Since becoming Princess of Wales, Buckingham Palace has stopped giving details on Kate Middleton’s outfits. Since she stepped int othe role, some royal commentators have claimed Princess Kate has changed her style over the last few years to something more “serious” and “professional.”
Last week, Princess Kate met with businesses to launch a task force that will help support easy development in children. She arrived at NatWest’s headquarters in London wearing a white Alexander McQueen blazer, slim black trousers and black heels.
The blazer is one Princess Kate has worn before, as keen fashion watchers will have noticed the royal wore it at many engagements, such in September 2016 while on a tour of Canada.
However, one royal expert has noticed that the ivory blazer and black trousers look is an example of how Princess Kate has changed her “signature look” over the years despite wearing the same clothes, and they claimed Meghan Markle is one reason behind this change.
Amanda Matte is a royal fan who posts on her public TikTok account @matta_of_fact. She has pointed out that Meghan Markle wore a very similar white blazer outfit in 2022, and that she believes Kate has been heavily influenced by the Duchess of Sussex’s outfit formula.
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In her video, Amanda explained that before Meghan Markle married into the Royal Family in 2016, Kate Middleton’s fashion was different.
She said Kate’s “outfit formulas got updated to correspond with how Meghan was dressing when she entered the scene”.
She claimed Kate “rarely” wore trousers before Meghan joined the Royal Family. Amanda theorised if Meghan hadn’t “arrived n the scene” the Princess of Wales would have worn a lot more culottes.
Kate has taken on a more serious role since she has been transitioning into a more senior royal, something that could be credited to her seniority, but which Amanda believes was kickstarted when Meghan wore an Alexander McQueen suit to a function in 2018. A professional stylist disagrees.
Miranda Holder is a professional stylist and an expert in fashion and royalty. In an interview with Newsweek, Miranda said Kate’s outfits have taken a “more serious, business-like mood” since becoming Princess of Wales which “reflects the gravitas of her new position within the Royal family as she gets nearer to the throne.”
The stylist noted that Kate is more likely to wear trouser suits nowadays when the Princess used to more commonly wear skirts and dresses. Miranda said that she believes Princess Kate wishes for people to focus more on her causes and charity “rather than the brand she is wearing.”
Miranda added: “The fun, feminine, flirty Kate who we all fell in love with in her polka-dot tea dresses seems to have been replaced by a new, more heavyweight incarnation.”
Kate has been wearing trousers in various forms before Meghan Markle married into the Royal Family in 2018. She wore jeans with a blazer in Alberta in 2011 for a stunning smart casual look. She continued to wear jeans for less formal events, such as playing sports with school children and attending the polo.
In 2017 Kate wore a smart pair of navy trousers with a white blazer and t-shirt to visit the 1851 Trust roadshow at the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre.
Later in the year, she wore another look, in trousers and a blue double-breasted blazer.
