Kate Middleton buys all her favourite outfits in two colours

(Image credit: 2021 Max Mumby/Indigo)

Last week Kate Middleton paid tribute to Prince Philip at a Christmas carols concert, by wearing the same outfit she wore to his funeral, but in red.

Whilst touching, her wardrobe choice wasn't exactly surprising, since she has been known to buy a dress in two colours before. In fact, she does this with all her favourite buys, from dresses to coats.

was £1,573

<a href="https://www.prf.hn/click/camref:1100l4PAv/pubref:hawk-custom-tracking/destination:https%3A%2Fwww.theoutnet.com%2Fen-gb%2Fshop%2Fproduct%2Femilia-wickstead%2Fdresses%2Fmidi-dress%2Fjune-gathered-organza-seersucker-midi-dress%2F46353151654891882" data-link-merchant="theoutnet.com"" data-original-url="https://www.prf.hn/click/camref:1100l4PAv/pubref:marieclaire-gb-8346232530999487000/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theoutnet.com%2Fen-gb%2Fshop%2Fproduct%2Femilia-wickstead%2Fdresses%2Fmidi-dress%2Fjune-gathered-organza-seersucker-midi-dress%2F46353151654891882">EMILIA WICKSTEAD June gathered organza-seersucker midi dress, now £660, was £1,573 (58% off) at The Outnet
This fit and flare dress by one of Kate's favourite designers comes at a fraction of the original price.

For example, during her royal tour of Canada with Princess William in 2016, the Duchess donned a red Preen dress for a reconciliation ceremony with Canadian First Nations groups. She bought that same dress in black and wore it two months later to an evening ceremony in London, though this time she accessorised with a belt instead of a diamond brooch.

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<a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=39687&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wolfandbadger.com%2Fuk%2Ffrancesca-midi-dress%2F" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">FRANCESCA MIDI DRESS, £119 at Wolf & Badger
This is a lilac midi dress with long sleeves. And they’re blouson sleeves, above a cuff which has a mother of pearl button. And at the top of the sleeve, a puff shoulder. Sleek and regal.

In 2018, she wore a lovely Emilia Wickstead A-line dress in lilac, which she wore to the Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit in London (she previously donned it for a trip to Germany in 2017). The following year, she wore the same dress in moss green, to the opening of a centre for children.

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<a href="https://john-lewis-and-partners.pxf.io/c/221109/871855/12148?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=marieclaire-gb&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnlewis.com%2Fgina-bacconi-shola-floral-lace-mini-dress-flamingo-pink%2Fp3541308" data-link-merchant="john-lewis-and-partners.pxf.io"">Gina Bacconi Shola Floral Lace Mini Dress, Flamingo Pink, £160 at John Lewis
The dress is fashioned entirely from a beautiful floral corded lace and chiffon frills sit elegantly at the shoulder and sleeve to frame the figure perfectly. Fully lined, the dress is fastened using a concealed back zip plus a dainty hook and eye key.

In 2017, the Duchess loved an Alexander McQueen dress so much she bought it in two different shades of pink, one for Trooping the Colour, and the other for Princess Eugenie's wedding a year later. She even wore the same chandelier diamond earrings on both occasions.

Kate is adept at buying the same outfit twice, but waiting a year or so before wearing it in a different hue, thus keeping her wardrobe fresh and letting the public forget about the first one.

Image

<a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=xU%2AITpjPkO4&mid=35725&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.matchesfashion.com%2Fproducts%2F1421380" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">WEEKEND MAX MARA Struzzo coat, £670 at MatchesFashion
Weekend Max Mara's sophisticated aesthetic is synonymous with timeless wardrobe staples, such as this blue brushed-wool Struzzo coat.

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<a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=38432&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.riverisland.com%2Fp%2Fblue-relaxed-duster-coat-782447" data-link-merchant="click.linksynergy.com"">Blue relaxed coat, £80 at River Island
A budget-friendly version of Kate's blue coat.

Case in point, the Catherine Walker coat she wore in red to the Order of the Garter ceremony in 2016, and in blue during her tour of Germany in 2017, to visit a holocaust memorial.

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.