How much it costs to dress like a royal

Words: Francesca Wallace Produced by: Angus Mead in partnership with

It’s one of the most high profile jobs in the world, requiring a serious effort to look polished at all times. How much money do the royals actually spend on clothes, and how much of that comes out of their own pocket?

While many of the garments you’ll see Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle strutting around in are borrowed from high powered designers, they still do their fair share of shopping.

Middleton has been seen shopping at Zara, Gap, Peter Jones, and Jigsaw—where she worked before marrying Prince William. Markle is known to hit up King’s Road, particularly Heidi Klein, which she has bought swimwear from before.

Royals do not accept free clothes; they will never keep gifted outfits. Middleton’s stylist, Natasha Archer, will often call in designer items on loan but they will then be returned.

Royals are able to purchase items whenever they wish, and it comes out of their allowance allocated by Prince Charles.

Prior to becoming a royal, Markle was required to pay for all her own clothing, including for her royal wedding. This means she likely paid for her own wedding dress, which reports estimated to have cost over $400,000.

It isn’t clear exactly what the wardrobe budget is for Prince William and his family, but according to documents released by the Palace in 2015, Prince Charles provides the family with a $6 million stipend each year.

Although royal finances are notoriously hard to come by, it was revealed in 2012 that Middleton had spent a eye-watering $70,000 on clothing that financial year.

Another (unofficial) report, conducted by the Daily Mail in 2017, concluded Middleton spent over $100,000 for just one quarter on clothes, or about $400,000 per year—a whole lot more than in 2012.

However, the report only added up the new items she had worn throughout the course of the quarter, and didn’t take into account that some items were on loan from designers.

The Queen doesn’t loan clothing often, but rather commissions tailors and milliners to make custom pieces for her, as her wardrobe is very specific.

Other royals, such as Princess Eugenie and Beatrice, all have to buy their own clothing with their own incomes—but it isn’t so tough, as they get money from the Queen and also from their father.

Dress like royalty.

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