Duchess Kate spent £26,420 on her fug new clothes for the 3-day Irish tour

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Ireland on the first day of their 3 day visit

Before the Duchess of Sussex came into the picture, the Daily Mail (and other outlets) would often run detailed lists of the cost of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wardrobe, especially following a royal tour. Once Meghan came on the scene, the reporting on Kate’s clothes spending really got so subdued though, coinciding with the reporting on how much money Meghan was spending. For Meghan, I always felt like the numbers were artificially inflated because, you know, racism and “how dare she have nice things.” Plus, we didn’t really know what was already in her closet (and jewelry box) when she came into the marriage, and she was probably wearing old pieces sometimes, etc. In both Meghan and Kate’s cases, they really did spend too much money though. I hold to that opinion – both women could have very easily found less expensive versions of what they wanted.

When the Cambridges went on their Pakistan tour last year, Kate got great notices for her respectful fashion choices. She spent a lot of money on custom pieces, for sure, but it seemed “worth it” because she really nailed the “princess in Pakistan” look. It felt like it might be a whole new Keen Kate. And then this Irish tour happened and Kate once again spent a lot of money on the custom fashion for the three-day tour, although – to her credit, I guess – she also repeated some sh-t which was already in her closet.

Surprisingly, the Daily Mail did a thorough accounting of what was new and what was old and how much ALL of the new stuff cost. The one blind spot in their reporting is that they don’t even bother to estimate how much that horrendous polka-dotted vintage Oscar de la Renta dress cost. If Meghan had worn that mess, they would have gleefully estimated the price at $20,000. As it is, they can account for Kate spending £26,420 on new stuff just for this three-day tour.

The most notable expenditures (again, by the DM’s accounting): £1,595 for the green gown by The Vampire’s Wife, a new green Catherine Walker coat for around £3,000 and a new (and customized) Alessandra Rich dress for £1,567. She wore new Asprey Daisy Heritage earrings at £17,300 and a green polka-dotted Suzannah dress for £1,250. AND the vintage Oscar de la Renta, price unknown. That is all… A LOT. For a three-day trip where several of the events involved jeggings? Come on. The earrings I don’t mind – she’ll repeat those a million times, probably, and despite what people say, I always do see jewelry as an investment. But thousands of dollars on new ugly green dresses and a new Catherine Walker coat which looks like ten other coats already in Kate’s closet? At some point, she needs an intervention.

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Ireland, day 3, Galway

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the Prime Minister and the President of Ireland

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Ireland, Dublin

Prince William, Duchess Catherine, Meeting with Michael Higgins during the official visit to Ireland

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.

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147 Responses to “Duchess Kate spent £26,420 on her fug new clothes for the 3-day Irish tour”

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  1. NotSoSocialButterfly says:

    She really leans 80s fug, sartorially speaking.

    • BeanieBean says:

      I think that de la Renta is really pretty & I know my 1980s self would have felt such a zing of discovery if I had found something like that in a thrift shop. (I know, I know, it’s vintage but she didn’t find it in a thrift shop–unless it was a really upscale thrift shop.)

    • I’d like to have seen her spend less on the earrings — totally forgettable for that kind of money, in my opinion — and more on a stylist.

    • Mrs.Krabapple says:

      She has no sense of style, which is why her outfits always look like outdated fads and costumes. If we stripped away her title and the titles of the rest of the royal family, we would see they are all unremarkable, in every way.

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        Yes, I see Kate as a ‘fashion follower,’ not a leader. The whole ‘Kate Effect’ blather and attributing the ‘high-low’ phenomenon to Kate was all based on Kate (and a number of other European royal ladies) being influenced by Michelle Obama’s style when she was U.S. First Lady, rocking the fashion world globally. I kinda miss those days of Michelle stunning the heck out of day dresses and fab State Dinner ball gowns! Just sayin’…

        Kate looks better with more weight on her frame, IMHO. To me Kate is simply trying too hard. I disagree about Kate’s Pakistan wardrobe being a huge success. A few looks were fine. The dress she came off the plane wearing with barely there trousers looked way odd to me. The Cambridges’ efforts to match green ‘native’ outfits was off too. I didn’t care for the all-over green on either of them, and the slightly different shades they each wore was somewhat jarring. Again, they were trying too hard.

        Neither William nor Kate are savvy or exciting sartorially. They are both a bit conservative, conventional and boring. With the advent of M&H rocking glam, pulled-together, polished looks with a casual, effortless vibe, the Cambridges find themselves trying to copy and to catch up. This, in the same way they are trying to copy and catch up in their Sussex-related approach to royal tours and visits to communities around Britain. The Cambridges do not seem comfortable being themselves, which is the key to genuine realness.

    • PlainJane says:

      That headband tho. I’m getting Hillary Clinton, circa 1990’s, Stand By Your Man vibes, fo sho!

    • Tessa says:

      The headband ages her. It is for a much younger woman, and a child could wear this “alice in wonderland” look. Her face looks even more mature with the headband. Time to lose the headband.

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        Agree! Kate seems to be reaching for something unique and different, which departs from the updated ‘Diana-like’ sartorial vibe Kate tried to channel in the early years of marrying into the royal family. But once again, Kate doesn’t seem completely comfortable inside her own skin.

        There is too much of an obvious attempt by Kate to compete with Meghan’s style, rather than to find her own style, and to rock what works for her own body. Kate, IMO, has followed the Sloan-ranger style, her mother Carole’s style, Diana’s former early married years style, and a bit of First Lady Michelle Obama’s aesthetic.

        In the past couple of years, Kate appears to have been attempting to mimic some of Meghan’s edgy, casual chic looks, with the help of a new stylist. We can see this in the way Kate has moved away from the coat-dress aesthetic to wearing more trousers, including Meghan’s signature wide-legged trouser look, and trying to adopt edgier, more unexpected looks and silhouettes, with hit or miss results.

        Because she’s a follower, not a leader, Kate has ended up being a bit all-over the ballpark sartorially. Some of what Kate has been wearing (e.g., the red coat with rows of buttons last Commonwealth Day), for me over-emphasizes her long waist and her uber-thinness.

        In addition, Kate has been lightening her locks to the point where I think she’s gone a bit too light for her dark eyes and dark coloring.

        For this recent Ireland visit, Kate has overdone the green theme. I don’t like the shiny green dress. Kate’s coats on this trip are okay. I like the longer, olive green wool coat best.

        The throwback vintage polka-dot dress I think looks cute on Kate, especially with her relaxed, pulled-back hairstyle. The pleated flowery dress is interesting, but overall the jury is still out on that dress. The casual looks with pants reek of trying to copy M&H’s casual, informal vibe on their former tours to the South Pacific, Morocco, and South Africa.

        If William & Kate exuded more self-knowledge, and were less insecure and less self-conscious about trying to compete with the Sussexes, I would not be making these comparisons.

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        It’s obviously a throwback look. To be honest, that vintage polka-dot dress doesn’t bother me as much as the shiny green dress. 😉 I like Kate’s relaxed hairstyle with the vintage dress. But then, it definitely seems to be Kate’s attempt at adopting Meghan’s loose tendrils look.

        I’m fluctuating back-and-forth on the pleated-top flowery dress, but more toward thumbs-down. I thought the coats are okay, but both of these new coats for this three-day tour is a bit much. Overall, it’s just too much ‘green theme,’ with a kind of reaching that smacks of manic desperation (sorta like her forced grin).

        Bottom line, Kate’s all-over-the-place with trying too hard. At this juncture, she apparently has no idea of where to land sartorially.

    • fishface says:

      Said before, saying it again. Sisterwife outfits worn by someone with terrible posture. She looks so much older than she is. Urgh – can’t stand money being wasted like this.

  2. Mumbles says:

    The average income in the UK for 2019 was 29,600 BP. This is absolutely disgusting.

    • Veronica S. says:

      LOL, remember in one of the earlier articles when somebody referred to those earrings as CHEAP because they’ll be repeated? Investment or otherwise, those are literally more than half of the average British net income.

      • BearcatLawyer says:

        And she already has several dozen pairs of earrings that would have worked well with her outfits. Besides, unless the earrings are large (like the blue door knocker ones she wore in India), I doubt most people even notice them.

      • Shiloh says:

        I didn’t like most of Kate’s looks this tour, but the earrings were pretty and different. Meghan’s bracelet last night was also quite expensive. It was fine, but I think she could have done much better for what she paid.

    • Nahema says:

      Exactly. The royals never learn. How on earth can that much money be justified for such a small amount of work… and that’s just the clothes.

  3. Vava says:

    UGH. It was the worst collection of ugly clothing I’ve seen in awhile.

  4. Watson says:

    I’d be more ok with the cost if the clothes were nice. LOLOLOLOL 🤣

  5. Neners says:

    The more money Kate spends on clothing, the worse she looks.

  6. Aephra says:

    Between this tour and the Pakistan(?) one she recently did, the theme dressing is horribly obvious. One or two outfits maybe, but whole tours? Kate is such a sheltered and incurious woman, and it really shows in her clothing choices.

  7. julia says:

    You have to admire how committed to being so unsubtle she is… “Ireland? Ok, I’ll wear green!!”

    She could do so much better, it’s kind of frustrating.

  8. Chlo says:

    She needs a (different?) stylist! The clothes she selects end up wearing her instead of vice versa. She also needs some realistic advice on what compliments her. I love the headband look. I don’t look good in a headband. I don’t wear a headband.

    • Nem says:

      The headband didn’t look great on her …
      it looks weird and childish on her in the irish tour, the red one with the red shoes and short skirt at Archie ‘s christening worse in a inappropriate (for the event) “look at me” way.
      she should let this very difficult fashion to young and fresh face beauties able to figure it out stylishly like Beatrice borromeo casiraghi.
      She’ s far from ugly, but doesn’ t have the elfin like features of the aristo crew who can pull it off, and she tries unsuccessfuly to emulate.

    • MaryContrary says:

      This. I don’t know if Natasha Archer is still her “stylist” but she has looked horrible for the last several outings. I’m not a Kate hater, and I think people on this site are generally overly picky about her looks, but she has picked truly terrible things as of late.

  9. line says:

    It is horribly expensive for hideous clothes and for a tour of only 3 days.

  10. Aria says:

    These dress likes diana cosplay and she has her manic smile back.

    • The Recluse says:

      Her expression suggests that she finds something just so funny… the last time I laughed that hard was when I saw Robin Williams in concert last decade in DC. RIP Robin.

  11. Originaltessa says:

    I am usually ok with Kate’s clothes, but this tour was bad. She is a very pretty woman and can do better, and probably should given that she is the only attractive member of the family left. A little more sophistication would be good. Less 80’s more 90’s.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      ITA, but Kate must start with figuring out who she is and what style of dressing works for her body. Sophistication usually begins with simplicity, i.e., less is more.

      For example, even though Meghan doesn’t always get everything perfectly right, she understands simplicity, minimalism and casual elegance. More often than not, even if I don’t always like Meghan’s tendency to wear navy and black, she has an uncanny ability to carry off everything she wears in a memorable way.

      Meghan loves monochrome dressing, and she sticks with what works for her, rather than trying to be too on-trend, or mimicking others.

  12. Scollins says:

    Dull and Duller. Honestly there’s something wrong with her to dress so badly so often. It’s not a matter of dressing conservatively, it’s just bad bad bad. Kate just mucks it up on the daily.

  13. manda says:

    This has been said time and again, but she could have the best stylists and her body is such that many things would look great on her. She just has terrible fashion sense

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      Agreed @manda! I would say that Kate can often look well pulled together. I like her one-shouldered white gown for the BAFTAs in 2019 — even though she was copying Meghan. And I thought Kate’s recycled gown for this year’s BAFTA awards was very nice.

      Still, just as often Kate swerves into being overly conservative. And in the last couple of years, Kate appears to be trying too hard to mimic Meghan’s edgy vibe, without success.

  14. Anne says:

    For the life of me i simply cannot understand why she needs SO MANY super similar coats. What is with this woman and the coats?

    • BearcatLawyer says:

      They are her armour. Unless she is at a sporty or child-centric event, I think she needs to feel covered up. A daytime version of a weighted blanket, if you will.

      • BeanieBean says:

        Interesting theory, but I think it conflicts with her always wearing body-con clothing.

      • Royalwatcher says:

        But that doesn’t explain why she needs SO MANY similar coats, BearCat.

      • MaryContrary says:

        Fine. But then wear one of the other nine million coats you already own!

    • Lucylee says:

      Maybe the coats hide how painfully thin she is.

      • songbirds_thrive says:

        No, sometimes the coats (like the red one with millions of layered buttons last Commonwealth Day) painfully overemphasize her thinness and her long waist.

        To a degree, I think Kate has been trying to update her coat aesthetic to compete with Meghan’s coat-sense. But for Kate, it’s not working quite as well, likely because Kate is not really aware of what works for her own body, and she’s unsure of her own style aesthetic. She fluctuates all over the place trying to emulate the styles of others, without concentrating on discovering what truly works for her, and enhances who she is.

        Well first, she needs to figure out who she is individually without her mother’s overbearing influence all these years.

  15. Amaria says:

    My husband called the pink polka monstrosity a fug version of Little House in the Prairie costume and he’s not into fashion at all. If people who don’t care about clothes think your dress is hideous, you’re doing something seriously wrong.

  16. Sarah says:

    I still can’t get over his bad and cheap the pink ruffles look. It hurts my eyes and my soul.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      It’s obviously a throwback look. To be honest, that vintage polka-dot dress doesn’t bother me as much as the shiny green dress. 😉

      I’m fluctuating back-and-forth on the pleated flowery dress. I thought the coats are okay, but both of these new coats for this three-day tour is a bit much. Overall, it’s just too much ‘green theme,’ with a kind of reaching that smacks of manic desperation (sorta like her forced grin).

      Bottom line, Kate’s all-over-the-place with trying too hard. At this juncture, she apparently has no idea of where to land sartorially.

  17. CrystalBall says:

    As it was in all truthfullness a two and a half day tour, the cost is even more atrocious and averages out as follows:
    Day 1: £6240
    Day 2: £10000
    Day 3: £10000
    And this without the very costly vintage dress. She is a very wasteful woman who should be ashamed of herself for pretending and acting as if she cares about the less fortunate.

    • Chrissy says:

      I really think that, since she’s never had to work to support herself, Kate doesn’t know the value of a dollar, or a pound. She spends (Charles’ & public) money on clothes because no one calls her out on it. Or maybe she’s a comfort shopaholic who does it to cope with her circumstances – unfulfilling marriage, cheating husband, controlling/ overbearing mother, perceived competition from a more accomplished and confident SIL. Either way, it sounds like she desperately needs a therapist and a reality check.

  18. yinyang says:

    My God who is paying for all this!!!!! This is why people hate the rich, they spend excessively while people are starving.

    • SomeChick says:

      Yep. And I can’t believe what they charge for some of these pieces! That green sparkly dress looks hella basic. There is no way it should be 1500 pounds!

      I know it was a rhetorical question, but Charles and the brit taxpayers are paying for it. I’ve heard whispers that they were also siphoning off foundation funds – Andrew style – which was part of why they split the foundation into two.

      What I want to know is where the rest of it goes. Or perhaps I don’t. NVM. I want to know nothing more about gross pedo Andrew. I already know too much!

    • Andrew’s Nemesis says:

      @YinYang We are. Indirectly, but we are. All the security, publicity, hideous frocks and Penis-with-Teeth’s horrendously expensive suits come from funds which are either taken from the public or should be shared with the public. I can’t help but feel resentful when I’m unable to afford a pair of shoes that don’t leak, and this woman – just the tip of the iceberg in public money misspending, but still – blows a lot more than most people’s average salaries on cosplaying tat.

    • yinyang says:

      Don’t worry, next week they’ll go back to back to cosplaying us normal people again, Bill in normcore and Kate in Zara doing school drop off, or maybe they can cosplay billionaire welfare recipients sitting on a 600 year old ever-expanding nest egg lol, and we’ll forget this whole thing ever happened.

  19. Bella says:

    When Meghan went on the Africa tour, VF estimated her wardrobe cost £4,700, the lowest amount ever for a royal tour. Theme was sustainable fashion. So it can be done. I do love the fabulousness of royal wardrobes, though. Don’t really care too much about the cost – I’m not paying for it and the money spent wouldn’t otherwise go on schools and hospitals. Plus they can raise money for good causes by auctioning the clothes off later.
    All I can say about the green dresses is that they must look very different in reality or natural light. Otherwise, inexplicable choices.
    I feel that in general, the Cambridges are badly advised. Or they are ignoring good advice.

    • It has been said of William that he doesn’t read prep materials and he doesn’t take advice. I guess his ego is huge. Almost as big as his temper tantrums apparently.

    • Veronica S. says:

      I’m totally fine with luxury fashion existing – a dress covered in Swarovski crystal that takes 100 hours of hand stitching is unavoidably expensive – but I do think there’s something to be said for its marketability in the age of extreme income disparity. People don’t care as much if your wardrobe costs twenty thousands pounds as long as wages are fair and well funded social programs are in place to catch you during a fall. The problem is that the general social attitude toward the upper classes is not very kind right now, so a bit of common sense may be in order when it comes to spending when you’re under constant public scrutiny.

      • nic919 says:

        Luxury fashion is fine when the people who wear it use their own money and not the taxpayers money. When someone has never held a full time job in their life and has a thousand pieces that look the same, it’s a sign of wastefulness and selfishness.

    • Royalwatcher says:

      But when has Kate ever auctioned off anything (except the unwanted baby basket she received)? With Kate’s charity going under – or was it two?? – that actually would have been a great time to auction off some of her 359 blue coats. Perhaps she would have been able to helped her charity stay afloat. But she didn’t. She doesn’t seem to care much for her charities and she doesn’t seem to have any creativity or imagination when it comes to helping them. The Duchess of zzzzzz…

  20. Katie says:

    I don’t really understand why the UK should continue as a monarchy.
    But if they will, then I can accept that the monarchy should come with glamor and pomp. I can even get behind the theme-dressing. I see it as part old-school protocol and part fantasy play.
    But the clothes and the style should be immaculate. If the taxpayers are putting up 30K on your wardrobe to parade around Ireland for 3 days, that wardrobe should at least make an impact. She has terrible style. But there’s no excuse not to hire someone with good style to tell her what to wear.

    • Andrew’s Nemesis says:

      @Katie We shouldn’t have a monarchy, full stop. Personally, I was keen on it when Meghan came on the scene; but then the whitest institution in the known world drove her out, and gave the nod to racist abuse, while they supported/turned a blind eye to AbuserAndy (and continue to pay him), and the monstrous Ol’ Brenda continues to woman the helm without acknowledging the gross miscarriage of justice the above represents while sucking off millions upon millions per annum. They’re leeches, extracting the lifeblood of those who can ill-afford it. For example, when Windsor Castle burned down, it was the ‘property of the nation’ while it was being rebuilt from public funds; and reverted to being a private institution once it had been paid for. -Oh, and Anne was rude to my mother, so is on my Hate-List.
      We need a President. And no, it’s not a choice of the monarchy or President Blair, as the naysayers like to shrill. They can be voted out. They must prove that they are wise and value for money. We have the astonishing, jaw dropping situation in 2020 that an unelected, ill-educated, inbred shower of farts can calmly subsidise themselves without ever being held accountable. And all they ‘do’ for us is a spot of ribbon cutting, building opening and waving. That grown adults would line the street to see a car or a manic grin go by is just an indication of how infantilised we are as a nation, that we think it is ‘right’ for them to occupy a position of undeserved, unassailable power. After Meghan, and AbuserAndy, they deserve nothing

      • Thirtynine says:

        Agree with you absolutely, Andrew’s Nemesis. Saying the SG or the Duchies pay, not the people, makes it all ok- well, no. It’s wicked to think one family can hoard a nation’s wealth for itself while its people are suffering for the most basic human needs. And I’ve never heard a reason put forward for continuing to have a monarchy that would hold water for a minute.

      • carmen says:

        Well said, Andrew’s Nemesis! Although I’m not directly affected by this as I am in Canada not the UK, the points you’ve made are all valid. If you took a poll in Canada right now, the majority would opt out of having a monarch. The Queen is a figure head and nothing more.

        All that’s transpired since Meghan joined this disfunctional, toxic family has only provided more validation for this sentiment. Who wants a racist as our head of state? Not to mention one who shields a child rapist.

    • Bella says:

      The taxpayers do not pay for anything except security (through funding of Met Police, MI5 and MI6) and a couple of key events – I think those are Trooping The Colour and the Cenotaph commemorations.
      The Prince of Wales, using income from the Duchy of Cornwall, which is his private property, supports his immediate family – so he is paying for Kate’s wardrobe, not taxpayers.

      The Queen alone – no-one else – receives *public* money (the Sovereign Grant) to carry out her official duties and maintain the Crown Estate, which is a portfolio of land, buildings and businesses held in trust by HMQ for the people. The Sovereign Grant is 15-25% of the profits from this portfolio. The bulk of the profits go to the Treasury. This is not tax. Imagine that Disneyland was gifted to the American people, but the Disney Corporation was in charge of maintaining the rides, selling tickets, doing the tours etc, and for that they received back between 15 and 25% of the profits to cover staff and admin costs, run concessions, etc, under a contract with the federal government. No-one in the USA would be taxed to pay for the running of Disneyland – the profits would come from Americans and tourists spending their money voluntarily. And the chunk of money used for administration and maintenance by Disney would never have gone into the Treasury anyway.
      The Queen also uses the profits from the Duchy of Lancaster estate to fund the carrying out of official duties – this is what pays the expenses of minor royals on official duty.

      • Thanks Bella, I’ve tried to explain the Sovereign grant before, but I think you knocked it out of the park with your explanation. And I especially loved that you used Disneyland as an example. 🐁🐁🐁🐁🐁

      • Andrew’s Nemesis says:

        I know the breakdown of the SG (at 88.2m for the year 2019-20); monies that can be ill-afforded, and the privatisating of the Duchies of Lancaster, Cornwall etc is a disgrace. While certainly not a full-fledged communist nor even an overt socialist, large portions of the realm should not be sealed off from public access to subsidise a handful of individuals. The income should FIRST be distributed to those in need and any residuum handed over to a Royal Family, if there must be one. Which I argue there should NOT.
        88.2 million per annum is a vast sum of money in a nation that has seen its life expectancy drop as a result of austerity.

  21. Dee says:

    The buttons on that Walker coat look like two pairs of eyes staring back at you.

  22. Summergirl says:

    To spend that much on clothes, even for an official visit, is preposterously irresponsible and offensive. And it reminds me once again how much I would love to see the royal family become obsolete.

    • Giddy says:

      There’s a new Royal Family that lives in Canada. They bring the glamour, energy, and charisma that W&K will never be able to emulate.

      • Andrew’s Nemesis says:

        @Giddy And they have more grace, dignity, charisma and class in their little fingers than the pop-eyed benefit-scrounging brutes squatting in our nation’s palaces

  23. paddingtonjr says:

    Other BRF members can be forgiven for spending a lot of money on clothes because they buy quality and timeless pieces that can be re-worn for years. Kate has shown she also knows how to buy quality/timeless pieces (see her knee-high boots and cream coat), but she just seems to buy out of boredom, because she has no style and/or because she has never had to work for any of her money. She spends and the bills get paid and she buys again with some vague idea of what a “FFQ” is supposed to wear and the occasion.

    On a completely superficial note, the dress Nneka Ogwumike wore on the Daily Show last night would have looked great on Kate if she had to go with the all-green motif instead of that grade-school talent show curtain she insisted on:

    http://www.cc.com/video-clips/29v8vu/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-nneka-ogwumike—excellence-and-equity-with-the-los-angeles-sparks-and-wnbpa—extended-interview

    • Aria says:

      There is nothing wrong with buying new clothes for royal tour but she has a million green coats and dress for this tour. Plus the new and old coat like same with little different. Why waste money on same type of color and coats .

    • Grade school talent show curtain….. 💃🏻…. oh that was too snarky. Thanks for the laugh PaddingtonJr.

  24. Islandgirl says:

    I must say that I loved most of the outfits for the Pakistan tour. But, Ireland..nah…and I am 52 years old. Wouldn’t be caught dead in any of them.

  25. Darby says:

    I just saw the green atrocity with the green shoes and the green clutch!! When I first saw the green on green with a headband I was horrified… at the shoes and clutch and it’s a crime against fashion

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      Yep, Kate’s all-over-the-place looks, and too much green theme for this three-day Ireland tour is particularly noticeable vs Meghan rocking elegant, casual sophistication in everything she’s worn so far on her farewell to ‘royal’ duties trip back to England.

      I imagine everyone can’t wait for the Commonwealth Day dynamic on Monday, March 9.

  26. Andrew’s Nemesis says:

    A teacher’s yearly salary on those mismatched horrors? When she could have repeated so many pieces from the Pakistan tour, the first time she stepped up to the crease* and looked the part? Repellent.

    *For non-British Bitchies, we say ‘step up to the crease’ rather than ‘plate’ because it’s a cricket metaphor…

    • What. . .now? says:

      Nice — I was wondering what that meant. I was thinking, “Does this have something to do with a wrinkle in her outfit? Should she have pressed it out? Which one?”

      • Andrew’s Nemesis says:

        Ha! No, the batsman comes to the crease and plants his bat down, ready to face the bowler.

    • Thanks Andrew’s Nemisis, I’ll remember the American baseball plate versus the British cricket Crease. 😎

  27. JLH says:

    listen, if Meghan is spending her own damn money to buy clothes that are expensive…it’s nobody’s business how much anything costs. truly. it’s her choice how she wants to spend money and everyone needs to stay in their lane about what can be commented on. i would say the exact same thing about Kate except that if her money is coming from the public taxpayers, i would definitely say people have the right to comment on this. but if not, everyone need to MTOB.

    • Scollins says:

      I wouldn’t be surprised if designers were banging Meghan and Harry’s door down to dress them for nothing.

    • D&C says:

      You said it!

    • (TheOG) jan90067 says:

      Until March 31st, isn’t Charles still paying for “official” outfits? If so, I hope Meghan goes to town for Commonwealth Service.

      After that, yes, I’d be *very* surprised if designers don’t bang on her door wanting to dress/accessorize her from head to toe. Whether or not she takes it (“OMG SHE’S *CASHING IN*!!!!”), is to be seen. Personally, I think she should work with designers who are in sync with her personal style and let her freak fly! #TeamSussex*ALL*TheWay

  28. Lyn says:

    Lol lol. Like someone said you may overlook the money spent if it was immaculate or even highlighted Irish designers (correct me if I missed any), but some of it like the vintage de la renta was terrible. And it probably cost a lot of money not included in the £27000.

    Kate has no imagination so when she hits on an idea she takes it to the extreme, theme dressing, buttons, similar coats, similar dresses, cosplaying dead motger in laws and dead ancestors of the aristocrats. The button obsession cracks me up though.

  29. Sophie says:

    I’d be happier if she’d just stand up straight.

  30. Florence says:

    Off with their heads.

    • Andrew’s Nemesis says:

      I don’t want them dead, though wouldn’t be grieving if AbuserAndy choked on a fishbone. I’d just love to see them vanish into obscurity in some middle class enclave, probably the Surrey stockbroker belt. William can take the 08:12 to town while Kate gets ready for a Parent’s Association meeting, or plays tennis with the other mummies, does a little boutique shopping, and has her husband’s organic supper ready for six pm. It’s where they belong and what they’re suited for. Not this.

  31. rawiya says:

    What’s annoying is that she has nice green things already in her closet. Oh well. Meghan’s not going to be around in a month and so all Charles’ clothing money goes to her now.

  32. Lucy says:

    I really didn’t like that bright green chaotic dress from day one. I wasn’t feeling the shimmery one at the Guinness event either, even though I get the Vampire’s Wife label being a reference to Irish author Bam Stoker who wrote Dracula. The fabric looks icky and I don’t like the ruffles at the bottom and the sleeves. Or the pink dress neck ruffles. I don’t understand her style. I wonder if anyone still buys copy Kate clothes. I wouldn’t want to imitate any of her looks she has these days.

  33. Becks1 says:

    Wow, that’s a lot, especially considering it doesn’t include the Oscar de la Renta.

    I’ll give her the CW coat, although why she needs another green Catherine walker coat I have no idea, but besides that – she is not going to rewear those ugly dresses again, so that was just a waste. Or at least I hope she doesn’t rewear them.

    She has such an extensive wardrobe already and this would have been a good opportunity to showcase some of her older items, not just the one white coat and the McQueen coat. ALTHOUGH, speaking of the McQueen….since it was a repeat I’m assuming it wasn’t included in the total, and she just wore it for the first time in January. So that is a clever way to get clothes for a tour that don’t “count” for the cost – wear them just before the tour.

    And look, I get it. Part of the appeal of a royal tour is seeing what the women wear. So all repeats would be boring, sure. But she could have done a little better here.

    I’ll also add that this is why she needs to wear more separates. She could have reworn some of those wide leg trousers she likes with a nice new sweater and pretty earrings, and would have looked appropriate, trendy but not overly so, and then could have reworn the sweater and trousers again in the future.

  34. L84Tea says:

    In other words, she spent 1/4 of the cost of my house on the most fug clothes on earth that she will likely never, ever wear again.

  35. Ada says:

    There is always something off in most of her fashion choices. I don’t understand how anyone with a great body and the money to boot can end up with such unremarkable fashion sense.

  36. Middle of the road says:

    The people of the commonwealth spent* fixed it for you lol

  37. AMM says:

    This is the one tour that we know Kate could have pulled a Meghan and did a sustainable style tour. Couldve even pulled some headlines from the Sussexs return by showing off how sensible she is. This could have been almost all repeats and they could have even made it exciting by announcing she would be wearing some old favorites. People would tune into to guess what she would re-wear, just like they did leading up to the BAFTAs. Kate has so many green dresses, coats and tops. So many. And then add one major “wow” with a single new cocktail dress (by an Irish designer) and boom, great press.

    But yet again their PR sucks. She wore terrible new and expensive outfits that were only interesting because of how ugly they were. People forgot all about the Ireland tour they purposely scheduled during the Sussexs return to A) get away from them and B) attempt to steal their thunder with a “historical” tour. They tried and failed, as usual.

  38. L4frimaire says:

    Kate has a ridiculous amount of expensive coats. She has so many green coats that look the same so why get a new one each year?That grey coyote thing she wore a Christmas was another new one. She spends a lot, but people don’t seem that bothered by it, compared to Meghan, who by the way had some expensive not so cute things, especially during the Morocco tour, those fug couture caftans. Kate’s earrings are so expensive, but diamonds are; not sure they were appropriate with what she was wearing. Her style is all over the map. Either she dresses too matronly, fussy, and 80s trophy wife, or wears stuff from are younger days that are too tight ( those awful jeggings) and she is too old for. The coat dresses are her most consistent look.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      I kinda liked Meghan’s beige silk caftan with braided trim. The fabric looked sumptuous, and it fit her well. OTOH, the overly voluminous blue print caftan Meghan wore toward the end of the Morocco tour, was more of a miss. Meanwhile, Meghan’s gorgeous red arrival dress in Morocco was absolutely stunning and iconic, IMO.

      Regarding your sum-up comments on Kate:
      “Her style is all over the map. Either she dresses too matronly, fussy, and 80s trophy wife, or wears stuff from are younger days that are too tight…”

      ITA!

  39. YAS says:

    This is an insight into how utterly uninteresting her brain is. “Ireland, Ireland, what do I know about Ireland? Oh, I know…GREEN.” Has this woman ever had an original thought in her entire adult life?

  40. Lizzie says:

    I sort of feel like if Kate likes fugly clothes then so what. But the daily fail articles declaring she is wowing everyone with her cleverly styling make me cringe. Does she believe her own press or does she cringe too? I don’t believe she doesn’t care or there wouldn’t be multiple articles daily.
    She needs a muse, someone like Queen Letizia for instance.

  41. keroppi says:

    I have wondered for a long time what happens to all her clothes. Do her staff keep them categorized and catalogued in a warehouse? Does she ever donate or sell them? She must forget what she actually owns.

    A simple idea would be to auction off clothes like what Diana had done. That would have been a simple way of helping that charity that she supposedly supported who closed due to lack of funds.

    • blue36 says:

      I actually don’t think they purchase the clothing (despite the press saying the RF can’t accept freebies) and if they do purchase they probably get it at a heavily discounted price. Most likely the brands provide the clothing to them for free to wear for a particular event and in return the brand gets free advertising (I’m guessing)

    • Carrie says:

      Or – or, she could donate those coats and anything else not fugly to Smart Works 😄.

    • greenmonster says:

      If they get categorized and catalogued it’s filed under Ugly, Very Ugly, Even Uglier and So ugly we had a good chuckle.

  42. schmootc says:

    When I looked at these the other day, they were pretty bad. But after looking at that gorgeous dress Meghan debuted yesterday, well, now they look atrocious. Yikes.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      Exactly! The unavoidable comparisons are stark! I’m already missing M&H and there are still a few days left on this wind down trip to London. We are unlikely to see the Sussexes again until May and the Invictus Games, in The Hague. 🙁

      So, Meghan has plans for International Women’s Day, then the concert, and then Commonwealth Services Day. It’s going to be Kate vs Meghan dueling outfits, and everybody is going to be scrutinizing body language between the two couples and among all the royals.

  43. Hannah says:

    I hated every outfit. JFC and then wearing green on day 1, white on day 2 and orange on day 3. Next level cosplay. And not wearing so much as one Irish designer? Hello Simone Rocha. That Vampires Wife dress is the fugliest thing ever. Please someone stop her buying more green coats for the love of all that is good

  44. Paisley25 says:

    I assume the Asprey earrings were a Christmas or birthday gift, maybe even a Valentines gift if that’s a thing in England. She normally debuts new jewelry in the spring.

    • Harla says:

      Winter must be a tough season for the Cambridge marriage if she debuts new jewelry in the spring.

  45. J ferber says:

    Isn’t the amount about 60,000 U.S. dollars? Yikes! For three days???? Wasteful, clueless, insensitive.

  46. February Pisces says:

    Is it weird the DM are documenting this? Usually Kate can do no wrong, and she ‘thrifty’ or whatever, so highlighting how much she’s spent seems off. And the comments are mixed. What’s going on? Are these warning shots?

    • nic919 says:

      I believe it is. It is a little earlier than I expected though.

    • Harla says:

      I think it’s more of a “see we’re not racist, we pick on the white woman too”, while not even hazarding a guess at how much that Oscar De La Renta monstrosity was.

      • aquarius64 says:

        Agreed. It’s cover for the lawsuit. The Fail’s “proof” its attacks on Meghan is not racist.

  47. Jay says:

    I actually quite like the vintage Oscar de la Renta dress, just because it’s unusual and “real” vintage rather than pseudo eighties pussy bow etc. And I think it’s a good colour on her. At least it’s not exactly like something she already owns!
    If she wants to spend money on new stuff, I feel it could at least showcase some up and coming designers or those linked with the country she is visiting. Bringing attention to an Irish brand or design would be a lot more helpful than “woo, it’s green, get it?”.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      Finally, someone else agrees with me that the vintage polka-dot dress is not bad. I too think Kate looks okay in that dress, and even somewhat relaxed sporting her Meghan-vibe hairstyle. 🙂

  48. Jen says:

    While the tabloids were unprecedentedly bad to Meghan because of their racism, they do often pick a target in general. When Meghan was around, it was always her. But now with the ability waning to report on the Sussexes, the Cambridges might again face some (deserved) scrutiny. They might regret driving them out of the country yet.

  49. NYCGirl says:

    The Tour received very little fan fare in the UK per This Morning (UK program)…basically the Brits didn’t care about the Cambridge’s Tour…Yikes

  50. bluemoonhorse says:

    The real crime? Spending that much money for pure ugliness.

  51. Ladiabla says:

    All of these outfits are bad. That said, I do think she’s trying to cover up an ED. In that first picture she even bears a passing resemblance to Karen Carpenter. I hope she’s getting the help she needs, though it doesn’t look that way.

  52. Courtney B says:

    I was neutral (leaning towards positive) about Meghan at the engagement. Just didn’t really know too much about her to really have an opinion. But the clothes issue was my intro into the world of Meghan derangement on Facebook royal groups. The DM did an early one squawking about her clothes. Total clickbait banking on people not even reading the article. Because I did. And I added it up. They counted items twice if she wore them at different events, counted items they even admitted she already owned, counted her jewelry that were wedding gifts from Harry and the Queen which was about 1/3 of the total themselves. And so I pointed it out. Not to be argumentative but because facts actually matter. And it just snowballed. All the ‘protocol ‘ beefs ie doing things every other royal women do even at the same event.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d done that with Kate because sexism and misogyny is a hallmark of the DM. But it certainly dropped off when they had a new victim. I’m old enough to remember the Diana/Fergie wars. But this is a whole new level especially with social media.

  53. nicegirl says:

    Such fuggery for so much money. Not my jam.

  54. Linda says:

    She has found her voice. I would have done everything the way she did. I wish Catherine well. She is a wonderful mom just like her own mom. She is as British as they come. She’s taken on a job just tolerating the R F. Leave her alone. She’s doing great and is a happy person. Why does that bother people so much?

    • Nina says:

      Her voice? Still can’t hear anything meaningful coming out of her mouth.
      I won’t reduce british women to her standards

    • carmen says:

      “she’s as British as they come”. What is that supposed to mean??!

    • Lizzie says:

      Is her new voice crowding out good taste?
      Sorry but Meghan was called out daily for every item she wore cause ‘it’s my taxes paying for it’ Fair is fair, even if one duchess is ‘as British as they come’.

    • Nic919 says:

      Lots of dog whistles here. It would be quicker to just say the white girl can do no wrong.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      @Linda, I do not think comments by posters in this thread indicate any kind of annoyance at Kate doing great and being happy. In fact, I question whether Kate has particularly found herself to be happy at this juncture in her life.

      Obviously, Kate enjoys giving birth and being a mother, and she’s good at that part of her royal duties. With her shyness, it has been more of a struggle for her in the public eye. Note that before Meghan came on the scene, there was no one being compared with Kate in the royal family who made her look ordinary (i.e., Camilla and the York girls were not much competition for Kate).

      Therefore, Kate thrived, especially with having both brothers at her side during their joint public events. But that couldn’t last forever. Harry was pining for finding a wife and starting a family. Once he did, the dynamic inevitably changed. Still, Wm & Kate have made things worse by reacting with such insecurity. The annoyance toward W&K has to do with their peevish, non-supportive, and in some instances, obstructive behavior toward M&H.

    • songbirds_thrive says:

      Who knew that Harry would end up meeting and marrying his soul mate, in passionate, whirlwind fashion! M&H’s romance and the pace of it was whirlwind. But the thought, nurturing care and commitment they both put into their unexpected love, appears to be lasting and singularly significant.

      If only the Cambridges were secure enough in who they are as people, and in their marriage to be able to simply be happy for Harry and fully accepting of Meghan. Putting up a united front against the media is what needed to happen for the royal firm. It didn’t happen though, and sadly the resulting hardball and departure of the Sussexes does not present the British monarchy in a good light.

      The Queen, Charles and William also had the opportunity to work with M&H to find common ground and a positive way forward that might have allowed M&H to continue in some capacity as part-time senior royals. It’s a lie that an arrangement of that nature would be ‘having their cake and eating it too’ for the Sussexes. What is continuing to represent the Queen on a part-time basis have to do with having cake and eating it?! The Sussexes want to do more work, not less.

      In the long run, the scorched-earth approach advised by the courtiers to the Queen & Charles, and advocated for by William, is the course that was chosen. That choice ironically manages to fully liberate the Sussexes, even despite the niggling strings attached and the attempts via palace leaks and the Brit tabs to paint M&H as vindictive villains.

    • Gingerbee says:

      @Linda, would you say the same for Meghan.

  55. ana says:

    Was she following the keen leprechaun green protocol? Or was it just plain old cosplay?

  56. Seraphina says:

    Poor Kate. Her clothes wear her and not the other way around. And the green overload is way too over done.

  57. Hildog says:

    Wow she really took the whole Irish/St Pattys/green theme to the extreme!!!

  58. MeghanNotMarkle says:

    So many ugly outfits in so little time. And more new coats. She could have auctioned off half of her closet and saved the Art Room from closing. But alas, she must hoard all the coats and buttons and ugly 80s ruffles for some unknown reason.

  59. A says:

    That awful green coat in the picture in this post makes Kate look like she’s cosplaying at a WWI re-enactment. And badly, at that.