There’s a type of jeans that the Princess of Wales never wears but we'd love to see her switch up her signature style.
Like many people, we find ourselves gravitating towards jeans if we don’t know what to wear as they’re so versatile and can be dressed up or down. Finding the best jeans for your body type, though, isn’t always easy and once you’ve got a style that you love, you might find yourself sticking to these over any others. The Princess of Wales is a huge fan of certain types of jeans, but we’ve noticed that there’s a popular style Kate never wears - the wide leg jean. Some of the best jeans on Amazon, John Lewis and Zara have wide leg designs and they're so comfortable to wear.
The Princess of Wales did once wear a pair in British Vogue’s iconic 2016 issue, but when it comes to royal engagements, she’s not yet embraced this style as a staple. Instead, Kate tends to choose skinny jeans, straight leg jeans or occasionally flared or mom jeans, and typically chooses black and dark blue washes rather than white or very light blue denim jeans.
Shop Kate Middleton's Favourite Jean and Trouser Styles
The Princess of Wales is a huge fan of the Skinny Jean style and this pair of jeans from M&S is made from incredibly soft cotton-rich fabric with added stretch. They're high-waisted and hug your figure with their streamlined silhouette.
These mid-wash mom jeans are great for all year round and would look just as stunning styled with a white vest top in the summer as they would with a chunky jumper in cold weather. They're made from cotton and have a relaxed fit with slightly tapered legs.
She might not wear wide-leg jeans, but Kate loves wide-leg trousers and this pair is gorgeous and so easy to style. They are tailored, high-waisted and would look amazing worn with both trainers day-to-day and pointed toe heels for an evening out.
These styles and colours all have a bit more of a formal feel to them which is very in-keeping with the rest of Kate’s signature style. Whilst she does wear more casual pieces like her best white trainers and denim pieces, the senior royal often balances them with tailored blazers or smart blouses to ensure that her outfits still have an elevated edge to them at royal engagements.
We saw this when she and Prince William attended a SportsAid mental fitness workshop at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre in 2023. Kate wore her Veja Esplar trainers, dark blue straight leg jeans and a white top, with a royal blue blazer over the top. According to Woman&Home’s Digital Fashion Editor, Caroline Parr, skinny jeans have become part of Kate’s "uniform" and are practical for her busy lifestyle as a royal and a mum-of-three.
"Skinny jeans are a signature style for Kate, and she looks amazing in them, so it's no surprise they're something of a uniform. They are, after all, practical for outdoorsy engagements or running around after her children," she says.
Although wide-leg jeans are a style Kate never wears, she does enjoy wearing wide-leg trousers, and Caroline believes this style really suits her thanks to her height.
"We've seen how much she suits smart wide leg trousers, and thanks to her statuesque height, the princess would undoubtedly look so chic in wide leg jeans. She's definitely experimented a bit more with denim in the last few years, choosing flares and mom jeans, so whilst we don't expect to see her in barrel leg or ripped jeans any time soon, we can totally see her wearing wide leg jeans," she explains.
The Princess of Wales has certainly been experimenting more with her denim in recent years and wore flares during a visit to Scotland in November 2023. Her tailored wide-leg trousers always look beautiful and whilst we don’t know exactly why she loves these, but hasn’t worn wide-leg jeans, it could be once again about the formality of the design.
Tailored trousers are more formal and structured, so she might find them easier to wear without appearing too casual. However, we’d love to see Kate wear wide-leg jeans at some point in the future just as she has got on board with wide-leg trousers. They are always going to look a little more relaxed compared to trousers, but with a bright blazer and white shirt a pair of dark wide-leg jeans would make a fabulous royal look.