Princess Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, live a quiet, low-key life in Bucklebury, Berkshire, filled with cozy dinner parties, grandparent duties, and dog walks. Despite staying away from the public glare of being a royal relative, Carole Middleton can’t resist a day at the races. She’s a regular attendee at Ascot every summer, and just stepped out for a day at the Cheltenham Races.
Alongside Queen Camilla and Zara Tindall, the Middleton matriarch enjoyed a day of very British horse races on a sunny afternoon. The Cheltenham Races aren’t an official royal event, but are often attended by the horse-enthusiasts of the royal family, alongside major celebrities like Henry Cavill, Geri Halliwell-Horner, and Idris Elba. The dress code is less floral frocks and fabulous millinery, and is instead all about tweeds, trilbys, and country attire.
Carole Middleton took a style note out of her daughter’s royal wardrobe, pairing a classic plaid navy coat with a navy fedora featuring feather trim. The “Suffolk” fedora is designed by British countrywear brand Hicks & Brown, and features a circlet of natural bronze feathers and the brand’s iconic gold logo. Princess Kate has worn the same hat in navy blue, and a similar style in dark green. Duchess Sophie also owns the same hat, in a beige color, proving that the Hicks & Brown Suffolk fedora is the perfect British country princess style.
In a surprising style moment, Carole Middleton effortlessly carried an iconic Hermès Birkin bag to the day at the races. The black bag—if one could call an Hermès Birkin just “a bag”—is crafted from black ostrich skin and features gold hardware. While Carole’s bag looks like it might be a vintage or pre-loved style, similar Birkin bags, even secondhand, retail for about $40,000. Neither Princess Kate nor her sister, Pippa Middleton Matthews, have been seen sporting the legendary French brand, making this a truly personal style statement from Carole Middleton.
