She got it from her mama — mama Middleton that is! Kate Middleton‘s sense of style is world-renowned, but she didn’t become a fashionista in a vacuum. It seems the Duchess of Cambridge may have gotten much of her sense of style from her mother, Carole Middleton, and vice versa. The two of them have twinned a ton of times (say that five times fast). From winter fashion to chic summer dresses, Carole and Kate are totally on the same page fashion-wise.
Over the years, Kate has worn looks super similar to what her mom has worn in the past, just as Carole has mimicked some of her daughter’s most famous styles — and the two of them even own exact copies of the same dress and hat. Most recently, Carole stepped out to the opening day of the 2022 Royal Ascot wearing a pink midi dress that her royal daughter wore during a visit to Scotland in May 2021.
Before Kate married into royalty, Carole led a relatively normal life. She married Michael Middleton and had three children: James, Kate, and Pippa. She started a party planning company that her whole family worked at for a bit — even Kate before she left behind her commoner life. And then, bam! Kate meets a prince at college, marries him, and suddenly, Carole is in the spotlight, along with the rest of the Middleton family.
But she’s worn it well. She maintains a relatively low profile, but the family matriarch can be spotted out and about at times — usually at a wedding or christening or other special occasion, and always, always for Wimbledon in the summer. (All the Middletons enjoy tennis, and they all dress up for the summer event.) Some of Carole’s best looks have come from her tennis match attire, and, to be honest, the same goes for Kate.
Here are 27 times this mom and her royal daughter took inspiration from each other’s closets.
Pretty in Pink
When Carole attended the opening day of Royal Ascot in June 2022, royal fashion fans likely did a double-take. She wore a vibrant pink belted midi dress that looked familiar. It appeared to be the same one that daughter Kate wore in May 2021 during a visit to Scotland. As many fans may remember, the duchess slipped it on for quite a special occasion: a tea party with young cancer patient Mila Sneddon. Mila was featured in Kate’s photography project, Hold Still, and when the two connected by phone in 2020 amid the pandemic, Kate promised to wear a pink dress when they finally met in person. (Pink is Mila’s favorite color.) And now it seems Carole is also a fan of the pretty frock, by the London-based brand ME + EM.
White Eyelet Dress
In 2014 during her tour of Australia and New Zealand, Kate stunned in a pretty white dress with an eyelet cutout pattern. It was a $460 style from the Australian fashion label Zimmermann. Usually, Kate tries to wear local designs on her travels, and her visits always help spike the economy because suddenly people all over the world are interested in one region’s outfits.
Mom Loved the Look, Too
Carole must have been a big fan of her daughter’s 2014 outfit because she mimicked it in her own way four years later. Mama Middleton dressed up for the 2018 Wimbledon tennis tournament in a white eyelet dress that looked a lot like Kate’s from years past. Celebs always dress to the nines for the annual tennis event, and this outfit was a great choice.
Cozy Headgear
A chilly February day in Oslo, Norway, called for furry gloves and a hat, so Kate went with her trusty Lacorine style that looks so cozy for a cold day. She previously had worn it to a church service at Sandringham. When her mom copied the look in 2021, she also wore it to a Sandringham service, so we know it’s church-approved.
Carole Wore the Hat in January
The hat made another appearance at church in January 2021 when the cold winter air would have warranted some seriously cozy accessories. If it’s not Kate’s actual hat that she’s wearing, Carole probably has her own identical one. Actually, the whole Middleton family loves this particular fuzzy hat because even Kate’s sister, Pippa, has been spotted wearing the same one.
Trendsetter
Here’s a look that Carole originated before Kate copied it: the red houndstooth patterned dress she wore during a Wimbledon appearance in 2014. That’s Kate’s dad next to Carole in the smart tan suit. They’re quite a well-dressed couple, those two. We can see where Kate gets her impeccable sense of style.
Taking a Page From Mom’s Style Book
Four years after her mom rocked the look, Kate did her own version of red houndstooth. She wore the pattern on a cozy coat during a trip to Sweden. Because she was wearing it in the winter, Kate accessorized with gloves and wore longer sleeves than her mom did for the July Wimbledon event, but the inspiration is clear.
Like mother like daughter, as they say.
A New Spin on the Grandma Dress
When Prince George was born in 2013, Kate’s mom visited her in the hospital. Carole wore a charming blue-gray wrap dress featuring a simple flower pattern. She may have just become a grandma, but Carole’s sense of style was still incredibly youthful — so much so, that her daughter ended up kind of copying this look several years later.
Matching Wrap Dress
The Duchess of Cambridge’s 2019 Christmas card included a photo of the whole family, and Kate’s dress looks super familiar. Like her mom’s 2013 dress, Kate’s is a wrap style in a blue-gray color with a white flower pattern on it. It’s not identical, but it’s pretty close. Carole would look great in this outfit, too. Maybe Kate will lend it to her.
Stripes for Days
Kate loves a striped top. She wore this navy and cream striped sweater to a sailing event in May 2019 and reused it again recently for one of her Zoom video meetings. It’s a casual style, but the duchess always manages to dress it up. Here, she did so with chic button-front pants and a red clutch — oh, and perfectly styled hair, of course.
Carole Also Pulls Off the Look
A handful of months later at yet another sailing event, the striped top was back — only this time, Mama Middleton was wearing it. Carole’s shirt may go unnoticed in this photo at first, because Princess Charlotte is stealing the show by sticking out her tongue at the photographers. But once we looked closer, we realized that Carole’s shirt is so similar to the Breton shirt her daughter loves.
Cozy Coat
Kate’s mom looked super chic when on her way to the hospital in 2012. Kate was going through her extreme morning sickness at the time, and her mom understandably wanted to be by her side. But even when doing something as mundane as visiting someone in the hospital, Carole is still the epitome of fashionable in her camel-colored coat.
Copying Mom
In 2020, Kate took a page out of Carole’s style book with a camel coat of her own for a January event. Eight years later, and the style is still so totally chic. The Massimo Dutti trench seems to be sold out now, which is par for the course with Kate’s wardrobe. Anything the Duchess of Cambridge wears is snapped up off the shelves almost immediately.
Pretty in Pink
Every year, Trooping the Colour gives fans a chance to see Kate’s formal wardrobe during her balcony appearance. In 2013, the very pregnant duchess wore a pretty pink pastel coatdress and matching hat. Some predicted that the outfit was somehow a clue that her baby was going to be a girl, but then Prince George was born a month later.
Pink Coatdress, Take Two
Four years later, Carole wore a pale pink coatdress of her own with a matching hat to Pippa’s wedding. Pippa’s color scheme was millennial pink, with everyone from Carole to Kate and Charlotte wearing the blush color. Carole looks radiant in her outfit, but that may have just been her joy from the big day coming through.
Little Black Dress
Mama Middleton knows how to do formalwear right. A night out to the London Palladium for the 2014 Royal Variety Performance called for elegant evening wear. Carole’s husband wore a tux, and she dressed up in a black dress with lacy sleeves. (Very chic and timeless.) We know so, because Kate stole the look a year later, and it still looked great.
Lovely in Lace
Kate doesn’t often wear black, but she always does for the annual Festival of Remembrance, which honors those lost in wars. In 2015, she donned a cute black lace dress from the brand Dolce & Gabbana. With its lacy sheer sleeves, it’s not unlike the gown her mother wore the year before. Clearly, the duchess gets her sense of style from her chic mom.
Royal Red
When Kate had an event in December 2017, she decided ’tis the season for a festive red dress. She was pregnant with Prince Louis at the time, and this $620 Goat Fashion frock doubled as maternity wear — even though it wasn’t technically billed as a maternity dress. Kate’s mom loved the outfit so much that she bought her own copy.
A more personal version of Carole Middleton's interview for The Telegraph appears in tomorrow's paper. Wearing GOAT dresses (styles worn by Kate) Carole said: "My biggest fear was that I’d lose my family, but we’ve stayed close" https://t.co/uIOm5tHR0q pic.twitter.com/VCzLL3DH0u
— Chronicling Kate (@ChroniclingKate) December 1, 2018
Alexander McQueen in Canada
On a 2016 tour of Canada, Kate pulled this Alexander McQueen piece out of her closet. The red and white motif was perfect for her location, because those are the same colors as the Canadian flag. The Duchess of Cambridge takes her wardrobe so seriously, we just know that was an intentional nod to her international travels. She paired the dress with red heels and a matching clutch.
Matchy-Matchy
The color of Carole’s dress is different, but it’s a similar design — although at a fraction of the price. Carole’s dress has the same tiered skirt and a similar vibrant pattern as Kate’s, but it’s not an Alexander McQueen. It’s from the Wolf & Badger brand, which is supposed to be considered a budget brand, but this dress still cost more than $300.
White at Wimbledon
Kate is usually in attendance at Wimbledon, and when she shows up, she’s always well-dressed. One year, she wore this white dress (which she would later repeat, as she tends to do) and she looked gorgeous in the stands. But she wasn’t the only one in a crisp white dress.
Another Lady in All White
Guess who else wore all white to Wimbledon? Carole, of course! There’s no word on whether or not they planned this, but we can’t deny that they both look good. The style is a bit different, but the color scheme is what really matters here. It’s fun to see how these two always share the same style idea.
Trooping the Colour in Powder Blue
Trooping The Colour is always a fun day to follow along with royal style, and Kate’s look is consistently impeccable — matching hat included. In one of the rare occasions that she got to enjoy it with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, she wore this pretty powder blue suit.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
Matching Suits
Looks like Mama Middleton knows a thing or two about a powder blue suit herself. Here she is, looking just as good as Kate in the pale pastel color. She wasn’t attending Trooping the Colour, though — she was at St. George’s Chapel to attend Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018.
Glowing in Green
We’ve seen a lot of green from Kate over the years — probably because she looks so good in the color. On trips to Ireland and for St. Patrick’s Day, it’s always her go-to, and in a photo like this, it’s easy to see why. She should rock this emerald color more often!
More Green Patterns
While attending another Wimbledon match in 2019, Carole took a page out of her daughter’s look book once again. This time, she copied Kate’s penchant for green patterned dresses. This one is so summery and cute — and just like Kate, she wore her shades to the match. Gotta protect those eyes from of the sun!