Since Kate Middleton married Prince William back in 2011 and became the Duchess of Cambridge, she has become one of the most popular royals and a style icon. She has been photographed more than one can count and she's almost always looked flawless. She is truly the embodiment of a modern royal and whether she is wearing an evening gown and tiara or a casual pair of jeans the Duchess of Cambridge still looks refined. She's also never been afraid to recycle her looks and push the boundaries of appropriate royal attire. A lady just wants to have fun, so here are the most inappropriate outfits Kate Middleton has worn.
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00:00Considering she gets photographed every time she goes outside, it makes sense that Kate
00:05Middleton is caught in a dress code slip-up every once in a while. From wearing the same
00:10dress more than once to rocking short shorts for charity, here are some of the inappropriate
00:15outfits Kate Middleton has worn.
00:18Almost every princess has an iconic dress, and Kate Middleton has her lilac. There's
00:23nothing inappropriate about the dress itself, with its demure hemline, flattering gathered
00:28fabric, and romantic hue. However, the fact that Middleton has worn it at several public
00:33events does break an unspoken rule of fashion for both royals and celebrities.
00:38According to Elle, the duchess first wore her lilac dress at an event in California
00:42in 2011, and then again at the UK's Creative Industries reception in 2012. She even wore
00:48the same dress in a chic beige color during her trip to Australia in 2014.
00:53Has Middleton's obsession with the dress had an effect on its sales?
00:57Great question. I don't think that you can go wrong with the Duchess of Cambridge, who
01:01always looks impeccable."
01:03Back in 2012, Kate Middleton and her husband paid a visit to the Solomon Islands. And during
01:08the visit, Middleton wore a dress that made headlines for all the wrong reasons. What
01:12was wrong with it? It wasn't too short, too revealing, or even unflattering. It was just
01:17a simple sundress that was made in a different country.
01:20The duke and duchess were supposed to wear handmade, traditional Solomon Islands clothing
01:25for the event. But, according to the Daily Mail, an aide accidentally laid out a dress
01:30made in the Cook Islands instead.
01:32The mistake, which became known as one of the most inappropriate royal outfits, created
01:37quite a ruckus with the Solomon Islands, leading the small country's government to write a
01:41strongly worded statement expressing its distaste. In response, a spokesperson of the British
01:47government said,
01:48"...the Duchess wore the dress because she believed it to be from the Solomon Islands
01:53and thought it would be an appropriate gesture. Had she known it were from the Cook Islands,
01:57it would not have been worn and she feels bad about the confusion."
02:01How can anyone avoid breaking the rules if the rules keep changing? Kate Middleton fell
02:06victim to ever-changing rules at an event in 2016. She wore a custom Catherine Walker
02:11dress to the Queen's 90th birthday service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. The dress
02:16in question was powder blue with ivory lace on its front.
02:19Though it was flattering, modest, with long sleeves and a high neckline, and paired with
02:23a white hat, the dress exposed Middleton's knees. Gasp. Why are knees so terrible to
02:29behold?
02:30The Queen herself reportedly enacted a new longer hemline rule in the winter of 2014.
02:36According to the Daily Mail, the Queen ordered Middleton to pack day dresses with lower hemlines
02:40and carefully selected jewels from Her Majesty's personal collection for her trip to Australia
02:46that summer. Apparently, the longer hemline order stuck around, but hopefully for Kate's
02:50sake, so did the royal family jewels.
02:53As any dress-wearing human can attest, sometimes the wind is not a friend. Unfortunately for
02:59Kate Middleton, a photographer was on the scene when the wind took her dress for a ride.
03:04Middleton and her husband visited Australia in 2014 for a royal tour, stopping off at
03:08the lovely Blue Mountains for a photo op. It was then that, according to News.com.au,
03:14a gust of wind from an ascending helicopter blew up Middleton's dress and exposed her,
03:19um, royal backside.
03:21Luckily, British and Australian news agencies refused to publish the pictures of Kate and
03:25her embarrassing moment. Unluckily, the photos made it overseas to Germany, where a German
03:30tabloid published them with the caption,
03:32"'Photos show our favorite Duchess Kate, 32, in the Australian Blue Mountains.'"
03:37The rotor blades of the royal helicopter swirl the air so that Kate's summer dress blew up,
03:42giving a clear view of her beautiful bum. Not cool, Germany, not cool.
03:48Though it might feel like Kate Middleton has always been a royal, there was a time before
03:52she was the Duchess of Cambridge. Back in 2002, Middleton walked in the Don't Walk Charity
03:58fashion show, rocking a see-through designer dress by Charlotte Todd. The body-hugging,
04:02nylon-like dress revealed only a black bra and underwear set, definitely not palace-approved.
04:09Her future husband, Prince William, didn't seem to mind. He was sitting front row during
04:13the fashion show. Discussing their relationship in 2010, he told ABC News,
04:17"...When I first met Kate, I knew there was something very special about her. I knew there
04:21was possibly something that I wanted to explore there."
04:24Did her bare-all dress have something to do with the prince's infatuation? Who knows for
04:28sure, but it certainly didn't hurt.
04:31Luckily for us average people, forgetting a little toenail polish isn't the end of the
04:36world, but Kate Middleton is not a normal person.
04:39She visited India with Prince William in April of 2016. As reported by the Daily Mail, Middleton
04:45took off her shoes as per local custom to reveal unpercured feet. The duchess' feet
04:50caused quite a stir, as the royals are known for never having a hair or nail out of place.
04:56The incident also called Middleton's foot health into question. A podiatrist at Carnation
05:01Foot Care told the Daily Mail,
05:03"...there looks like there may be some rubbing or even the start of a corn on the little
05:07toe."
05:08You can also see the fourth and fifth toes deviate towards the center of the foot. He
05:12went on to explain that the issue is common in women who frequently wear high heels, like
05:17Middleton.
05:19According to Royal Dress Code, as noted by BBC News, the queen wears bright colors to
05:23make sure she stands out, even in a crowd. But what happens when another member of the
05:28royal family also shows up in a bold hue? Kate Middleton found out first-hand after
05:33she wore a bright red dress to the queen's diamond jubilee in 2012.
05:37I think, too, the hat makes it hers, and it makes it like, who else could pull off wearing
05:44this hat with this dress except for her?"
05:47Though Middleton looked gorgeous, especially since she completed the look with a red hat
05:51and tartan scarf, people were not pleased that she stole the show. The Daily Mail called
05:56her outfit inappropriate, and they just might have a point.
06:01It doesn't seem like a good idea to outshine the queen. She is, after all, the queen.
06:07It's hard to imagine a time before skinny jeans, but for Kate Middleton, skin-tight
06:12pants might be forever in the past. The Duchess of Cambridge does have a penchant for skinny
06:17jeans, as she wears them seemingly at casual events every chance she gets. Her love of
06:22skinny jeans was even cited by the Daily Mail as a reason why British researchers are worried
06:26about possible circulatory complications from frequently wearing tight pants.
06:32But what does the royal dress code say about skin-tight denim? For casual wear, it's best
06:36for ladies to don a dress, skirt, or tailored trousers paired with a cardigan or jacket.
06:42Diana Mather of the English Manor Etiquette Consultancy said,
06:46"...many places will not allow jeans as they are still seen as very casual wear, so it
06:51is better to play safe for both sexes."
06:53Seems we might have seen the last of Kate Middleton's skinny jeans.
06:57"...dressing down doesn't mean schleppy, especially for Kate. This is about keeping
07:02it elevated, keeping it classic, but still being relaxed."
07:06It's very rare to see Kate Middleton in anything but timeless, chic, and elegant attire, except
07:12when she's rocking neon short shorts. Back in 2008, before she was officially a royal,
07:17Middleton helped organize a charity event. The event was a success for two reasons. One,
07:22it raised $200,000 for a ward of a children's hospital, and two, it gave the world photos
07:28of the future duchess in yellow hot pants, a sparkly green halter top, pink leg warmers,
07:34and pink roller skates.
07:36During her disco romp, Prince William was off working as a helicopter search-and-rescue
07:40pilot, leaving Kate to have her fun and raise some money, too. The Daily Mail called her
07:45disco look, "...inelegant," and reported that Buckingham Palace sources felt appalled by
07:49her "...most unladylike display."
07:52While there is a strict dress code even for casual situations, we feel one of Middleton's
07:57old friends said it best when they said, according to the Daily Mail,
08:01"...what do they want her to do? Sit at home every evening watching television just because
08:05her prince is away?"
08:08One royal setback is having to spend a lot of time in heels. Ouch. Kate Middleton seemed
08:13to have found a workaround, though, in the form of chic wedges. Take, for example, her
08:18tour of Australia and New Zealand in the spring of 2014. There was hardly a day when
08:22Middleton wasn't walking around in wedges. She seemed to favor one stylish pair in particular,
08:27as she wore them several times throughout the tour.
08:30But Middleton's beloved wedges have disappeared, and Her Majesty the Queen might have something
08:35to do with it. As Vanity Fair reported in 2015, a royal source said,
08:39"...the Queen isn't a fan of wedged shoes. She really doesn't like them, and it's well
08:44known among the women in the family."
08:46What the Queen wants, the Queen gets. Middleton has switched up her footwear to feature timeless
08:51and still somewhat comfortable low-heeled pumps.
08:56While women donning menswear is decidedly in right now, it's a big no-no for royals
09:01like Kate Middleton. The Duchess of Cambridge broke the royal dress code when she wore trousers
09:06to a meeting with the finalists for her Hold Still photo project in October 2020, according
09:12to Elle. Middleton wore tailored black trousers that she completed with a white top, bright
09:17red coat, sensible heels, and, of course, a mask.
09:21And this isn't the first time she's worn pants instead of a skirt. Middleton also wore one
09:25to an interview with a British broadcaster for the Pride of Britain Awards in London,
09:29as well as a pink suit to an appearance with Prince William. Her sister-in-law, Meghan
09:33Markle, is also known to favor slacks and pantsuits.
09:37However stylish these pants may be, they are still in contradiction with Queen Elizabeth's
09:41royal dress code preferences. A People article in 2018 interviewed a royal source regarding
09:47the pant problem. The source revealed that,
09:49"...the Queen prefers women in dresses or skirts rather than trouser suits."
09:53Absolutely no one can argue that Kate Middleton looked anything other than stunning, elegant,
09:59and definitely royal in her wedding dress, which marked one of the most expensive outfits
10:04Kate Middleton has ever worn.
10:06However, in 2016, a very unroyal scandal came to light surrounding the famed Alexander McQueen
10:12bridal gown. The Sunday Times reported that another bridal designer named Christine Kendall
10:17filed a breach of copyright claim at London's Intellectual Property Enterprise Court in
10:222016. The claim alleged that Kendall's dress designs were unfairly taken and copied by
10:27Alexander McQueen to make Middleton's gown.
10:30A spokeswoman from Alexander McQueen responded to the allegations, saying that they were
10:35nonsense, and that the McQueen designer responsible for the dress,
10:39"...never saw any of Ms. Kendall's designs or sketches and did not know of Ms. Kendall
10:44before Ms. Kendall got in touch with us, some 13 months after the wedding. We do not know
10:49why Ms. Kendall has raised this again, but there are no ifs, buts, or maybes here. This
10:55claim is ridiculous."
10:57Despite the drama, Kate Middleton has continued to wear Alexander McQueen pieces proudly.
11:02Staying appropriate, according to royal standards, is like walking a tightrope. One must find
11:07a perfect balance without falling too far one way or the other, like Kate Middleton
11:12did when she and Prince William went to India.
11:14Usually, when Middleton's outfits are called into question, it's because they were too
11:18revealing, too modern, or too casual, but her clothing in India was touted as the opposite
11:23— too boring. As reported by The Independent, royal fans were very disappointed by Middleton's
11:29wardrobe during her trip. They were hoping for colorful, fun, and otherwise entertaining
11:34styles, but what they got were outfits that were described as dreary, lacking pizazz,
11:39and dowdy. Poor Kate just can't win.