Duchess of Cambridge

Photo: WPA Pool
The Duchess of Cambridge has been establishing the headband as one of her style signatures since the birth of Prince Louis in the spring of 2018, and this Easter, she dug out a favorite brilliant blue Jane Taylor headpiece with which to offset her duck egg Emilia Wickstead coat dress at a Windsor church service. First worn at Sandringham in 2019, the diamond crepe pleated hair adornment was the perfect foil to Kate’s prim spring formalwear, which was a color-blocker’s dream.
Taylor, who grew her millinery empire on a narrow boat docked in Kew before setting up shop on Chelsea’s King’s Road, has become something of a secret weapon for Kate. Her arts and crafts-inspired pieces, such as the two-tone Jane Taylor halo band which brought a festive flourish to the Duchess’s burgundy Catherine Walker coat for a 2018 Christmas Day service, are instant outfit elevators, but offer a modern alternative to the world of hats and fascinators. The blooming cream Jane Taylor headpiece, which Kate commissioned for Louis’s christening in July 2018, is perhaps her most famous take on the world of regal headwear regalia, while a Blair Waldorf-esque band worn on a royal tour of Dublin in March 2020 showed a more discreet everyday way to wear the accessory.
The Duchess wearing a custom Jane Taylor piece at Prince Louis’s christening. Photo: Getty
Christmas Day chic à la Kate in King’s Lynn in 2018. Photo: Getty
Wimbledon-based Juliette Botterill is another millinery favorite of Kate’s that is less Ladies’ Day, more refined, thanks to the designer’s keen eye for sculptural silhouettes. (Botterill cut her teeth in the studio of the Queen’s milliner, Marie O’Regan.) A blue Juliette special laden with florals added flair to Kate’s Catherine Walker dress coat at the wedding of Sophie Carter and Robert Snuggs in September 2018, while a pretty pink silk band pepped up her pleated pussy-bow Stella McCartney dress at Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor’s christening during the summer of the following year.
The first time Kate wore her Jane Taylor band to church in 2018. Photo: Getty
Kate doing Easter style her way in 2022. Photo: Antony Jones
Although hair adornments can be seen as a natural extension of the jeweled, ornamental crowns, tiaras and tokens that are part and parcel of her royal image, the Duchess doesn’t discriminate between high end and high street. She’s just as likely to be seen wearing a beaded Zara Alice band as she is to commission a royal milliner to create something special for her. The sweet ribbons Kate also ties in her ponytail might look like the work of fashion favorite Jennifer Behr, but are actually from J Crew.
Wearing Jane Taylor at Westminster Abbey, 2018. Photo: Getty
Velvet Jane Taylor in Dublin, 2022. Photo: Samir Hussein
The fashion pack commends the Duchess’s growing collection of chic headpieces. “I like them as they frame your face and extend your silhouette,” Simone Rocha, whose hairbands are as much a part of her personal aesthetic as they are her catwalk looks, opines about the appeal. Vogue’s contributing fashion director Venetia Scott, who calls hair accessories a habit of a lifetime, also praises the fuss-free, foolproof mode of adorning an outfit. “It’s just a detail which I forget is even there,” says Scott. “It’s funny how people pierce so many holes in their ears to have more places for jewelry, but they don’t use their hair more to embellish.”
The rest of the industry agrees. From household-name brands, like Miu Miu and Gucci, to the accessories labels, including Maison Michel, Eugenia Kim and Lelet NY who Kate is yet to discover, hair accents have become a bona fide category for e-tail giants and department stores alike. When Prada released its wildly popular satin bands stamped with the brand’s triangular plaque, Net-a-porter.com grew its headband offering by 50 per cent to satisfy the demand for the myriad colors, crystal and studded versions.
Hair ribbons for the win in 2018. Photo: Getty
In Sloane Ranger mode, 2016. Photo: Shutterstock
Head adornments were not always on the Duchess’s sartorial agenda, however. The 2012 Diamond Jubilee Tour around the Solomon Islands saw her don a variety of floral headdresses that one could only assume she had not planned to wear when plotting out her usual diplomatic wardrobe. She did not return to headbands again until the summer of 2016, when she entered the Alice band phase. Cue a barrage of flashbacks to Fergie in the ’80s, which are now, thankfully, a long way and many excellent headbands behind her. Here, six styles that would put Kate in the cool-girl camp over traditional Ascot territory.
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Originally published on Vogue.co.uk

Photo: Getty
The Duchess of Cambridge is the queen of condensing her personal effects into a clutch, but her collection of ladylike top handle bags has become a true hallmark of her royal style. While her grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, has been carrying patent styles from Launer London for decades, Kate has cherry-picked from myriad handbag brands that befit the wardrobe of a modern-day duchess.
Aspinal of London’s Midi Mayfair bag – which Middleton owns in both black and lilac croc – and Mulberry’s Mini Seaton share the same sleek lines and discreet gold hardware. Dolce & Gabbana’s rose Sicily model also has the curved handle and front flap reminiscent of vintage bag styles, but comes with soft, rounded corners that make it more capacious.
Two perfectly-formed Alexander McQueen bags sit at the petite end of Kate’s feminine bag collection. The black leather and raffia styles are variations on the brand’s micro Wicca satchels, and – like her bottle-green Manu Atelier model – make for chic day-to-night accessories owing to their compactness.
The Duchess’s burgundy Chanel bag is the highlight in her edit of timeless handbags, none of which are defined by the season they were created or the designer who conceptualised them. As Coco Chanel herself once said, “Fashion passes, style remains,” and Kate’s polished bags are emblematic of quality fashion that holds its value. Testament to this is the frequency with which the Duchess wears her accessories (the Aspinal of London and Chanel styles are rotated most often).
As always, there is a democratic undertone to Kate’s wardrobe. Her Dolce & Gabbana and McQueen bags might cost upwards of £1,000, but the Manu Atelier and Aspinal of London styles retail at less than £400. More recently, the Duchess has incorporated vintage accessories into her wardrobe – sporting a 1960s Wayne Taylor bag in orange for an overseas visit to Jamaica.
The price of an investment bag of course varies for everyone, but, as always, Kate is conscious that her public-facing fashion should incorporate an element of accessibility. The difference between her once beloved LK Bennett Sledge pumps and her current roster of Zara knitwear is that Kate’s handbags come with the responsible message long touted by another designer, Dame Vivienne Westwood: “Buy less, choose well and make it last.”

Below, take a closer look at the Duchess of Cambridge’s ladylike bag collection.
Mulberry small Amberley bag 
Photo: Getty
Vintage Wayne Taylor bag 
Photo: Getty
Aspinal of London black croc Midi Mayfair 
Photo: Getty
Aspinal of London English lavender Midi Mayfair 
Photo: Getty
Alexander McQueen raffia Wicca bag
Photo: Getty
Chanel burgundy quilted calfskin bag 
Photo: Getty
Alexander McQueen black leather Wicca bag 
Photo: Getty
Manu Atelier green leather top handle bag 
Photo: Getty
Mulberry black leather Mini Seaton
Photo: Getty
Dolce & Gabbana rose Sicily 
Photo: Getty
Originally published in Vogue.co.uk
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Photo: Getty
The Duchess of Cambridge was a vision in blue as she attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey today. For the occasion, the royal wore a Catherine Walker coat dress, which she teamed with a matching pillbox hat and navy heels, along with diamond and sapphire earrings, and a matching pendant.
Kate often favors Chelsea-based designer Catherine Walker for formal engagements, with the royal wearing a grey coat dress by the brand for a recent trip to Copenhagen, too. It’s the second time in the space of a week that the royal has chosen to wear blue: last Wednesday, the Duchess opted for an Alexander McQueen jumper in the color of the Ukrainian flag for a visit to London’s Ukrainian Cultural Centre.
Photo: Getty
As a result of a busy royal schedule, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were noticeably absent from last night’s BAFTAs ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, with Prince William – who is president of BAFTA – appearing via a video message instead.
Later this week, the couple will embark on a 12-day tour of the Caribbean that will see them visiting Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas in honor of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Expect to see Kate once again mastering the art of diplomatic dressing then.
Originally published in Vogue.co.uk
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The Duchess of Cambridge visited the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London today. Photo: Getty
Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge showed her support for Ukraine today as she and Prince William visited London’s Ukrainian Cultural Centre to find out more about the efforts being made to support those affected by the war in the eastern European country.

Keenly aware of the powerful message her fashion choices can send, Kate opted for a blue Alexander McQueen jumper to match the Ukrainian flag, which she teamed with navy trousers and Gianvito Rossi heels. Both she and William wore blue and yellow badges, in a further sign of their support.
Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, the royals shared a message expressing their solidarity with the people of Ukraine. “In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future,” the Duke and Duchess wrote on Twitter. “Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future.”
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Photo: Paolo Reversi
In the decade since she joined the royal family, the Duchess of Cambridge has honed her eye for photography, serving as the National Portrait Gallery’s patron, releasing her own images of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis on their respective birthdays, and launching her Hold Still initiative during the pandemic. It’s natural then that, for her 40th birthday on January 9, Kate eschewed sitting for a painter, instead commissioning Italian photographer (and frequent Vogue contributor) Paolo Roversi to shoot a trio of portraits in Kew Gardens.
Photo: Paolo Reversi
Taken in November, the shots depict the Duchess in a series of ballgowns against a neutral backdrop. Over the course of 2022, the portraits will be displayed in locations with “special meaning” to Kate, according to Kensington Palace. The first, Berkshire, is where she was raised and where the Middleton family still lives; the second, St Andrews, is where the future Duchess famously met Prince William as a history of art student; and the third, Anglesey, is where the Duke and Duchess rented a cottage just after their 2011 wedding.
Photo: Paolo Reversi
The exact locations where the portraits will be displayed will be revealed shortly, and will form part of a wider National Portrait Gallery initiative, titled Coming Home. While the NPG – which is due to reopen in 2023 after a major refurbishment – is closed, many of its treasures are on show in locations across Britain, from Vanessa Bell’s portrait of Virginia Woolf at Charleston to Olivia Rose’s shot of Stormzy in the Museum of Croydon. Roversi’s three portraits of the Duchess will form part of the institution’s permanent collection from next year.
In the meantime, start planning a weekend break to Anglesey…
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Originally published on Vogue.co.uk