Did Kate Middleton break royal protocol with this outfit?

We've been seeing a lot of the Cambridges lately and we are very much here for it. Whether that's Prince William staring lovingly at a KFC, the couple visiting cancer patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital or revealing their new official colour, they've been keeping busy.

Duchess Catherine has been able to rewear some of her favourite pieces of clothing for the occasions, as well as some new ones, including a re Alexander McQueen coat.

However some royal fans are saying that two of her recent outfit choices have broken royal protocol, namely a navy pant suit with pale blue shirt worn on Tuesday to meet the finalists of her Hold Still photography project, and the outfit below worn to visit the University of Derby.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

This is because, as you might have guessed, they include trousers, of which the Queen is said to not be a fan of. In fact, you'll be hard pressed to find any pictures of Her Majesty wearing anything other than a skirt suit or dress for an official engagement.

This is a piece of clothing that Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex was also keen on, and one she never ditched even after officially becoming a member of the royal family.

A source told PEOPLE that she found the protocol a little frustrating, that she 'found certain rules in the royal household difficult to understand, like the fact that the Queen prefers women in dresses or skirts rather than trouser suits, and is often asking Harry why things have to be done in a certain way.'

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.