TOTE-ALLY LUXE
Inside the £250,000 handbag collection Princess Charlotte’s set to inherit – including Diana’s Dior bag worth a fortune
Princess Kate has favoured some four-figure designer bags on engagements
HAVING Princess Kate for your mum certainly comes with perks for Princess Charlotte, including being in line to her jaw-dropping handbag collection.
The Princess of Wales always looks flawless, and the key to her polished look is finishing off her outfit with a stylish handbag.
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While she does like to showcase highstreet brands, Kate does have a number of pricey bags from Alexander McQueen, Jenny Packham and Jimmy Choo stored in her wardrobe.
In fact, Princess Kate has over 110 handbags in her enviable collection, including over 80 clutches, 15 top handle bags, crossbodies, totes and satchels.
Fashion expert Amber Graafland estimated Kate's collection is worth over £250,000, and told Fabulous: “For most mere mortals 110 bags sounds like a huge amount, but if you consider that the princess attends upwards of 100 public engagements a year, it’s not actually that ridiculous.
"Kate knows that she needs a few timeless clutch bags and top handle day bags in her arsenal. Having carefully chosen timeless designs, she wears them on repeat."
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The fashion expert said estimating the value of Kate’s collection is difficult because of the disparity in price.
She explained: "While Chanel handbags cost upwards of £5,000 Aspinal of London bags start at around £500.
"Then of course you have to factor in that designer handbags like her Chanel style go up in value. So, while her burgundy bag was estimated at £4,000 in 2015, it would cost double that today.
"A Chanel handbag, once owned by the Princess of Wales, is pretty much priceless.
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"With the resale of designer handbags increasing year-on-year Kate’s collection could be valued at a quarter of a million pounds today, so in the future Princess Charlotte looks set to inherit quite the collection."
KATE'S FLAWLESS BAG STYLE
Kate also likes to champion British labels too, and has been seen carrying Aspinal, DeMellier, Tusting and Grace Han, to name a few.
Princess Kate beams as she hands trophy to Wimbledon winner
When it comes to her handbag style, Vogue said "ladylike top handle bags has become a true hallmark of her royal style".
Many of her favoured bags are simple, classic and timeless, similar to her wardrobe collection.
Arguably one of her favourite bags is her Mulberry Bayswater wallet, which she has carried to over 60 engagements, and although it is sold-out, similar bags from the brand retail for £650.
Most recently, we saw Princess Kate at the Wimbledon Men’s Final with Princess Charlotte.
For the event, she carried the L.K. Bennett Milly handbag in the shade of ‘Trench’.
We’ve seen Kate carrying the bag before, including during an Early Years roundtable meeting with US First Lady Jill Biden in 2021.
The sold-out bag, which retailed for £225, is a 1960s inspired piece and is said to be ‘small in size but big on style’.
It has a grab handle, although also comes with a removable crossbody strap, and has brogue detailing.
DIANA’S ICONIC COLLECTION
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The secret signal Kate Middleton sends with her handbags
THE Queen was known for using her trademark Launer handbag to signal to her staff how she was really feeling in public.
According to royal historian Hugo Vickers, if the Queen was at an event and she wanted to end a chat, she would shift her bag from her usual left side onto the right.
And Kate has a similar trick with clutch bags that she’s regularly seen carrying.
According to Myka Meier, founder of Beaumont Etiquette, when Kate is at an event, she “holds her bag in front of her in both hands when shaking hands might be awkward.”
Etiquette coach William Hanson added to Good Housekeeping: "By holding something like her clutch bag, it is perhaps giving her an 'excuse' to not extend her hand to everyone.
“She can’t shake the hands of everyone she meets – the Duchess would be there all day!”
Princess Diana also racked up legions of fans due to her impeccable fashion style, and she showcased a number of incredible bags.
Included in the batch was her iconic black Lady Dior bag, which retails for £5,300 in the medium size.
It was formerly known as the Chouchou before Lady Di caused it to boom in popularity after she was gifted it by the First Lady of France Madame Bernadette Chirac in 1995.
It’s not known who inherited the memorable bag, following her tragic death in 1997.
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Princess Diana wrote a “Letter of Wishes” that requested that her jewellery and three quarters of her personal belongings (“chattels”) be passed on to her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
The remaining quarter went to her 17 godchildren.
Fashion expert Erin Fitzpatrick claimed Princess Kate never uses Diana’s bags, saying: “She’s never worn any of Princess Diana handbags, even though she’s obviously inherited many pieces of Diana’s jewellery.”
KATE’S EXPENSIVE BAGS
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Princess Kate has been known to carry bags from affordable brands such as Hobbs, Reiss and Jaeger, which can cost £150 on average.
However, she does have a number of bags with a much larger price tag.
Included in this is her Chanel Burgundy Small Flap Bag with Enamel Handle, which has an estimated price tag of £3,249.
The four items Kate Middleton carries in her handbag
THE Princess of Wales carries just FOUR things in her handbag, according to author Marcia Moody, who penned Kate: A Biography.
The items are all incredibly practical - and go some way to explaining how she always look so fresh.
The first is a compact mirror, reports Mamamia - presumably for checking her make-up is on point and she doesn't have any food in her teeth.
Kate also carries a trusty lip balm as well as a sheet of blotting paper - usually used to remove excess oil or sweat from the face.
The final item is a handkerchief. That's right, no phone, no purse, nothing.
The quilted burgundy bag has been carried by Kate over five times, including on a royal visit to Paris in March 2017 and a three-day tour of Boston, Massachusetts in December 2022.
We’ve also seen her carry a £3,635 Chanel Mini Rectangular Flap Bag in Black Lambskin.
Kate carried the quilted bag at the Rugby World Cup Quarter Final Match in October 2023.
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Another one of her favourites, which has been spotted on her over four times, is her Alexander McQueen White Satin Butterfly Box Clutch, which costs £2,235.
Fans may recall the royal mum-of-three carrying it at the BAFTAs in February 2019 and US State Banquet in June 2019.