Prince William Reportedly Had To Pull Rank On One Of Kate Middleton's 'Inappropriate' Outfits

William, Prince of Wales, once put his foot down concerning one of Kate Middleton's inappropriate outfits. Although the future Queen of England is usually the picture of grace today, she went through somewhat of a fashion metamorphosis during her early days as William's girlfriend and it was during those youthful early years that the prince reportedly had to step in and strike down one of her outfits. "Before Kate realized that as a senior royal you have to dress carefully, having taken advice, she once bought an outfit that William considered inappropriate," shared an anonymous royal with The Times in February 2025. "He told Kate she looked as if she'd just run through a charity shop covered in superglue. Everyone thought this was very funny, including, to her credit, Kate."

Unfortunately, the chatty former employee stopped just short of describing exactly what Kate wore that triggered William so badly. However, given Kate's history of leggy looks before becoming the Princess of Wales, the culprit could've been any one of several semi-revealing numbers from her past. However, it's clear Kate's style has matured considerably since her days as a young royal. "I think she looks much more modern in the way she dresses now," designer Petar Petrov told People after the princess rocked one of his blazers. "She looks relaxed, and I think she can win the hearts of people even more because she feels like a real person that people can connect with, like Princess Diana. That's special and makes her even more relevant than ever."

Despite her obvious fashion evolution, Kate reportedly wants there to be a little less focus on her sartorial choices going forward.

Although it's proven to be a moot request, Kate Middleton's reportedly tired of all of the public interest in her wardrobe. In February 2025, a palace source spoke with The Times and claimed Buckingham Palace would be dialing back supplying information about Kate's wardrobe to the public despite it being a long-standing tradition. "There is an absolute feeling that it [the public work] is not about what the princess is wearing," shared the source. "She wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting." They continued, "There will always be an appreciation of what the princess is wearing from some of the public and she gets that. But do we need to be officially always saying what she is wearing? No. The style is there but it's about the substance."

Given the extreme, multi-decade interest in Kate's style, it's not surprising that royal enthusiasts had strong reactions to this news. On Reddit, royal watchers engaged in intense debates about the unofficial royal decree. "What an embarrassing stance for KP to take," commented one user. "Fashion is political, especially for someone of her caliber. When done right, her fashion brings attention to her charities, the designers she's wearing, and has nice call outs to other countries she's visiting. She gets a lot of props for being so good at diplomatic dressing." They continued, "When done wrong, she's going to get criticism (ie the Chanel bag). Sorry Kate, but it works both ways!"

Amanda Matta, royal commentator, told Nicki Swift Kate's current style is "pretty textbook for a future queen." "She sticks to tailored silhouettes, saturated colors, conservative cuts, and classic accessories. She's not pushing boundaries through trends or experimenting with the unexpected — which honestly may be part of why people respond so strongly to her fashion!" Matta said. "Her style has evolved since her marriage to become utterly classic, in keeping with royal expectations."