Kate Middleton's very clever rule for George, Charlotte and Louis' clothes
Kate Middleton's very clever rule for George, Charlotte and Louis' clothes
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If there is one thing the Royal Family is always known for, it's being very well turned out when they appear in public. Their fashion choices generate a huge amount of interest, and Princess Kate, 43, recently revealed a sweet habit she has established when it comes to her children's old clothes. On a recent visit to the Corgi textile factory in South Wales, Kate let slip that she actually keeps an "archive" of her three children's clothes - Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six - once they have grown out of them.
Kate has kept the pieces her children used to don that "wore really well," she revealed during the visit to the family-run factory which specialises in socks and knitwear, adding that "It's so lovely to reuse the things that are well made" - per People magazine. The future Queen's own paternal family has a background in textiles and used to own a wool manufacturer in Leeds: William Lupton and Co. The visit to Corgi wasn't the first time that Kate spent time learning about the UK's textile industry - she also visited Lancaster and Leeds back in 2023 to learn more about the rich history of this area.
Kate isn't afraid of re-wearing her own high-quality pieces when she is out and about on her engagements and royal fans are always quick to spot when Princess Kate or one of her children re-wears an item of clothing. However, Kate's commitment to sustainability goes even further, with her younger brother James, 37, revealing that she and sister Pippa, 41, both donated huge amounts of their children's old clothes to him when he welcomed his first child: Inigo, one.
"Catherine and Pippa bring two big suitcases of hand-me-down clothes, so Inigo's cupboards are full of sweet little outfits his cousins — even the girls — have worn," James revealed in his memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life. Kate isn't the only royal who is known to repeat classic looks, with Princess Anne also regularly spotted making the most out of pieces that she has had for decades.
Coordinated looks are something the Wales family, in particular, are known for when they step out for a major royal event, and one fashion expert has even revealed just why they often opt to match what they are wearing or use similar colours as a through-line for their looks. "By complementing each other, and sticking to a colour theme, they are showcasing a united front. It's a technique Prince William and Princess Kate use to show [how] in tune they are when they attend official engagements together, and they also deploy it with their children," explained fashion expert Amber Graafland to Fabulous magazine.
"Adept at using their clothing to convey coded message, the Waleses know that by presenting a refined and harmonious image they convey a close-knit family with a strong bond. It also makes them instantly recognisable on the world stage.". Whatever the Royal Family chooses to wear - especially to high-profile events like King Charles's coronation - becomes part of the history books, but Princess Kate is reportedly frustrated that the focus is so often on what she is wearing, rather than what she doing as she is out and about in her royal work.
A Kensington Palace source is reported as saying: "There is an absolute feeling that it is not about what the princess is wearing. She wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting. There will always be an appreciation of what the princess is wearing from some of the public and she gets that. But do we need to be officially always saying what she is wearing? No. The style is there but it's about the substance.".
