When considering the most timeless royal fashion icons, Princess Kate and the late Queen Elizabeth II top the list. Queen Elizabeth was well-known for her colorful coats, matching hats, and her iconic handbag, and while Princess Kate was once Queen of the Clutch, she has adopted the late Queen’s penchant for a top-handle bag in recent years. Monica Marriott-Mills, a Luxury and Royal Fashion Content Creator at @themonicaway, shares that “throughout history there have always been key bag shapes and styles that have remained consistently popular,” and the top-handle bag favored by the royals is one of the most timeless.
It turns out, these iconic handbags have a little-known secret history, and it's all about women gaining more independence. “Top handle bags first came into fashion in the late 19th and early 20th century, during the major shifts in women’s independence and thus, daily life,” explains Marriott-Mills. “Originally, handbags were mainly just for functional purposes, but as women began to travel more, work, and move through public spaces independently, bags became seen more as visible style accessories rather than just for the functionality of carrying things.”
