Kate Middleton Breaks a Long-Held Fashion Rule—And Gets Away With It

It’s been a confusing few months for anyone obliged to write about Kate Middleton’s wardrobe for a living. “There will always be an appreciation of what the Princess is wearing from some of the public and she gets that. But do we need to be officially always saying what she is wearing? No.” The story raised so many eyebrows that a Kensington Palace spokesperson felt the need to backtrack—taking responsibility for the comments before concluding, somewhat confusingly: “To be clear, there has been no change in our approach to sharing information about Her Royal Highness’s clothing.”

Regardless of whether the Palace has changed its tack when it comes to fashion credits, Kate’s wardrobe has remained, as ever, prim, proper and predominantly Catherine Walker-led thus far in 2025 (although she has, on occasion, recycled noughties pieces, such as a Ralph Lauren jacket she first wore in Cheltenham back in 2007).

I can’t tell you how and when the general public got the impression that navy and black should never be worn together, but I can tell you that Phoebe Philo shattered that illusion once and for all with her fall 2010 Céline show , her second for the label, which is often cited as the collection that kicked Phoebe-mania into high gear. Many of the 32 looks sent down the runway at the Tennis Club de Paris that day incorporated both shades: navy wool skirts with black leather pockets; black knee-high boots worn with a navy funnel-neck coat… “Strong, powerful, reduced,” Philo said when asked to summarize the collection’s aesthetic. Three qualities that Kate’s best royal looks similarly embody.