CATWALK QUEENS: HOW TO RULE LIKE FASHION ROYALTY

WHEN IT COMES TO THE ROYALS’ WARDROBE CHOICES NOTHING IS LEFT TO CHANCE OK! UNCOVERS THEIR SASSY STYLE SECRETS AND FASHION FORMULAS

- MICHELLE GARNETT

ALWAYS BE PREPARED

As an ex-Girl Guide, Her Majesty the Queen never forgets the “Be prepared” motto. For her 10-day 1953 Commonwealth tour, she took 100 outfits. She still has so many clothes they have to be “kept on the top floor” of the palace, explains former royal butler Paul Burrell. Apparently, each morning a dresser shows her sketches of two outfits. “The one the Queen picks is the one which is brought downstairs,” he says. She’s had up to 70 new hats in a year and her more casual cast-offs are apparently donated to charity shops, but not until all the labels are removed.

EXPENSE IS NO OBJECT

Dressing as a duchess doesn’t come cheap. Last year, the Duchess of Cambridge spent an estimated £103,000 on her wardrobe. Her Alexander McQueen BAFTA gown with Jimmy Choo shoes was her most expensive outfit, totalling £4,975. But two years earlier, she reportedly wore an ensemble costing £11,300 to her sister’s wedding. However, Kate often rewears items up to four times in public and she’s also a fan of high street fashion, favouring Reiss, Zara and Ghost. A cute pair of earrings she debuted in March cost just £5 from Accessorize.