordinating for Christmas is a fun fashion exercise - sometimes intentional, sometimes accidental, sometimes causing a dramatic clash, and sometimes resulting in families decked in matching novelty pyjamas.
But here the British Royal family have mastered the art, in tonal, seasonal colours that are not overpowering and - crucially - look great together in photographs.
From the Princess of Wales’s new Philip Treacy hat and forest-green Alexander McQueen coat (the latter a re-wear from an engagement at Bradford’s City Hall in January 2020), and her daughter Princess Charlotte’s burgundy Trotters coat, to the colour-matched ties worn by the Prince of Wales and Prince George, the newly minted Waleses put on their Sunday best.
King Charles wore camel, Camilla dark teal, Sophie Countess of Wessex was in beige and Zara Tindall also wore green. Princess Beatrice was also in forest green, with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a burgundy tie, his son Christopher attending for the first time in a dark navy suit.
At the Westminster Abbey carol service held by the Princess of Wales earlier this month, the family did it again, with most in attendance choosing either burgundy or cream.
Are the displays all coordinated in the Windsor family WhatsApp chat? Maybe a more formal brief was issued, or maybe they are truly all on the same page. However it came to be, today’s show looked like a considered effort to be visually appealing - and if the full clan posed together for a photograph after the service, their looks would form a perfectly balanced picture.
As the late Queen loved to wear colour, and frequently used her clothing to underscore her messages, she would no doubt have appreciated and enjoyed the effort.
An opportunity was missed, perhaps, to further refer to her passing by wearing symbolic jewellery pieces. Instead, the Princess of Wales wore a new pair of earrings from the French high-street brand Sezane, still available to buy for £100. I suppose this at least gives the fashion fans (who are all abuzz on Instagram, even at Christmas) something they can buy come Boxing Day.
The royals at Sandringham mastered style unity at Christmas like no other family
As the late Queen loved to wear colour, and frequently used clothing to underscore her messages, she would no doubt have enjoyed the effort