When the world’s press documents your every fashion move, it’s important to not only be stylish but also comfortable in your wardrobe choices.
That is why over years spent in the public eye, the Princess of Wales has gradually cultivated her own look and found a small array of designers and fashion houses she turns to again and again to dress her for the red carpet, formal events and also out and about in public.
When it comes to casualwear for her regular meet and greets, Kate mixes designer pieces with high street brands, including Tory Burch, LK Bennett, Hobbs, Zara, Whistles and Boden.
But for more stately occasions, she opts for her favourite styles, including coat dresses, belted dresses and easily customised pieces.
Here are six of Kate’s go-to luxury labels …
Emilia Wickstead
The New-Zealand born London-based fashion designer has become a firm favourite of the princess.
Specialising in more modest, formal fashion, her pieces are expertly tailored, eschewing seasonal trends such as athleisure or loungewear.
Wickstead’s coat dresses have become a staple in Kate’s wardrobe and she most recently opted for a burgundy colour to meet South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa.
She also wore the houndstooth check Mile Dress for her visit to Harvard University early last month, with the dress customised to add long sleeves.
Alexander McQueen
While the Alexander McQueen label was firmly on the fashion map by the time Sarah Burton took over in May 2010, the English designer turned it into a go-to for Kate, including for one of the biggest days of her life.
“I loved making the dress,” Burton told Harper’s Bazaar about making the Princess’s satin and lace wedding dress for her 2011 nuptials to Prince William. “I respect the intimate nature of that lovely project and I respect the friendships that were forged during it.”
Kate more recently wore McQueen on the first day of last year’s platinum jubilee celebrations, donning a classic white coat dress by the label.
Jenny Packham
The British designer who started out creating wedding dresses before moving into couture has had her pieces appear in James Bond films Die Another Day and Casino Royale, as well as in Sex and the City and Gossip Girl.
Some of Kate’s style highlights in Jenny Packham include the gold beaded cape dress she wore to the No Time To Die London premiere on September 28, 2021, and the glittering green “Georgia” dress which was customised for her and William's Pakistan tour in 2019.
It was while wearing a pale blue polka dot dress that Kate introduced Prince George to the world on July 23, 2013, outside London’s Portland Hospital.
With sparkling embellishments a key to her looks, Packham told Women’s Wear Daily it was “always quite a collaboration” working with the princess.
Monica Vinader
While she has the pick of some of the most famous jewels in the world, when it comes to accessorising her day-to-day looks, Kate often turns to celebrity favourite label, Monica Vinader.
The princess has often worn the label’s Nura Baroque pearl necklace while carrying out her public duties and she has reworn the green Onyx ‘siren’ earrings on many different occasions.
The label which looks to bridge the gap between high-end and fashion jewellery is also a favourite of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who has been pictured wearing the brand's Linear Friendship bracelet.
Eponine
The London-based label produces both couture and ready-to-wear pieces, with Kate wearing gowns and coat dresses by the brand over and over again.
With all pieces made in London, the house’s style statement epitomises Kate’s fashion ethos: “The Eponine style signature has become synonymous with the elegant, form-enhancing silhouettes of the 50s and 60s. Our pieces harness the ladylike and glamorous aesthetic of such era.”
Wearing a red Eponine coat for the platinum jubilee celebrations in Wales, the princess more recently wore a burgundy coat dress for the Together at Christmas carol service in London last month.
Catherine Walker
The French fashion designer who died in 2010 was a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the late royal was buried wearing one of her designs.
Kate has worked closely with the label over the years, wearing many of their signature coat dresses.
Kate wore Catherine Walker to meet the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, at Buckingham Palace in September and again for her first Remembrance Sunday as the Princess of Wales, last year.
See Kate, Princess of Wales's style evolution in 77 photos
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Kate Middleton, in a duck-egg knit and heart pendant, attends the Gatcombe Park Festival on August 6, 2005 near Tetbury, England. Getty Images -
Kate Middleton, in a wool jacket and striped shirt, visits the Annual National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 13, 2007, in Cheltenham, England. Getty Images -
Kate Middleton, in a navy trench, attends the Annual National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 14, 2008, in Cheltenham, England. Getty Images -
Kate Middleton, left, in a white dress and black cardigan, attends the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2008 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince William and Kate Middleton, in Spagnoli, visit the University of St Andrews on February 25, 2011 in St Andrews, Scotland. Getty Images -
Kate Middleton, in Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, arrives at her wedding to Prince William at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Jenny Packham, attends the Ark 10th Anniversary Gala at Perk's Field on June 9, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images -
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Katherine Hooker, watch the Garter Service on June 13, 2011 in Windsor, England. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth II walks with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Joseph, as they view the exhibitions for the summer opening of Buckingham Palace on July 22, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Emilia Wickstead, presents shamrocks to members of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards at the St Patrick's Day Parade at Mons Barracks on March 17, 2012 in Aldershot, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Emilia Wickstead, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 29, 2012 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Alexander McQueen, and Prince William prepare to board the royal barge 'Spirit of Chartwell' during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on June 3, 2012 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Alice by Temperley, visit Nauti Primary School on September 18, 2012 in Tuvalu. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Mulberry, attends the official opening of the Treasures Gallery at the Natural History Museum on November 27, 2012 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Hobbs, visits Humberside Fire and Rescue Peaks Lane Fire Station on March 5, 2013 in Grimsby, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Mulberry, meets with scouts as she attends the National Review of Queen's Scouts at Windsor Castle on April 21, 2013. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Erdem, arrives to visit The Willows Primary School on April 23, 2013 in Manchester, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Tara Jarmon, meets children and staff during a visit to Naomi House Children's Hospice on April 29, 2013 near Winchester, Hampshire, England. Getty Images -
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Jenny Packham, departing the Lindo Wing of St Mary's hospital with Prince George, on July 23, 2013 in London, England. EPA -
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Jenny Packham, attend The Tusk Conservation Awards at The Royal Society on September 12, 2013 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Catherine Walker, and Prince George arrive at Wellington Airport on April 7, 2014 in Wellington, New Zealand. Getty Images -
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Roksanda Ilincic, attend a reception hosted by the Governor and Premier of New South Wales on April 16, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in LK Bennett, visits the Royal Australian Airforce Base at Amberley on April 19, 2014 in Brisbane, Australia. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Mulberry, visits the Stephen Lawrence Centre on March 27, 2015 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Jenny Packham, and Prince William leave the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital with Princess Charlotte on May 2, 2015 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Temperley, meets Prime Minister Narenda Modi in Hyderabad House on April 12, 2016 in New Delhi, India. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Roland Mouret, attends SportsAid's 40th anniversary dinner on June 9, 2016 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Barbara Casasola, arrives to present the Art Fund Museum of the Year prize at the Natural History Museum on July 6, 2016 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Alexander McQueen, and Prince William attend the Baftas at the Royal Albert Hall on February 12, 2017 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Emilia Wickstead, arrives at Berlin Hauptbahnhof train station on July 21, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Erdem, attends a reception to celebrate Swedish culture at the Fotografiska Gallery on January 31, 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden. Getty Images -
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Jenny Packham, with Prince Louis outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital on April 23, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Alexander McQueen, attends a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on October 23, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Mulberry, visits Ballymena town centre on February 28, 2019 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Massimo Dutti trousers, attends the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on May 20, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Dolce & Gabbana, attends the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Alexander McQueen, attend the Baftas at the Royal Albert Hall on February 2, 2020 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in The Vampire's Wife, attends a reception at the Guinness Storehouse’s Gravity Bar on March 3, 2020 in Dublin, Ireland. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Faithfull the Brand, visits The Nook in Framlingham Earl on June 25, 2020 in Norfolk, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in a Max&Co coat, visits School 21 in Stratford on March 11, 2021 in London, England. Getty Images -
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Catherine Walker, visit a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Westminster Abbey on March 23, 2021 in London, England. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in Jenny Packham, and Prince William attend the premiere for No Time To Die' at the Royal Albert Hall in London on September 28, 2021. EPA -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in a metallic pink gown by The Vampire's Wife, attend a special reception in Cahal Pech, Belize on March 21, 2022. Getty Images -
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in a yellow coatdress by Emilia Wickstead, leave after the National Service of Thanksgiving to Celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen at St Paul's Cathedral on June 3, 2022. Getty Images -
Catherine, Princess of Wales, in a blue Catherine Walker coatdress, with her son, Prince Louis, attend the Easter Sunday service at St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2023. EPA -
The Princess of Wales, in a Barbour jacket, skinny jeans and walking boots, arrives for a visit to Dowlais Rugby Club near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales to meet with mountain rescue volunteers and supporters. PA Wire
