Kate's clothes bill

Hear, hear, gracesmum We had enough of Freebie Fergie back in the day. I bet she gets a few bob knocked off the designer stuff though. You couldn't get a better walking advert.

I'm proud that we have such a beautiful and stylish woman representing us on the world stage.

She's too thin! but wonderfully elegant!

Now who does that remind me of?

I feel sorry for her being so much in the public eye. I think it might take the fun out of clothes quite quickly, however big the budget.
Elegant yes, a bit old fashioned as well though.
Shops full of KM style dresses - figure hugging, deep colours and a bit of draping across the front. Reminds me of the kind of thing Diana Dors wore about 1960, to different effect.
Am still drooling over The Jackets in The Good Wife. I think she could afford to buy that mansion for the price of a couple of em.
Gorgeous.
Well, got to decide what to wear tomorrow to greet our mayor (otherwise known as Katrina) when she attends the U3A 25th anniversary tea party. Possibly my best pale green linen summer trouser suit... U3a not exactly dressy bunch - but the K will have her chain on.

What else is the money for if not for spending on clothes you go for it girl your highnesss

Considering this budget is for official occasion wear, and having seen some of those beautiful gowns, I'd say she is doing very well on £ 35.000.
That is not a fortune for Haute Couture.
So yes I agree with Merlot, there must be discounts somewhere.

I wonder what Camilla's annual clothes budget is?

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Looking at the way various royal spouses have dressed over the last few months they remind me irresistably of a gaggle of pantomime dames, those ridiculous OTT hats and their habit of wearing matching plain colours throughout. I include the D of C in the above comments. She looked much nicer when she was single. Our royal family hasn't produced a really elegant well dressed woman since Queen Mary.

Always thought that Queen Mary looks stout in the photographs.
But maybe you like the Teutonic Type?

I think Kates clothes are a bit bring they are so samey and I do wish she would put her hair up for formal occasions - you cant go around lokking like Alice in Wonderland for ever and fascinators look so Debenhams!

My mother and I used to swap clothes - but it is all relative you understand! My mother has now lost weight being really ancient. The only thing we swap now are hats for weddings. Who is coughing up for the clothes? I guess the PoW. I do think the poor soul is too thin though - needs more padding for producing the heir and spare!

I think she looks lovely and that sum is about right for someone so in the public eye, after all FIL is paying, and no one quibbles about how much Camilla spends. Kate is always being accused of being du ll in her choice of clothes, but she would never getaway with less conventional clothes, she is doing her very best and doing it well.

How can it be right to spend £35K a year on clothes? That's more than the average wage in this country. I don't care who officially pays whether it's OH or FIL in the long run it's us.

Why does she have to have so many clothes? How many times does she wear an outfit? What happens to the clothes she no longer wears?

As far as I'm concerned she's a very expensive Barbie doll that I'm having to help foot the bill for when I can barely keep my head above water financially.

Totally agree with you vampirequeen It is obscene that someone in her position can spend "as much as her husband earns?" on clothes. How dare she.

What does she do? what is she for exactly?

How can any young person have respect for a royal family who live in such luxury swanning around the world eating, drinking and shaking hands at our expense?

When everyone else most people are cutting back and going without they are effectively laughing at us all.

Clothes like those she wears are immediately sold out. She is doing a lot for exports and business and is apparently, doing it without extravagance. She has to look good (and she looks very good) because she is in the public eye. Leave her alone!

The actual figure is more like £130k than the meagre £35k reported.

Lilygran I think many people could look very good if they spent over a hundred thousand a year on clothes, crikey knows how much on makeup and hair dressers, not to mention not having a care in the world !

Yes, I'm sure they could but it isn't expected of most of us!

The clothes are sold out to whom? These are not clothes that any ordinary person can afford. How many people can pay £1000+ for a dress?

She has stylists and dressers to help her choose her clothes and then they are made to her exact measurements. She should look good.

From my understanding of the history of any monarchy her job is to produce the next generation. Well they've been married over a year so there should be an a heir by now. If she's not doing that then she's not fulfilling her duty and I thought that's what it was all about. They have a superior duty to represent the nation and we have a deferential duty to pay for them.

1. She buys and wears a lot of clothes that cost sums within the reach of ordinary women. Clothes like them sell out after she's worn them.
2. She often wears the same outfit to different events
3. Most women, as I understand it, pay as much as they can afford for clothes for special occasions (weddings, proms, first nights, special parties, whatever)
4. Her entire life is special occasions.
5. Her FiL pays for the workwear.
What's the problem?

Johanna, size has nothing to do with elegance. Its how you dress.

Workwear Lilygran ? What work would that be exactly? Work is something you have to do to make ends meet, to pay the bills and eat.

She (like the entire family) does not work. She attends functions, smiles, wear clothes, holidays, wears clothes etc but non of this is work.

Most women probably spend as much in a lifetime as she spends in one year on clothes !

vampirequeen I agree that like Diana her sole purpose is to produce an heir and the quicker the better or else her madge will be getting twitchy!

Now I see what the problem is. It's nothing to do with the Duch of Camb herself, it's to do with the institution of monarchy. So address the arguments to that issue rather than to her frocks!