Kate pays subtle tribute to Princess Diana as she marks VE Day along William, Charles and Camilla at Westminster Abbey
The Princess of Wales looked radiant as she joined members of the Royal Family for a service marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day at Westminster Abbey today.
Kate, accompanied by Prince William, took to today's Service of Thanksgiving in London to remember the end of the Second World War in Europe and to commemorate those who fought to bring peace to Europe and the rest of the world.
The 43-year-old opted for a striking ensemble for the occasion, complete with a Alessandra Rich dress and a hat by Juliette Botterill.
Kate added a sentimental touch to her outfit by adding a pair of earrings that previously belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales.
She styled her brunette tresses in a sleek style and opted for a glowing makeup look, which she finished off with a touch of lipstick.
It was announced in February that mother-of-three Kate, who has made a gradual return to public duties following cancer treatment, would be attending today.
Elsewhere, King Charles, 76, led a host of other royals, including his wife Queen Camilla and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at the special thanksgiving service.
Today's event comes after the Royal Family paid tribute to veterans at a VE Day memorial in London on Monday.
Kate joined her husband Prince William and children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis as they put on a united front just days after Prince Harry's bombshell plea for 'reconciliation'.
King Charles and Queen Camilla also watched the commemorations marking the end of the Second World War in Europe.
Mother-of-three Kate was glowing in a berry ensemble, rewearing her beloved Emilia Wickstead pleated coat dress, alongside a matching Sean Barrett pillbox hat with a bow, beige Gianvito Rossi 105 pointed pumps, and earrings.
She added a gold winged RAF brooch to pay tribute to a deep family connection on her side of the family - her paternal grandfather Peter Middleton, who served as a fighter pilot during the Second World War.
While observing the military procession along the Mall, Kate sat with her daughter Princess Charlotte - who recently celebrated her 10th birthday.
She was also seen chatting animatedly with 101-year-old Bernard Morgan, Ambassador for the Royal British Legion, who was the youngest RAF sergeant to land on D-Day.
They were joined by Prince George, 11, and Prince Louis, seven, who kept William looking sharp by brushing off his uniform on the specially built dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace.
Discussing the events, a palace aide said: 'The King, Queen and other members of The Royal Family are much looking forward to all the week's VE Day events, when they will unite with the rest of the nation and those across the Commonwealth and wider world in celebrating, commemorating and giving thanks to the wartime generation whose selfless devotion duty and service should stand as an enduring example to us all – and must never be forgotten.'
Meanwhile, Charles was wearing Naval Uniform No.1 dress, with no medals or decorations, as his grandfather King George VI wore on the palace balcony on VE Day in 1945 – while William wore RAF No.1 Uniform.
Camilla was dressed in a sapphire blue wool crepe dress and coat, by Fiona Clare, with the 12th Royal Lancers Brooch, the regiment of her late father Major Bruce Shand.
The Duke of Edinburgh wore Army No.2 Service Dress of the Scots Guards, while Duke of Kent wore Field Marshal No.2 Service Dress.
Princess Anne, who was also present, wore the uniform of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) with no decorations.
The late Queen Elizabeth II, as Princess Elizabeth, wore the military uniform for her palace balcony appearance on VE Day 1945 as a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Services.
Nato allies joined 1,300 members of the armed forces for the procession in the city, and the words of Sir Winston Churchill's 1945 victory speech were spoken by actor Timothy Spall to kick off events for the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.
In Whitehall, the Cenotaph was draped in a large Union flag, with the south and north face of the landmark covered. It was the first time the war memorial has been draped in Union flags since it was unveiled by King George V more than a century ago, in 1920.
Crowds started to gather on The Mall on Monday morning, with some arriving the day before to secure a good viewing spot. Caroline Tomlinson, 59, travelled from Doncaster to witness the parade and camped overnight.
Dressed in Union flags, she said: 'I've been watching lots of footage from 1945 when everybody was gathering outside the palace, so just great to be a part of it here we are again 80 years later to do the very same. I got here at 2pm yesterday afternoon, sat in the red chair all night, had a little bit of sleep.
'I'm used to this, I've been to the other events. I've been to the Platinum Jubilee, the Coronation, the Queen's funeral, Royal weddings. Sleeping over is now my thing. It was very cold but I dressed accordingly and got through it. Slept about three times in one-hour bursts.
'I came here alone, the community is always so lovely. I'm absolutely hoping to catch a glimpse of the Royals.'
Michael Burn, 67, arrived at The Mall outside Buckingham Palace on Monday morning. Dressed head to toe in a Union flag suit he said: 'Obviously I'm very patriotic so I make the most of any of these events, the coronation or anything like that I'll be here.
'I think we've been very lucky that we've had 80 years of peace and these are very troubled times at the moment and we've got to think about all those that have the ultimate sacrifice and there's very few of them left now because they're all over 100. This is the last time we will celebrate the day in this sort of scale.'
Speaking of his suit and holding a seven foot Union flag he said: 'I bought this for the London 2012 Olympics and have worn it at every Royal event since. 'I can still get into it,' he joked.
Lizzie McCrae MacIntyre, a retired Women's Royal Air Force veteran, arrived at the Admiralty Arch at 4am to see the parade.
Ms MacIntyre, who travelled from Surrey, said: 'It's so important to remember those that didn't make it home. My dad was military, my brother was Air Force.'
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