As Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and Sarah Ferguson coordinate in green at the Easter service, it’s not the first time the royals have shown sartorial solidarity on big occasions

During the Easter Sunday service at Windsor Castle today, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and Sarah Ferguson all opted to wear different shades of green.

The colour is said to symbolise ‘new beginnings’, something the royal family will be hoping for at a time when both King Charles and the future Queen of the nation, the Princess of Wales, are undergoing treatment for cancer. 

Today, Queen Camilla, 76, looked elegant in a racing green dress with coordinating hat, which she matched with black suede knee high boots and a black clutch bag. 

Meanwhile, the Princess Royal, 73, also opted for the traditional shade, wearing a herringbone coat with a matching pillbox hat with feather adornment.

And Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, opted for a bolder version of the shade, wearing a boucle dress with a pair of black heels – and accessorised the look with a pair of black gloves, a black floral headband and gold jewellery. 

The Royal Family has long used how they dress to show solidarity, unity and accord during tough and challenging times. 

Members of the Firm use style to their advantage, often coordinating and opting to wear the same colour to symbolise their strength.

Today certainly isn’t the first time the royals have looked remarkably similar at important events – and the subtle gesture is actually far more important than it may initially seem. 

From the Waleses matching outfits in 2022 – mere days after Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary – to coordinations at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, and King Charles’s Coronation in 2023, the royals know how to make a statement with their fashion choices. 

Often – as today’s example with Camilla, Anne and Fergie shows – matching takes place between non-related royals to imply a sense of unity across the Firm as a whole.  

Here, FEMAIL reveals some of the most significant times colour was used by the royals to send a powerful message to the public. 

Christmas carol concert – December 2022

During Princess Kate’s second annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, the Wales family decided to wear the same shade of vibrant burgundy. 

Kate donned a bespoke burgundy coat dress by Epinone London, as she matched with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, her sister Pippa and William’s cousin, Zara Tindall. 

Prince William and Mike Tindall appeared to match their wives, both wearing burgundy ties to show their support.

Their appearance on December 16 came only days after Harry and Meghan released the final three episodes of their explosive Netflix documentary. 

In the docuseries, the Sussexes claimed that dark forces blocked the Queen from seeing them before Megxit. 

Harry also said his family were upset and jealous of Meghan’s popularity so pursued a vendetta against her because she was ‘doing the job better’ and ‘stealing the limelight’ from ‘those born to do it’. 

At the time, body language expert Judi James told the Express that colour-coordinated outfits send out a message of being a ‘team’ to onlookers.

Judi explained: ‘It is, in effect, creating a uniform which is a message of intent in terms of strong bonds and unity. Like body language mirroring it suggests like-mindedness and shared behaviour or beliefs.’

The Platinum Jubilee – June 2022 

During the Trooping the Colour celebrations in June 2022, Queen Elizabeth donned a light blue ensemble embellished with pearl and diamante trim by Kelly.

She paired this with one of her wide-brimmed hats that perfectly matched her dress.

Camilla opted to wear a blue striped dress by Bruce Oldfield with a hat by Philip Treacy, whereas Kate went for a white dress and a blue Philip Treacy hat. 

Charlotte, Louis and George also opted to wear similar shades of summery blue, indicating their solidarity at the event. 

Meanwhile, Charles and William wore traditional royal guard uniforms, which are a vibrant scarlet red, displaying their medals. 

This perhaps symbolised the future of the monarchy, as members of the royal family who were high up in the line of succession were not only centre of the image next to Queen Elizabeth, but were also dressed to fit this particular colour scheme. 

In May 2023, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and Kate, Princess of Wales attended a garden party together at Buckingham Palace wearing strikingly similar dresses adorned with ruffles and bows.

Kate’s Elie Saab two-piece comprised an elegant pussy-bow blouse and dobby tulle skirt, created in an exquisite powder blue hue.

Sophie perfectly complemented the future Queen in a Suzannah Isla dress, crafted from Guipure lace and featuring a fit-and-flare silhouette. 

Edward and Sophie grew in popularity and started taking on more front-facing royal roles after Harry and Meghan quit the firm and moved to the US. 

Speaking to Femail at the time, Phil Dampier, author of Royally Suited, Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words, explained Sophie is a safe pair of hands to take over the responsibilities that can no longer be carried out by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 

‘It’s been said for a long time that Prince Charles wants a slimmed down monarchy when he becomes king – but I’m not sure they meant this slim,’ he said.

‘With Harry and Meghan off the scene and Andrew taking a back seat because of the Epstein scandal, they are becoming seriously under-staffed. 

‘Prince Edward has kept a very low profile in recent years but his wife Sophie has become a star in her own right.

‘Now that her children are a bit older I think there could be a great role for her to play. She is 55 today and she is very fit and full of energy.

‘I think she wants to do more and would happily step up to the plate and take over more duties if asked.

‘Charles has to realise that you can slim down too much and they are running out of royals to do the nitty gritty work.

‘Sophie would be perfect to take up some of the slack and I think she has the potential to be a royal superstar given the chance. If it was Sophie’s choice I think she would grab it with both hands.’

During the special day that Charles officially took over the role of monarch from his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, The Princess of Wales and her daughter Charlotte once again sported matching outfits.

On May 6, 2023, Kate wore an ivory Alexander McQueen silk gown, embroidered with the symbols that represent the United Kingdom. 

It was printed with roses for England, thistles for Scotland, daffodils for Wales and shamrocks for Ireland.

Princess Charlotte mirrored the same hairstyle as her mother, opting for a braided, pinned-up bun with a silver leaf-style crown. 

Donning the same colour, she arrived in a white Alexander McQueen dress with a buttoned cape around her shoulders and long, draping sleeves, reminiscent of Kate’s blue and red cape. 

The day reminded the public of the royal hierarchy, with Kate and William playing a part in the ceremony and Harry sat among other non-working royals.

The Duke of Sussex also did not appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony alongside the rest of his family.