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Kate wearing green coat and fedora hat in Sandringham© Getty

Royal fans question Princess Kate's Balmoral church look for surprising reason

The Princess of Wales attended the Sunday service with Prince William and Prince George

Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
August 27, 2024
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The Princess of Wales delighted royal fans as she was spotted on her way to Crathie Kirk church for the Sunday service, alongside her husband, Prince William, and their son, Prince George.

It marked Kate's first public appearance since attending the men's final at Wimbledon in July and the Princess looked elegant in a brown checked trench coat from Holland Cooper and a Hicks & Brown feathered hat.  

However, many royal fans were confused by the royal's wintery attire, given that it is currently summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

"So it's cold year round in the UK?" one follower asked in the social media comments.

"Is it Autumn weather already?" another asked.

"I'm in California USA and just looking at fall clothes makes me even warmer!" a third added.

Princess Kate arriving at Crathie Kirk© PETER JOLLY NORTHPIX
Princess Kate wore a brown check coat and a fedora for the Sunday service

While the average temperature in London in the summer months is around 23C (73F), in Scotland, it's typically cooler.

The forecast in Aberdeenshire on Sunday was cloudy with a high of 16C (60F) and a low of 9C (48F), and that's why the likes of Kate, Queen Camilla and the Duchess of Edinburgh were dressed in autumnal coats and jackets.

Kate accessorised her checked coat and fedora hat with gold statement earrings, while Sophie, 59, wore a taupe jacket over a high-necked ensemble.

Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are driven to Crathie Kirk Church before the service on August 25, 2019© Getty
Kate with the late Queen in Balmoral in August 2019, where the weather is typically cooler

Camilla, 77, donned an emerald-hued jacket with red tartan detailing on the lapels, along with a matching feathered hat, while the King, 75, looked smart in a kilt.

The Prince and Princess of Wales enjoyed the Bank Holiday weekend in Scotland before their three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, return to their classrooms at Lambrook School next month. George will start Year 7, while Charlotte will begin Year 5 and Louis will be in Year 2.

Kate and Charlotte smile in royal box at Wimbledon© Getty
Kate was last seen publicly with daughter Charlotte at Wimbledon on 14 July

The Waleses spent some of the school summer holidays at their Norfolk abode, Anmer Hall, with the family-of-five spotted playing with nerf guns at Bear Grylls' Gone Wild Festival at Holkham Hall earlier this month.

Kate appeared in a video message with William on 11 August to congratulate Team GB on their successes at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

It is not known when the royal will resume her public duties as she is still undergoing cancer treatment.

In a personal update back in June, Kate said she was making "good progress" with her treatment but added she has "good days and bad days" and, although she has been working from home, said "I am not out of the woods yet".

LISTEN: A Princess Kate special

Timeline of Princess Kate's surgery and health updates

Close-up of Kate Middleton wearing a blazer© Getty
Kate went in for abdominal surgery on 17 January

25 December 2023 – Kate is last seen publicly on Christmas Day

9 January 2024 – Kate celebrates her 42nd birthday, with the King and Queen sharing a behind-the-scenes photo from the coronation to mark the day.

11 January 2024 – William returns to royal duties, meeting rugby heroes Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.

17 January 2024 – Kensington Palace announces in a statement that Kate has undergone abdominal surgery at the London Clinic and that William has temporarily stepped back from royal duties to care for Kate and their children.

18 January 2024 – William visits Kate at the London Clinic.

26 January 2024 – King Charles visits Kate in hospital before undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.

29 January 2024 – Kate is discharged from hospital and returns home to Windsor to continue her recovery. King Charles also leaves the London Clinic on the same day after his treatment.

7 February 2024 – William resumes royal duties attending London's Air Ambulance Charity gala with Tom Cruise.

10 February 2024 – William and Kate spend February half-term with George, Charlotte and Louis at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. Kate's siblings are also pictured on holiday during the school holidays, with James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet flying to the Caribbean with baby Inigo, and Pippa Matthews and her family holidaying on the island of St Barts.

27 February 2024 – Kate said to be "doing well" as William pulls out of King Constantine memorial due to a "personal matter".

29 February 2024 – Kensington Palace addresses social media speculation, reiterating: "We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter."

10 March 2024 - A photograph of Kate with their three children at home in Windsor is released to mark Mother's Day and to thank the public for their "continued support".

11 March 2024 - Kate publicly apologises for the "confusion" around the photograph as she admitted she "occasionally experiments with editing," after news agencies pulled the image amid claims it had been digitally altered. The Princess is then seen in a car with William as she's driven to a private appointment in London. 

19 March 2024 - Footage of William and Kate leaving the Windsor Farm Shop is shared by The Sun and TMZ in the first video sighting of the Princess since surgery.

22 March 2024 - Princess Kate confirms that she has been diagnosed with cancer in a moving video message and is undergoing preventative chemotherapy. 

18 April 2024 - Prince William returns to royal duties after spending Easter holidays privately as a family. 

10 May 2024 - Prince William says Kate is "doing well" as he visits the Isles of Scilly. 

21 May 2024 - Princess Kate is "excited" as Kensington Palace shares update on her early years work with the release of her Business Taskforce's prioritising childhood report.

8 June 2024 - Princess Kate writes letter to Irish Guards to apologise for not being able to take part in the salute at the Colonel's Review.

14 June 2024 - In a personal statement, Kate shares she is making "good progress" and that her "treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months". 

15 June 2024 - Kate makes her first major public appearance since diagnosis at Trooping the Colour.

14 July 2024 - Kate watches the Men's final at Wimbledon with Princess Charlotte and Pippa Matthews.

11 August 2024 - William and Kate congratulate Team GB athletes in a video message after the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

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