Princess Kate has been described as one of the most popular royals in the British royal family. She and Prince William have been married for over a decade, and in the last year since then, Kate has grown into a true future queen.
But while the Princess of Wales has been praised for her social work and the way she treats the people she meets at her royal engagements, the last few months have been quite bumpy. Now, she is once again being criticized. That is because of what she is wearing, which was branded a “disappointment.”
Despite that, royal fans quickly answered the expert’s brutal words about the princess.
Princess Kate has been adored by royal fans ever since she first started dating Prince William. The couple met while studying at the St. Andrews University in Scotland. She was only 19 when she and William began dating, but that didn’t matter to the tabloids. Coming from a middle-class background – her parents made millions through their company – Kate was labeled “a commoner.”
Princess Kate – ups & downs in the royal family
Before the couple announced their engagement in 2010, Kate was nicknamed “Waity Katie” and “Lazy Katie.” According to Buckingham Palace officials, it referred to the fact that Middleton had recently quit her job to “prepare for her future life.”
The couple fell in love, and in 2011, they tied the knot in a grand wedding at Westminster Abbey.
Despite the royals adoring Kate, there have also been plenty of bumps in the road towards her becoming the now-Prince of Wales. Queen Camilla was allegedly behind their infamous 2007 split, but luckily, they came to an understanding that they were meant to be together.
After tying the knot, William and Kate didn’t waste any time beginning their royal duties. They went on a 10-day visit to the US and Canada, their first overseas visit as husband and wife and a royal couple.
The newlyweds got a warm welcome everywhere they went, and fans both abroad and in the UK loved the duo. However, the reaction to William and Kate’s trip was not quite as positive back in England, and it caused quite a stir within the Buckingham Palace walls.
According to royal author Sally Bedell Smith, the couple adopted a very laid-back attitude during the trip and posed for photos that left Charles “more than a little irked.”
In her book, Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life, she wrote that Charles thought William and Kate’s trip to the US and Canada had too many “tasteless” photo opportunities.
Moreover, the now-King thought they were too much of a “camera-friendly couple,” treating the trip as a holiday rather than work.
Princess Kate criticized over dress
So what did Kate and William do? Well, one particular photo showed the couple wearing cowboy hats. It was in honor of pressing the button which launched the Calgary Stampede, an annual rodeo festival held in Calgary, Alberta.
Kate’s journey within the royal sphere has gone straight to the top. She is one of the absolute most popular royals, and when out on royal duty, she always takes the time to speak with members of the public. Moreover, like the rest of her family members, the Princess of Wales has several patronages and is very dedicated to addressing mental health problems in the UK, especially among children.
The wardrobe of the royals has always been a big subject of discussion for fashion experts and the public. Some argue that the royal family spends too much money on clothing, and just weeks ago, Princess Kate came under fire for just that.
When Kate – praised for not always wearing the most expensive clothing – attended the Order of the Garter ceremony in June, the princess donned a new polka dot dress from designer Alessandra Rich. However, many thought it looked too similar to Kate’s dress at the Royal Ascot last year.
The new dress cost around one thousand pounds. The fact that she wore such expensive clothes while many Brits were struggling with putting food on the table and homelessness turned into a heated discussion. Royal commentators Michelle Thole and Rachael Andrews said she looked “beautiful.” However, the choice was a “mishap.”
“This was a bit of a flop, not the outfit, the circumstances under it. It just didn’t sit well,” Andrews said on their podcast Keeping Up With The Windsors, as reported by Express.
Reportedly spent $337,000 on her wardrobe in 2022
“And this year, she had on shoes that looked very similar to ones that she’s previously worn before, but again, its a different designer, but they look almost the same.”
Rachael Andrews added: “She’s obviously got her favourite designers but why [is she] picking a dress that’s so similar? Why not bring out the dress you’ve previously worn? Last year the dots were a bit smaller or this year’s were, and that was about it, and the colour. Come on!”
The royal commentator added that Kate’s stylist, Natasha Archer, also had it wrong. Andrews argued that she should have noticed that Kate already had a similar dress and that she did not “need” the new one.
Michelle Thole stated that the decision to have a new dress “made no sense to her.” Especially since all clothes are tailor-made, which makes them even more expensive.
Figures revealed that the Princess of Wales spent $337,000 on her wardrobe last year, royal expert Daniela Elser reported in January.
She argued that Kate’s 2022 events didn’t explain the “sartorial excesses.”
“It’s not as if she worked that much more. In 2020 she undertook 108 engagements, in 2021, that figure was 123, and last year, 138. And yet, over the course of that same period of time, the number of new things she has worn has risen from 134 in 2020 to 204 in 2022,” Elser wrote.
“So too has the average cost per item increased over those three years, from $1171 per item to $2007 per item.”
Fashion expert’s brutal words on Kate’s jewelry
Rachael Andrews continued on the podcast: “As she’s Princess of Wales now, it is like she has a certain uniform, and I think we are seeing that, but she had so many outfits that she could re-wear to an event like this.”
“How many coat dresses has she got that she hasn’t worn more than once to a church service? Bring that out. Bring something out that you haven’t worn in eight, [or] nine years, and everyone would be like, ‘wow, she’s doing a re-wear, that’s so cool.'”
“We absolutely love Catherine and we’re normally all hot on what she wears but it just felt like a mishap this time and a lot of people felt the same,” Andrews added.
Thole concluded that it “does not look good” for William either.
“If it was a completely different dress, a completely different style, we wouldn’t be having this conversation but because it’s something that’s in her wardrobe already, it just seems like a big waste,” she said.
It didn’t take long before Kate Middleton came under fire for her clothing again. This time, from former Vogue editor and fashion expert Suzy Menkes.
On her podcast Creative Conversations, with her guest, British Vogue’s jewelry editor, Carol Woolton, Menkes criticized Kate for not caring about the collection of jewels she had access to. Moreover, Menkes, awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth in 2014 for her contribution to fashion journalism, argued that the Princess of Wales doesn’t seem passionate about wearing the jewelry.
“The Princess of Wales is a bit of a disappointment about jewelry. She gives the impression that she only puts it on when she absolutely has to. I imagine her looking beautiful in one of those gowns behind the scenes and then pulling a face as if to say, ‘Do I have to wear this?'” Suzy Menkes said on her podcast, as reported by the Daily Mail.
“You either love it or you don’t”
“‘She doesn’t give any sense of adoring jewellery and being pleased to put it on.”
Menkes continued, “She doesn’t seem to have Camilla’s joy at wearing jewellery,” adding that Kate’s attitude towards jewelry might change as she edges closer to becoming queen.
“We now have a new Queen, so presumably, she has a first opportunity to look at the jewels. We can imagine that the next in line to the throne’s wife would be something that was very special, so will we see Catherine wearing jewelry that is more dramatic, that is more personal to her?”
“I don’t know. I can’t help feeling with things of beauty – you either love it or you don’t,” Menkes concluded.
Kate Middleton has not been known for her costly outfits. For example, in March, she wore earrings from ZARA that cost $23, and in December, Prince William reportedly bought her a pair of earrings from Sezane at a prize of $130.
Even though fashion expert Suzy Menkes doesn’t like the Princess of Wales’ attitude towards jewelry, plenty of royal fans rush to defend Kate.
Royal fans rush to her defense
As reported by the Mirror, several fans have shown their support for Kate on Twitter, simply stating that the princess has her style when it comes t wearing jewelry.
“Catherine has worn gorgeous jewellery, some flashy, some understated,” one user said.
Another stated, “I think people forget that Catherine is a young modern princess. And likewise, she has her own personal style that quickly becomes a designer’s success.”
A third royal fan argued, “The Princess of Wales has an excellent eye for accessories, and her earrings collection is stunning – particularly because she often promotes small businesses by wearing their jewellery. She has just the right mix of affordable and high-end jewellery in her wardrobe.”
What Kate will wear in the future, time will tell. But no matter what, the most crucial part is that she is comfortable wearing it, no matter if it costs $20 or $2 million.
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