Here's which royal duchess spends the most money on clothes
Living in the public eye is not easy, and dressing for it is certainly not cheap. But, while celebrities have the luxury of designers and top brands sending them freebies and loaning them gowns for big events, royals are not allowed to accept any clothing for free. Yes, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle both buy every single item of clothing that they wear.
Perhaps that's why the Duchess of Cambridge is so keen on repeating outfits and, like the Duchess of Sussex, has been seen sporting clothing from affordable brands like J.Crew and H&M.
However, earlier this year it was reported by the blog Meghan's Mirror that Meghan Markle spent a whopping $658,950 on her clothes in 2018. UFO No More, a royal fashion blog, calculates the number a little lower at around $509,278, but still, triple digits! They've also estimated that in 2018, Kate Middleton spent nearly $85,097 on her wardrobe, nearly five times less than her sister-in-law.
According to UFO No More, the Duchess of Sussex was the top spender on clothing in 2018 out of the world's royal members, with Crown Princess Mary coming in second with around $144,349 spent, Sophie, Countess of Wessex coming in third with around $91,939 spent and the Duchess of Cambridge coming in fourth.
While Meghan's high number may seem extraordinary, keep in mind she got married last year and this includes her Stella McCartney party gown and wedding jewels. (Her custom Givenchy wedding gown was not included, as it's too hard to estimate a price for such a piece.)
As for Kate Middleton, she was on maternity leave for nearly six months after giving birth to Prince Louis in April, so we didn't get to see much of what she was wearing. In 2017, however, she reportedly spent around $130,000.
The duchesses' wardobe budgets reportedly come from the money Prince Charles gives to his sons from his Duchy of Cornwall income. And let's not forget, before marrying into the royal family, Duchess Kate came from a wealthy family and Duchess Meghan was a successful actress, so there is seemingly money to be spent. So, why not spend it on fabulous clothes?
