When the Princess of Wales stepped out for her solo visit to Italy this week, she exuded glamour and elegance with her array of pricey designer pieces.
But while Kate’s wardrobe for royal engagements can be written off against tax, the future queen has a number of private expenses she must account for: ranging from trips to the salon, holidays and clothes for her three children.
The majority of Kate’s private income comes from the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate worth about £1.1billion. It turns an annual profit of around £22million.
Traditionally, the surplus generated by the Duchy funds charitable and personal activities, including private royal residences.
But details of how Kate, 44, funds the likes of her personal wardrobe, holidays and hair appointments are perhaps less clear.
Public knowledge of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s tax contributions is also limited – though the Sunday Times recently revealed William pays a staggering £7million income tax bill, placing him in the top 0.002 per cent of UK taxpayers.
Royal author Norman Baker told The Daily Mail: ‘Much of Kate’s wardrobe is funded from Duchy of Cornwall profits, and deemed a ‘business expense’ by her husband, as it was when his father was Prince of Wales.
‘Naturally, the secretive Prince William does not declare how much of Duchy profits was spent on Kate’s clothes, but it was rumoured than one year’s bill alone came to £55,000 as far back as 2012,’ added Mr Baker, author of Royal Mint, National Debt: The Shocking Truth about the Royals’ Finances.
‘As for the jewellery, there’s always the option of raiding the vast treasure trove assembled by the royals over generations. Kate regularly borrows sumptuous items such as couture evening gowns from the top fashion houses – free of charge of course – for specific occasions.’
But while the exact details of Kate’s private expenditure remains unclear, the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden believes that most will go towards ‘the children and hair and beauty’.
From luxurious holidays and clothes for the children, to her famous bouncy blow-dry, this is how Kate likes to splash out.
Details of how Kate, 44, funds the likes of her personal wardrobe, holidays and hair appointments are perhaps less clear. Pictured: the Wales family on a ski holiday in 2016
Gifts for her children
Like any doting mother, the Princess of Wales does not hold back when it comes to spoiling her three children, and also invests in timeless pieces for their wardrobe.
Over the years, Kate has been spotted purchasing children’s books and toys at high street shops such as The Range, and in 2016 left shoppers in disbelief when she bought a Fireman Sam book for Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
When her three children were young, Kate was known to be particularly fond of a Silver Cross Pram, having been spotted with the luxury pram brand on a number of occasions, including Christenings and family visits to church.
Retailing for over £1,000, the Silver Cross Balmoral Pram can even come at a staggering price of £5,000.
All three of Kate and William’s children used a Britax Baby Safe car seat – with the royal couple pictured carrying their newborn babies from the hospital to Kensington Palace.
At the time of Prince George’s birth, the high-rated model was priced at around £110 to £130.
Cars
Throughout the years, William and Kate have had a surprisingly varied car collection, ranging from Audi A3s to classic Land Rovers.
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The Princess of Wales then swapped her Golf in for a modest silver Audi A3 hatchback in 2007.
She gave her old VW to her younger brother, James Middleton, who would have been around 20 years old at the time.
Kate, who was around 25 at the time, was pictured stepping into her new car dressed head-to-toe in early noughties fashion consisting of a grey top, some shades and black boots.
Just a couple of years later, the Princess of Wales switched to a £60,000 electric Jaguar.
She first showcased her new environmentally-friendly vehicle when arriving at a charity dinner at Spring restaurant in London in October 2019 for a gala dinner to support Action On Addiction.
The same year, after Kate had both Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, she stuck with Audi and bought an SUV.
In 2019, the then-Duchess of Cambridge was snapped smiling as she drove her children to Queen Elizabeth’s annual Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.
It seems the Prince of Wales is also following his wife and father’s footsteps, as he got behind the wheel of an electric Audi in 2024.
He was seen driving away from London Clinic, a private hospital in Marylebone, after visiting his wife who underwent abdominal surgery in January.
Prices for the car start at £127,000 and spend on what spec of vehicle you want to splash out on.
Throughout the years, William and Kate have had a surprisingly varied car collection, ranging from Audi A3s to classic Land Rovers
Clothes and school uniform
Dressing young royals is a responsibility Kate takes very seriously – with George, Charlotte and Louis all renowned for their high-quality and fashionable items of clothing when they are not undertaking royal engagements.
Kate’s favourites for her children are well-known to be brands such as Boden or Regatta and has even led to the so-called ‘George effect’, for instance, in which a fashionable clothing item purchased by Kate has quickly sold out after her children have been photographed in it in private family photos.
Last month, the Prince and Princess of Wales released a private portrait of eight-year-old Prince Louis wearing a £42 blue quarter-zip from Boden while beaming gleefully with his arms crossed.
In early May, a stunning portrait of Princess Charlotte was released to mark her eleventh birthday, with the young royal pictured in a Ralph Lauren knitted jumper, priced at £111.
Over the years, Kate has been known to purchase clothes from high-street brands, such as Zara, H&M and GAP kids, while also taking influence from her children’s nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, and buying from Spanish brands such as m&h.
Kate will also have to spend her personal money on her children’s school uniform. At the prestigious Lambrook School, where all three children study, uniform costs are likely to be around £450 to £850.
Billings & Edmonds is the stockist for Lambrook, and the entire uniform list comes to an eye-watering total of nearly £2,000.
And there’s a significant likelihood that the cost of George’s uniform could be set to rise in the coming months, with the young Prince speculated to attend Eton School, where the tailcoat, trousers and waistcoat can create a more than £1,000 bill.
Dressing young royals is a responsibility Kate takes very seriously – with George, Charlotte and Louis all renowned for their high-quality and fashionable items of clothing when they are not undertaking royal engagements
Hair and beauty
The Princess of Wales has become famous around the world for her gorgeous long tresses. Yet while she may have her hair paid for when it is styled for royal engagements, the maintenance of the colour and cut must be funded by Kate herself.
Kate is known to go to Italian hairstylist Rossano Ferretti, who is famous for his £600 ‘Method’ haircut, which uses handmade texturizing scissors to achieve the perfect cut.
The royal is also reported to have used high-end hair treatments, such as L’Oreal Symbio and Fuente Organic colour, to achieve her signature brown tones.
Kate is also believed to have her eyebrows laminated, with costs ranging from between £50 to £100.
Though royal protocol dictates against wearing bright and bold nail polish, Kate’s signature natural-looking manicure is believed to be the likes of Essie’s Allure, or Bourjois Rose Lounge, which comes at an affordable price of around £10.
Holidays
Though Kate may have just returned from a solo visit to Italy, her own private family holidays must be paid out of her own budget.
Earlier this year, William and Kate quietly enjoyed a holiday in the exclusive French Alpine resort of Courchevel. The royal couple were spotted at a high-end mountainside restaurant, where even a ham and cheese toastie costs €85 (£74), albeit a ‘truffle-infused’ one.
Dubbed ‘the Saint Tropez of the slopes’, Courchevel is known for its Michelin-starred restaurants, designer shopping and celebrity visitors such as George Clooney and the Beckhams.
Meanwhile, last year, the Wales family slipped away to enjoy a quiet break in the Alps with the Middleton family and were spotted enjoying morning hot drinks at a lavish mountaintop restaurant that offers panoramic views of snow-covered peaks.
In August, the future King and Queen whisked their young children away for a summer escape to the Greek isle of Kefalonia onboard £20million yacht Lady Beatrice.
Kate’s personal wardrobe
The Princess of Wales’s personal wardrobe combines high-end British designers like Alexander McQueen and Catherine Walker with the use of more accessible high-street brands such as Zara, Marks & Spencer and Boden.
During country walks, she is often seen wearing tweed jackets and blazers, while she is also known to invest in more sustainable brands.
For a Mother’s Day photo in 2024, Kate opted for a khaki round-neck jumper from Swedish sustainable brand Fjallraven, which cost £130.
When she announced her cancer diagnosis, the Princess opted for a £650 Breton Stripe jumper.
And during a family portrait released to celebrate her and William’s 15th wedding anniversary last month, she opted for Saint Tropez’s Mila sweater, which retails for £34.99.
The Princess of Wales’s personal wardrobe combines high-end British designers like Alexander McQueen and Catherine Walker with the use of more accessible high-street brands such as Zara, Marks & Spencer and Boden
Pricey food shops
Despite being a member of the Royal Family, Kate has typically opted to shop in more upmarket supermarkets – including Waitrose and Norfolk’s Bakeres & Larners of Holt, a nine-generation, family-run artisan store which features speciality food counters.
In March 2024, the Prince and Princess of Wales were spotted shopping at the pricey Windsor Farm Shop which sells local produce from the royal estate and delightful home-cooked pies.
Likewise, the Crown Inn in East Rudham, Norfolk, has previously been dubbed the royal couple’s favourite pub – with the pair last spotted enjoying a meal together there back in 2016.
Unique gifts for William and private homewear items
Soon after the Prince and Princess of Wales said ‘I Do’, it was reported that Kate had bought William a pair of Ralph Lauren boxers for Valentine’s Day while he was serving in the Falklands.
The upmarket underwear come at a cost of between £35 and £75.
And while members of the Firm may live in palaces and royal residents, private home renovations and furniture are predominantly funded by the couple.
In 2018, Kate revealed that their home, and in particular their children’s bedrooms, are kitted out with IKEA furniture.
In their former Kensington Palace home, the couple were reported to have cushions from OKA, which were previously listed for between £30-60.
The future king and queen also reportedly own bespoke cashmere dressing gowns to relax in, which were estimated to cost up to £8,000 each and were designed by Daniel Hanson under the commission of Turnbell & Asser.
