Of William and Kate’s three children, Charlotte is the one doomed to suffer from the dreaded “middle child syndrome.” Prince George is the oldest and the one destined to one day take the throne. Prince Louis is the youngest, meaning he (a bit like Harry before him) is allowed to just be a silly center of attention. And then there’s Charlotte, who has spent her lifetime doing what so many of us do: trying to figure out who she really is.
One of the ways she has done so is through clothing. While she’s only 11 years old, she has had several very different fashion eras. This includes trendsetting as a toddler, twinning with mumsie, and discovering a passion for high-end designers. These days, the tween looks downright regal: the spitting image of England’s favorite princess. Just how did Princess Charlotte’s fashion evolve over the years? Keep reading to find out!
A young icon
If you live outside the UK, it’s almost impossible to understand how beloved Princess Charlotte really is. From the moment she could walk, this young royal has been setting trends and defining fashion for countless children and parents. Case in point: when she went with her parents on a royal tour of Germany in 2017, she wore an adorable blue Liberty print dress. Afterwards, eBay claims that user searches for that particular dress increased by a whopping 600 percent!
Another example occurred when William and Kate released a photo of Charlotte celebrating her second birthday. In the image, she is wearing a yellow John Lewis cardigan, complete with sheep painted on it. As far as kid fashion goes, it doesn’t get much cuter! Apparently, parents everywhere agreed: this bit of adorable outerwear instantly sold out. Examples like this prove that Charlotte has been an influencer from the moment she was born!
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Going twinsies with Kate
One thing we often write about is how, despite being fabulously rich and famous, royals have some of the same quirky habits as the rest of us. For example, many mothers simply can’t wait to dress their daughters like themselves, creating their own little “Mini-Me.” Kate Middleton is no exception: once Charlotte was four years old, mother dearest made sure they had several iconic “twinning” moments. In 2019, Kate brought Charlotte to the Sandringham Christmas Day service for the first time; Charlotte made a bold statement with a dark green coat, one that Kate matched with her own dark green hat.
Since then, mother and daughter have twinned on several occasions. At Charles’ coronation as King, they each wore gorgeous silver and crystal headpieces from Jessette X Alexander McQueen. At the Wimbledon finals, they each wore dark blue outfits that looked perfectly coordinated. Even when they aren’t wearing overtly similar clothing, they are typically rocking coordinating jewelry, indicating just how close their bond really is.
A passion for high-end designers
While Charlotte started twinning with Kate at age four, it didn’t take long for her to develop her own particular sense of style. After she turned six, she picked a favorite designer: Rachel Riley. The young royal had previously worn several of the designer’s floral dresses, but the public didn’t realize how much Charlotte loved this designer until Kate released a photo of her daughter wearing one of Riley’s most iconic designs: pink and blue and featuring puffy sleeves, it instantly made Charlotte look like a mature young woman.
Unsurprisingly, this dress ended up selling out 12 hours after Kate uploaded the photo, showing just how influential Charlotte had become. After that, she became much more comfortable rocking designer looks, wearing a white, silky Alexander McQueen dress for King Charles’ coronation. Later, she upcycled this dress into an entirely new look while continuing to rock designer fits, even when you’d least expect them. For example, she rocked a blue dress (her signature color!) from Spanish designer Friki to the Wimbledon finals. Honestly, has there ever been a more stylish young lady?
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Charlotte’s terrific tweens
As Charlotte got a little older, her fashion continued to evolve. She showed off a more mature tween look in a 2024 family selfie with arguably the biggest musician in the world: Taylor Swift. There, the young royal traded out her muted blues for a rockstar-esque sequined dress. That same year, she attended Wimbledon, but she ditched her typical floral prints to wear a navy-and-white polka-dot dress from Guess. Oh, and she topped the whole thing off with some pink shades that made her look like a couture queen.
But that doesn’t mean she’s stopped twinning with Kate, though. At last year’s Trooping the Colour event, she wore a beautiful blue dress from Sarah Burton, one of her mother’s very favorite designers. As for Kate, she was wearing a similar blue dress, and they have arguably never twinned quite as hard as they did at this event.
How will Charlotte’s fashion evolve yet again? We can’t wait to find out!