Why Kate Middleton always rewears her outfits

(Image credit: 2021 Max Mumby/Indigo)

You all know this by now, but the Duchess of Cambridge is a fan of re-wearing her outfits, so much so that she sometimes buys the same style twice in different colourways.

These include the white Alexander McQueen coat dress she wore to Princess Charlotte's christening, a black Jenny Packham evening gown, an ivory Roland Mouret dress and of course her maternity wardrobe, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Now in itself this isn't that surprising, that's what we all do right? But when you're a royal with a seemingly unlimited budget, then you'd be forgiven for wearing a new outfit every single day of the year, especially when the cameras are never far off.

But not Kate. There is of course the sustainable angle, both she and Prince Willian are passionate advocates for helping stop climate change, and we know that a lot of fashion items end up in landfill.

There's also another reason the Duchess likes to recycle her wardrobe, and it's all to do with being more approachable.

Fashion expert Simon Glazin told the Daily Mail, 'There has been lots written about the Duchess and Prince William's spending. It's likely to be the reason why she is thrifty with her wardrobe and often recycles dresses and coats. Even a Princess has to dress on a budget.'

This way, the public can see that while her outfits are designer, she does invest in styles that she will rewear time and time again, thus not appearing wasteful. And that's something we can all get on board with.

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.