Kate Middleton Looks as Posh as Ever in Her Pale Blue Coatdress—and It’s a Repeat!

Kate Middleton had a Cinderella moment at Windsor Castle yesterday. At the Order of the Garter ceremony, the Duchess of Cambridge channeled the Disney princess with a pale blue silk-satin coatdress by Christopher Kane (above, left) that was last seen on her at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony (above, right). The fitted style was custom-made for the royal and features a covered placket down the front, slanted pockets, a self-belt, and peak lapels. To complete her look, Middleton donned a matching Lock and Co. fascinator, nude Jimmy Choo pumps, and an L.K. Bennett clutch.

While the Duchess didn’t walk in the official procession, she was there to support Prince William, who walked in the parade with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and his father Prince Charles. However, that didn’t stop the couple from sharing a sweet moment—at one point during the ceremony, William glanced over to Kate, which caused her to break out into a huge grin.

Kate Middleton’s St. Patrick’s Day Good Luck Charm Goes Way Back

On St. Patrick's Day this year, Kate Middleton broke one fashion tradition, and kept another going strong. For the past two years, the Duchess of Cambridge has worn the same fit-and-flare Emilia Wickstead coat to celebrate the Irish holiday, but this year she switched it up in an even more flattering green double-breasted Hobbs Persephone wool coat. She completed the look with matching green pumps and a Gina Foster hat (the same one she wore last Christmas), and, perhaps most significantly, a recognizable sparkling Cartier shamrock brooch.

The gold three-leaf shamrock pin, adorned with an emerald stone in the middle, was first worn by Queen Alexandra in 1901. It was then that Alexandra began the tradition of the shamrock ceremony, presenting lucky sprigs to 1st Battalion Irish Guards. (This year Middleton also presented one to the battalion's mascot, Domhnall the Irish wolfhound.) Also of note: The Cartier piece, traditionally worn on the left side, is not actually owned by the royal family—it belongs to the Irish Guards regiment, and has been lent out to the queen mother, Princess Anne, and eventually the Duchess of Cambridge for events.

The first time Middleton wore the brooch was when she attended the Irish Guards Afghanistan Operational Medals Parade at Victoria Barracks on June 25, 2011, in Windsor, England. In 2012 the duchess adopted the role as presenter of shamrocks, and she's worn the brooch on St. Patrick's Day every year since.

The Queen Has Commanded Kate Middleton to Wear Longer Dresses

The Queen Has Commanded Kate Middleton to Wear Longer Dresses

If you want an unbiased, impartial review of Kate Middleton's style, you've come to the wrong place. We're more than aware that we're prone to praising Kate's sartorial successes to an excessive degree. The good thing in this case, though, is that we're not the only ones in the Kate-can-do-no-wrong camp. But it appears she does have one surprising critic, and it's really the only critic who matters: the Queen.

The Daily Mail's royal columnist Katie Nicholl is reporting that the Duchess will "deploy a couture wardrobe of day dresses with lower hemlines than she has previously favoured" for a forthcoming state trip to Australia. This makeover, performed per her grandmother-in-law's request, is said to include custom pieces from Alexander McQueen and Alice Temperley, two of Kate's favorite designers. In addition to the whole hemline situation, "she will be encouraged to wear the tiaras favoured by the Queen", which, honestly, isn't the worst deal in the world in the opinion of us common folk.

The Queen has also loaned the Duchess "the services of her most trusted member of staff, her personal dresser Angela Kelly"-which our friends at The Cut so cleverly described as aiding in "Kate's un-harloting." We'll be interested to see if these wardrobe updates succeed in making Kate slightly dowdier, or if that signature prim, femme style rings through. At least we know her hair will look awesome.

The Rise and Fall of Kate Middleton's Hemlines

The Rise and Fall of Kate Middleton's Hemlines

Kate Middleton may be an international style icon, but there's one very important person who's reportedly not a fan of her fashion choices: Queen Elizabeth. Turns out the 82-year-old wants her granddaughter-in-law to start dressing more conservatively namely in skirts and dresses with longer hemlines. Or at least that's the rumor media outlets from the Daily Mail to Time are reporting. But can it possibly be true? Let's face it, compared to other famous 32-year-old women – Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Jessica Alba, and Paris Hilton, for example – Middleton's style is practically matronly. "It doesn't quite ring true to me," royal expert Victoria Arbiter tells Yahoo Shine. "The queen does not run the monarchy as a dictatorship. She allows everyone to live their own lives and do things their way. If she feels very strongly about how something is done or should be done she'll say something, but she's a big believer in her family doing things their way and in turn learning by doing." Bottom line: "I just don't think there would be a memo from the queen saying your skirts are too short." After inspecting Middleton's hemlines over the years, we'd have to agree. She's become known worldwide for her sophisticated style, and if anything, her skirts have actually become more conservative (i.e. knee grazing) after marrying into the royal family. We've rounded up the shortest hemlines ever spotted on Middleton so you can judge for yourself.

At her graduation from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, Middleton wore the required uniform of a dark skirt (trousers were also acceptable), a white blouse, and dark shoes. But this hemline definitely tested the limits of the dress code.

When the happy couple paid a visit to their alma mater, the University of St Andrews, Middleton wore a red suit by Luisa Spagnoli that revealed some leg, but little else.

While traveling in Quebec, the duchess wore an Erdem dress with the teeniest slit up the side. How scandalous!

The Rise and Fall of Kate Middleton's Hemlines

Kate Middleton and Prince William Put Finishing Touches on Their New Home

Kate Middleton and Prince William Put Finishing Touches on Their New Home

We've not seen much of the Duchess of Cambridge since the start of the New Year, but I can reveal that Kate and Prince William have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on their magnificent new home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk. Last week the pair were up at Sandringham, the Queen's 20,000-acre country estate, on which Anmer Hall is located. The vast Georgian pile was a present to William on his 30th birthday, and the couple plan to divide their time between Norfolk and their London residence, Kensington Palace, from now on. The hall has a swimming pool and tennis courts, and with a brand new conservatory adjoining the kitchen, it is the perfect pad for entertaining.

As well as meeting the builders and ensuring the final stages of the refurbishment are going to plan, I'm told the couple enjoyed some downtime.

How it took this long for a video clip of an elementary-school-aged Kate Middleton playing Eliza Doolittle on stage to emerge is truly a mystery; but it's not worth bemoaning the delay now-we should just revel in its charms. And charms there are! Even while playing an imposter duchess, Kate exhibits a regal, downright noble presence onstage. She also manages to elicit notable laughs from the crowd as she delivers the character's famous "The rain in Spain" dialogue, and doesn't seem to be affected by any sort of nerves.

"They were there to relax and have some time out from London and see how the property is coming along," my green-Wellied mole told me. While Kate has been hunting for pretty antiques in the nearby village of Holt, William has been taking a keen interest in ensuring the property is private and the family can relax there without the fear of being photographed by the paparazzi. A driveway has been re-routed and trees planted to shield the residence from the public.

The house was due to be finished at the end of last year, but the project ran over and the couple are due to move in imminently. Meanwhile, the Duchess is planning to begin her official solo royal engagements with a trip to the National Portrait Gallery on February 11th. Kensington Palace says the Duchess will be guest of honor at a gala dinner.

Everything Amazing Kate Middleton Did in 2013

Everything Amazing Kate Middleton Did in 2013

Search for the name “Kate Middleton” online and millions of results will reveal almost everything about the Duchess of Cambridge. Her hair! Her wardrobe! Her pregnancy! The woman couldn’t leave home this year without making headlines. In honor of the royal wife, new mom, and style icon the world loves to love, here are our favorite Middleton moments of 2013

She recycled her clothing: Most celebs wouldn’t be caught wearing the same outfit twice, but Middleton is famous for her fashion re-do's. In November, she wore a long-sleeve, brown-and-cream dove-printed Orla Kiely dress — the same one she wore in 2012. In December, she donned a lacy, black Temperley London gown, a repeat from November. And most recently, she stepped out in a white Roland Mouret gown, an old favorite from 2012. Clearly, Kate's a fan of shopping her closet like the rest of us!

She redefined maternity style: Middleton kept her status as a fashion icon throughout her pregnancy. Her secret? Looking polished, thanks to maternity staples such as cropped, fitted blazers, tweed coats, and empire-waist dresses. Her comfy and sexy wardrobe set a new precedent that pregnancy isn’t a fashion prison sentence.

Everything Amazing Kate Middleton Did in 2013

Kate Middleton's Christmas Day Outfit: Alexander McQueen Tartan

This Christmas, in honor of baby Prince George's first holiday, Queen Elizabeth II invited all her nearest and dearest royals to her country house, Sandringham, in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Of course, Prince George's mom and dad, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and Prince William, were on hand, and we caught up with them on their way to church. Kate Middleton wore a tartan Alexander McQueen dress coat on Christmas Day--a repeat look from when she visited her alma mater in 2012--paired with a hat from Gina Foster.

Kate Middleton Looks Pretty in Tartan Coat at Christmas Service, Says Prince George Had "Lovely" First Holiday

Christmas services the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and nearly all of the royals -- but no Prince George, alas! Per annual tradition, Kate Middleton and Prince William were on hand at St. Mary Madgalene Church, the church on Queen Elizabeth's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England, for the late-morning Christmas services. Wearing a tartan Alexander McQueen coat and Gina Foster hat, Middleton, 31, joined royal in-laws Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, a still-bearded Prince Harry, Prince Charles and Camilla, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Prince Andrew, pregnant Zara Phillips and husband Mike Tindall, Prince Edward and wife Sophie (with their daughter, Lady Louise) and other royals in the procession. (Only the youngest royals, including 5-month-old Prince George, stayed behind at the estate.) About 3,000 royal watchers had gathered outside the church since 4 a.m. Christmas morning, and speakers were set up outside the building playing Christmas music.

Inside the church, the service was conducted by Jonathan Riviere, the rector of Sandringham, and included a rendition of "Christians, Awake" and "Once in ROyal David's City." After the service, Middleton and the Queen greeted well-wishers outside the Church -- and the Duchess dished to a group of women about Prince George's morning opening presents.

Cicely Howard, 75, gabbed with the Duchess, and told reporters: "Kate told me he was having a lovely day but was more interested in the wrapping paper than the presents."

William, meanwhile, told the crowd: "We've had a good morning with George and I can't wait until next year when he's bigger."

Kate Middleton and Prince William Watch a LOT of "Downton Abbey"

Sometime after spilling about their secret rendez-vous with Dan Stevens at Good Morning America on Tuesday, the Downton Abbey gang headed to Bravo's Watch What Happens Live! studio to imbibe in holiday-themed liquors and a little gossip. Rob James-Collier (Thomas) revealed that his favorite onset memory involved stepping on Dame Maggie Smith's toes during a Christmas special dance sequence. (The Countess Dowager did not find the fumble funny and shot James-Collier a disparaging look that only a two-time Oscar winner could.)

Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore) used her onscreen time to plead, once again, to her celebrity crush Sir Anthony Hopkins that he make a guest star appearance. And Allen Leech, who plays widower Tom Branson on the British period series revealed that he met Prince William and Kate Middleton just last week.

The subject was raised after a caller asked whether any of the cast members had interacted with any royal family members because of their Downton Abbey-related fame.

"I was at an event last week with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, so yeah I met him last week,"Leech confessed. "I shook his hand and he actually said, 'I'm a big fan of the show, only now that my wife's had a baby." Leech and the audience laughed at this somewhat awkward, backhanded compliment. "Obviously he's got a lot of down time," Leech reasoned, imagining, "So [Kate]'s got him watching this. 'You're going to watch it with me!'"

Nichols attempted to raise Leech's royal encounter with her own, volunteering, "I met Camilla Parker Bowles!" But an unimpressed expression from host Andy Cohen revealed that this was not quite as exciting.

In other Downton Abbey royal news, we learned just last week that a character on the series will be traveling to Buckingham Palace during the upcoming Christmas special.