Princess Kate’s coat designer revealed that the princess “has a good, strong idea of what works for her” when it comes to personal style. Before she was the Princess of Wales, she was just Kate Middleton, “a very straightforward, very normal, down-to-earth person” who needed coats for events like the Cheltenham Races and Royal Ascot, and often turned to designer Katherine Hooker.
Hooker’s eponymous label became popular with Princess Kate, Pippa Middleton, and Princess Beatrice nearly two decades ago, and the Princess of Wales still loves the classic styles. In a 2012 interview with The Cut, Hooker says that Princess Kate “does have quite a strength in her style. Although it’s very conservative, there is something that sets her apart from just your average nice, conservative, well-brought-up girl."
“I think that she’s a very strong person, she has a strong personality,” the designer said. “She doesn’t particularly want to stand out, but she has a good, strong idea of what works for her. There are some things that she’s definitely like, “no”—that she doesn’t want. And there are some things that she definitely goes for.” The brand specializes in bespoke and small-batch designs, so Kate would have been able to steer the designs slightly in terms of cut, color, and style. “I have so much experience with customers and how they are with themselves and how confident they are with the things that they choose, and she’s definitely the confident one. She would be in the category of the ones who really know what works, what she likes, what she doesn’t like,” the designer revealed.
Princess Kate’s classic tan Katherine Hooker coat with contrasting brown pockets and collar became a memorable look when she wore it for her first official engagement with Prince William in 2010––but she originally wore the coat in 2006, to the Cheltenham Races. The coat clearly stood the test of time, being equally as stylish in 2006 as it was in 2010, and even more so when we saw a nearly identical style on Princess Charlotte in 2025.
Princess Charlotte had a twinning moment with her mom, Princess Kate, on Christmas Day when she stepped out in a nearly-identical Catherine Walker coat. The cut, color, and contrasting details were almost exactly the same. Even the brown tights and suede shoes, with Kate opting for ankle boots and Princess Charlotte choosing practical ballet flats, were similar.
The style of coat works on a young princess and a young woman in her late 20s, and proves that a classic coat never goes out of style. Speaking of Princess Kate's timeless style, Katherine Hooker says, "she's managed to do something––and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.”
