Kate channels Diana & Queen's style tactic to avoid 'awkward' moments (2024)

Kate and William ‘following’ Diana says Rae

Kate Middleton is known all over the world for her incredible sense of style. The sizeable impact the Princess of Wales has had on the fashion industry has been dubbed "The Kate Effect", as whatever she appears in typically sells out in minutes.

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Kate has continually wowed the crowds with what she chooses to wear to her public appearances.

Whether she is donning a floor-length gold Jenny Packham gown for a James Bond film premiere or arriving in London to hand out a fashion award, it is clear the royal has perfected her public image.

The Princess of Wales is also known to employ a series of clever tactics when appearing in public to ensure she doesn't suffer any awkward fashion moments, including wearing hairnets to keep her hair as neat as possible. But she has another method as well.

Whenever the Princess appears at an official engagement, she almost always carries a clutch bag with her.

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Kate channels Diana & Queen's style tactic to avoid 'awkward' moments (3)

Kate Middleton always carries clutch bag for key reason (Image: GETTY)

Kate channels Diana & Queen's style tactic to avoid 'awkward' moments (5)

Kate can easily shake people's hands with her clutch bag (Image: GETTY)

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While it not only completes her look and carries important items, the bag serves another important purpose.

Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette, saidthat Kate "holds her bag in front of her in both hands when shaking hands might be awkward", shetoldGood Housekeeping.

Etiquette expert, William Hanson said: "It is protocol that you do not extend your hand to any member of theRoyal Family(blood royal or those who have married into the family) unless their hand extends first—hence the reason Kate feels the need to pick a bag that puts both her hands out of commission," hetoldthe Daily Mail.

However, Kate is not the only royal who uses her clutch bag for a secondary reason as her late mother-in-law also employed a clever tactic.

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    While many will remember some of Diana, Princess of Wales' iconic outfits - such as the dress she wore to dance with John Travolta at the White House or her "revenge dress" - she had another impact on the fashion industry.

    One hack that the former Princess of Wales was famous for was the placement of her clutch bag when she stepped out of a car.

    Diana herself dubbed the move as her "cleavage clutch" - as it protected her modesty from the prying lenses of the waiting photographers as she got out of the car.

    This move became a staple for the Princess and was often pictured holding her clutch bag close to her chest.

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    Kate channels Diana & Queen's style tactic to avoid 'awkward' moments (8)

    Kate Middleton carries a huge array of clutch bags (Image: GETTY)

    Kate channels Diana & Queen's style tactic to avoid 'awkward' moments (9)

    Princess Diana used her clutch to protect her cleavage (Image: GETTY)

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    Chelsea-based handbag designer Anya Hindmarch regularly helped the Princess of Wales with her accessories after she opened her West London store in 1993.

    Ms Hindmarch said: "She was a very loyal customer and a lot of fun… she would come and see us with no bodyguards or any fuss,"shetoldthe Telegraph.

    The iconic designer continued: "We used to laugh when we designed what she called her ‘cleavage bags,’ little satin clutches which she would cover her cleavage with when she stepped out of cars."

    While Diana was the indisputable queen of fashion, there was also another royal who used her bag for more than one purpose.

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    Kate channels Diana & Queen's style tactic to avoid 'awkward' moments (13)

    Queen Elizabeth used her handbag strategically (Image: GETTY)

    The late Queen also came up with an ingenious ploy where she used her bag to communicate with her ladies-in-waiting or other staff.

    Queen Elizabeth II useda few simple movements to convey messages. These included ifshe wanted an event to end, to stop talking to someone, or wanted a member of staff to come and join the conversation.

    If Her Late Majesty placed her handbag on the table at dinner, staff were to take it as a cue that she wanted the event to end in the next five minutes. If she placed it on the floor, it signalled that she was not enjoying the conversation and wanted to be rescued by her lady-in-waiting.

    Royal historian Hugo Vickers explained the Queen always draped her handbag over her left arm, so when she switched it, it was an obvious sign that she was bored and wanted to move along. He said: "This move is a discreet directive that she would like staff to help end the conversation."

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    Kate channels Diana & Queen's style tactic to avoid 'awkward' moments (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the Kate effect on fashion? ›

    In 2021, it was reported that Catherine boosted the British fashion industry up to £1 billion within a year. She was also chosen as one of the 25 most influential women in the United Kingdom by British Vogue in August 2021.

    Why is Kate Middleton not called princess Kate? ›

    The royal family is very formal and they are also big on tradition. It is not appropriate for a future queen to be called Kate when her proper given name is Catherine. Prince Harry is the only royal to use a nickname and that is a decision his parents made at the time of his birth.

    Why does Kate dress like Diana? ›

    Omid Scobie writes in his new book Endgame that the palace "shamelessly leverages" Princess Diana's lasting popularity, including encouraging Prince Harry and Prince William's wives to replicate her fashion in an attempt for "some of Diana's shine to rub off on them." In addition to sporting looks reminiscent of ...

    How many children does Kate Middleton have? ›

    “As I said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in mind, body and spirits,” she added. William and Kate married in 2011 and have three children — George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

    What does Kate Middleton do with her used clothes? ›

    She wears them. Seriously, what else would she do with them? Like Princess Anne, Catherine re-wears her outfits, some of them have been worn many times. She recently wore a white coat that she had before she and William were even engaged.

    Does Kate Middleton pay for her clothes? ›

    Members of the Royal Family do not accept free gifts or free items of clothing. However, they may sometimes loan items which are returned after use. The Princess of Wales (whose name is Catherine not Kate) funds her purchases from the income her husband derives from the Duchy of Cornwall.

    What does Prince Harry call Kate Middleton? ›

    It's believed she previously preferred to go by her full name of Catherine - and that's the angle Harry continued to follow when he was close to his brother's wife. It's said he would always refer to her as "Cath".

    What does William call Catherine? ›

    Although William calls her Kate. The only other people who did were the tabloids when they called her waity Katie. When she married William she let it be known that her name was Catherine and that's what she asked people to call her.

    What is Kate Middleton's last name now? ›

    As a male HRH, William does not have a surname, so Catherine has no married surname. Windsor is the name of the current royal House. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was used as the name of the House before it was changed to Windsor in 1917.

    Did Kate ever meet Diana? ›

    The Crown took creative liberties and introduced Kate Middleton as a character, but her meeting with Princess Diana never happened in real life. The series reached recent history in its final season, covering events like Princess Diana's tragic car crash and Prince William meeting Kate Middleton in 2001.

    Is Diana more popular than Kate? ›

    Already the most popular British royal, the Princess of Wales is on the cusp of becoming bigger than Diana - and even the late Queen. “Now the nation has seen the human frailty of the princess, it has won her legions of more fans,” royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said.

    Why is it called Diana's Revenge dress? ›

    The "revenge dress" was an evening gown worn by Diana, Princess of Wales to a 1994 dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens. The garment has been interpreted as having been worn by Diana "in revenge" for the televised admission of adultery by her husband Charles, then Prince of Wales.

    What was photoshopped by Kate? ›

    Kate Middleton's Photo Editing Scandal Calls Into Question Other Royal Family Images. Getty Images found that a photograph of the late Queen with some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at Balmoral was also edited.

    Are the Middletons aristocrats? ›

    High society on Kate Middleton's father's side

    Our records reveal how the couple had married in Leeds three years earlier. As described by historian Robert Lacey, Michael's family has 'aristocratic ties'.

    How old is Princess Charlotte in 2024? ›

    The princess will celebrate her ninth birthday on May 2, 2024, and has seen her public profile rise over the past two years since the accession of her grandfather, King Charles III, to the throne.

    Why is Kate Middleton a fashion icon? ›

    15 Dec Style Icon: Kate Middleton

    Kate Middleton is known for her elegant and timeless style. What makes Kate Middleton's style so covetable and achievable, is that she is very classically stylish. She flatters her figure and integrates trendy pieces in a very subtle way.

    How did Kate Spade change the fashion industry? ›

    In honor of her legacy, we remember how the designer left her mark on the fashion world. With handbags priced between $200 to $400, Kate Spade New York was one of the first to make luxury items affordable and accessible. Spade stuck with classic designs that were never too trendy to ensure it'd never go out of style.

    Why is Kate Moss a fashion icon? ›

    Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her to fashion icon status.

    Is Kate Middleton a fashion icon? ›

    Fashion-minded Kate has become one of the world's most celebrated style icons, praised by Vogue and commentators internationally for her classic tailored looks and distinctive regal aesthetic.

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