The Duchess of Edinburgh looked elegant in a light brown ensemble as she stepped out at the Commonwealth Day service in London today.
Sophie, 59, looked in high spirits as she accompanied her husband Prince Edward, 60, to the service at Westminster Abbey.
The couple attended the event alongside Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Anne, the Duke of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
It comes amid a testing time for the royal family, reflected in the absences of King Charles III and the Princess of Wales amid health complications.
However, the radiant mother-of-two put on a stylish display in a £2,990 mid-length Alabama coat from Suzannah London and a trendy cream fedora.
The Duchess of Edinburgh looked typically elegant as she arrived at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
Sophie donned a long floral dress under her statement coat and added a touch of glamor with a pair of drop earrings.
The elegant royal tied up her blonde locks and kept her makeup tanned but neutral for the service.
Meanwhile, Prince Edward wore a simple black striped suit with a patterned tie for the annual event.
The Commonwealth was founded in December 1931 and currently has 54 countries. According to the Royal Family’s website, the organization’s purpose is to “encourage international cooperation and business links between people around the world.”
It comes after the Princess of Wales was pictured alongside Prince William leaving Windsor Castle today, just hours after apologizing for editing a family photo published on Mother’s Day.
The Prince of Wales headed to Westminster Abbey this afternoon for the annual Commonwealth Day service with his wife by his side.
But rather than an extraordinary return to royal duties, MailOnline understands Kate was heading to a private appointment.
It is not known where the Princess of Wales was going, but she was clearly on her husband’s route to central London ahead of the 2.45pm service attended by senior royals including Queen Camilla and Princess Anne .
Accompanied by Prince Edward, 60, Sophie was all smiles as she arrived at Westminster Abbey today.
The mother-of-two showed off her style prowess by adding a trendy fedora to her sophisticated ensemble.
Edward, who celebrated his 60th birthday last week, greeted the crowd gathered outside Westminster Abbey.
Kate, who was looking out the window as William appeared to read some notes on his phone, was not expected to be seen in public until after Easter following abdominal surgery and two weeks in a private London hospital in January.
It came as Kensington Palace came under increasing pressure to release the original Mother’s Day photograph after the Princess of Wales apologized after admitting she had edited the family portrait of herself sitting with the Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The world’s leading photography agencies would later “kill” the image after noticing signs of digital editing, including a missing part of Princess Charlotte’s sleeve and the misaligned edge of her wrist and skirt, and the position of the zipper of Kate.
This morning the Princess of Wales apologized on social media. She said: ‘Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.” She signed it with the ‘C’, for Catherine.
The royal couple received a warm welcome at Westminster Abbey by a group of traditional Dhol drummers.
Sophie took her place in the front row alongside Princess Anne (left), Prince Edward (right) and Prince William (far right) at the annual service.
Sophie and Edward smiled as they watched the Commonwealth Day service from the front row.
The mother-of-two accepted a bouquet of flowers from a group of off-duty schoolchildren.
Kensington Palace had initially faced calls to reveal the truth behind the photo after the world’s leading photo agencies, including the Press Association, “removed” the image for claiming it had been digitally manipulated.
PR experts described the Mother’s Day photo fiasco as a “huge own goal” and urged royal officials to release the unedited image in a bid to regain public trust.
Kensington Palace had initially faced calls to reveal the truth behind the photo after the world’s leading photo agencies, including the Press Association, “removed” the image for claiming it had been digitally manipulated.
Kate admitted this morning that she had edited the photograph and personally apologized “for any confusion” it had caused. News from heavenAnalysis of the photo’s metadata found that the image was taken with a Canon camera and saved in Adobe Photoshop twice on an Apple Mac. Other experts suggested it could have used an artificial intelligence tool.
Sophie smiled as she held a bouquet of flowers given to her by school children outside the event.
The Duke of Edinburgh looked dapper in a black striped suit and crisp blue shirt for the occasion.
The photo of the beaming mother-of-three with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis was the first official photo released of the princess since she underwent “planned abdominal surgery” in January.
Kate, in a statement on social media, said: “Like many amateur photographers, I experiment with editing from time to time. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion caused by the family photograph we shared yesterday. I hope that everyone who celebrates You had a very happy Mother’s Day. C’
While the princess publicly took the blame for altering the photo, Kensington Palace said it would not republish the unedited photograph of Kate and her children.
PR expert Mark Borkowski said: “It’s plausible that he’s at home playing on the computer and using an AI tool, but if they really want to regain some kind of trust they should post the unedited photo, it can’t be that bad if They just made some adjustments.
“I think they’ve risen to the challenge, they provided the statement as an explanation; the question is, with all the conspiracy theories out there, do people believe it and I’m not sure they do.”