Did you spot the secret meaning behind Kate Middleton's bow pin?

(Image credit: Karwai Tang)

One of the regulars at Wimbledon tennis tournament - other than Pimms and strawberries of course - is Kate Middleton, with the Duchess of Cambridge spotted in the royal box this year not once, but three times.

Of course this is hardly surprising given her role as patron of All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, with the Duchess there to award Novak Djokovic with his gong and congratulate Simona Halep on her Wimbledon win at the men’s and women’s finals.

Karwai Tang/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

What got people talking instead was Kate Middleton’s fashion choices, with the Duchess of Cambridge seen sporting a purple and green striped bow brooch on her lapel.

Karwai Tang/WireImage
(Image credit: WireImage)

With the Kate Middleton effect alive and well, there were predictions that bow brooches would soon be all the rage, but on closer inspection it seems that Kate has been wearing the accessory for years, with the brooch actually having a very special meaning behind it.

Karwai Tang/WireImage
(Image credit: WireImage)

The bow is in fact a symbol of Kate’s role as patron, with only a select few allowed to don the accessory.

Yes, really. According to an All English Lawn Tennis Club representative, via TODAY, it is only the patron, the president, the committee of management, the vice presidents, and four members of executive staff that are allowed to wear the bow.

Adrian Dennis -Pool/Getty Images
(Image credit: Pool)

And while many of the men choose to wear the accessory as a tie, Kate instead prefers to wear it as a brooch.

This might be one of the few Kate Middleton fashion crazes that we can’t actually follow.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.