Carole Middleton and her daughter the Princess of Wales have worn coordinating outfits and even raided each other’s wardrobes in the past.
For the most part, the pair have shared elegant coat dresses and summer frocks, but we’ve unearthed some more daring outfits from the mother-daughter duo before Princess Kate married into the royal family.
Back in September 2009, Carole joined her husband Michael Middleton and their daughters Kate and Pippa at the Art For Starlight Party at London’s Saatchi Gallery. The Party Pieces founder left muted colours behind in favour of a striking pop of colour in a cherry red satin dress.
The strapless bodice was held up with one large strap that travelled diagonally across her back, while the material gathered at an empire waist and fell into a knee-length ruffled skirt.
Carole teamed it with black Louis Vuitton heels with the brand’s iconic red sole on display as she sat at the dinner table. Her brunette long bob had been blowdried into a bouncy straight style with bangs across her face, while her beauty look remained simple.
Carole was pictured alongside her family, who wore monochromatic ensembles. Michael rocked a black pinstripe suit, while Pippa chose a black and white sequin mini dress and Kate looked elegant in a floor-length grey wraparound dress.
However, Kate had embraced a more rebellious fashion sense in the past. In 2006, the Princess was a lady in red as she watched Prince William compete in the Chakravarty Cup charity polo match at Ham Polo Club. The low V-neck, strappy halterneck and open back, as well as the head-turning colour, were all features that she moved away from when she married William in 2011.
Carole’s fashion confessions
Carole is often pictured in elegant midi dresses, which is no surprise considering she previously admitted to The Telegraph that she favours them over trousers. “Not ones that are tight round the middle though, my shape’s changing,” she said.
However, she also confessed that she “hates” shopping, so she likely took no joy from hunting for her pastel blue Catherine Walker coat mother-of-the-bride dress for the Prince and Princess of Wales’ big day.
“Like every mother, I wanted to look my best, make my children proud and enjoy the day. I honestly don’t think I was any more stressed than any other mother-of-the-bride,” she said.
Kate and Carole’s twinning style
Luckily, Carole doesn’t have to look far for fashion inspiration. The mother-of-three often copies her eldest daughter’s style – just cast your mind back to the pink silk ME+EM shirt dress Kate wore in Scotland in 2021, which Carole then rocked to Ascot the following year.
If that’s not enough proof, then take a look at Kate’s first solo speech as a royal in March 2012, where she chose a blue Reiss dress – the same outfit Carole wore for Royal Ascot in 2010.
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