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 Middleton always carries clutch bag for key reason (Image: GETTY)
Kate Middleton uses her clutch bag strategically (Image: GETTY)
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 Middleton carries a huge array of clutch bags (Image: GETTY)
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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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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