CLEVER TRICK How Princess Catherine always looks chic even in the rain Palace Fashion

How do the Royals keep themselves looking flawless in Britain's famously soggy weather? What beloved brand of outdoor wellies does our Princess Catherine swear by? And where did I source this royally approved rainy day outfit from? All this and more on a very special episode. Hello and welcome to Palace Fashion, the seasonal spin-off show when we break down the glamorous outfits worn by the Royal Family from top to bottom and reveal how you can get the look too. I'm Jo Elvenen. To help top up my Royal expertise is the Daily Mail's Royal Editor, Rebecca English, the Assistant Editor of the Daily Mail's Royal Channel, Claire Chiesotti, and if these ladies weren't stylish enough, we are also joined by some proper fashion royalty, the one and only Amanda Wakeley OBE, the renowned British fashion designer, and my best friend, my YouTube work wife, who has worked up close and personal with many of the Royals, including a certain Princess Diana. What a panel. It's just panels don't get any more spectacular than this. But before we get into it with them, a reminder to please like and subscribe to this channel. I mean, where else would you get such interesting Royal content from an unbeatable team of experts? And don't forget to subscribe to the Palace Confidential Newsletter. It's free and it ensures the latest Royal news is delivered straight to your inbox, like you're the Queen or something. Right. Now, we all live in the UK and we are all used to the weather being miserable. It says here, even in springtime, I'd say almost especially in springtime. It's annoying as. So today we're discussing the most iconic rainy day Royal looks and the clever ways they have sheltered from the storm in style. Now, Rebecca, you've been covering the Royals for decades. Not that you're old. You have been. I was a child bride when I started. Absolutely. A very young cadet. But is the weather something that is given special consideration? And is there always a plan B in case of a downpour? Of course it is. Because we are British and we are obsessed with the weather. And even the Royal family are obsessed with the weather. Mostly in terms of practicality, of course, because you need to have outfits for every eventuality. And not only do we have the rain here, we can have some fairly gusty weather conditions. I remember. Gusty is a horrible word, isn't it? You can just feel it when you say it. Yeah. And actually, I was speaking to someone the other day who worked with dressing the Queen for years, and they were saying to me, I said to them, you know, did you ever have an incident with the wind, you know, where a hat blew off? And they said no, but once on the drive down from Royal Ascot, from Windsor Castle down to the racecourse, which is like a wind tunnel on the best of days, the Queen once lifted her finger to her hat just to check it was still there. And every day, in fact, the next day, all the day's paper, the Queen almost lost her hat because of course she never did. So they were very attuned to things like that. And they do have plan A and plan B outfits. Amazing. Now, Clare, your expertise is in knowing the most iconic pictures of the Royals. And don't roll your eyes because you played a blinder recently when Kate Moss wore the same jacket that Fergie used to own to the show. So I know you are the wiki of Royal pictures. But is there a particularly memorable time that the Royals have been captured in a downpour? My favourite, my absolute favourite is from 1991. And it was Pavarotti in the park, in Hyde Park. And the heavens opened. Princess Diana was there with Prince Charles and she was wearing, I think it was a Paul Costello navy blazer with really good detail on the buttons. And the heavens opened and she was wearing her hair quite short without the perm in or anything. So it was slicked back from the rain and she was laughing. Charles wasn't so amused, but she was laughing because basically it was the best camera moment, best photograph you could possibly ever get of Princess Diana. It was a really iconic photo. It was iconic. And I actually put it on the front of a magazine, like a cropped version of that. And I don't think she ever looked more beautiful. And she hardly had any makeup on. She was tanned, this beautiful navy blazer and slicked back hair. And she was just laughing and Pavarotti was laughing at her with her wet hair. But it looked like she'd been to the hairdressers. That would have played out quite differently for me. Yeah, me too. Trust me, trust me. And that's always stuck in my mind. That one picture, that one image of Princess Diana. And what about you, Amanda? Do you have a favourite rainy day royal moment? For me, it always was our late queen with those Fulton umbrellas. Oh, explain these to us. Just these wonderful umbrellas, completely see-through, completely transparent, apart from the trim. And the trim was always immaculately matching her coat or whatever she was wearing. I love that. And so she was very aware of being seen and wanting to be seen, but wanting to have the complete look. Well, as this is British weather, I suspect we'll be talking a little bit more about umbrellas. But on top of these examples, there are many instances of the royals being caught in a downpour. And we have compiled them into one spectacularly soggy montage that we'll play at the end of this episode. So stick around for that. I'm sure no one in the royal family will actually thank us for that. But hopefully you will enjoy it. But let's start breaking down these Rainydale Royal looks from top to bottom. And as I promised, we're talking umbrellas. Now, they do have a large collection of umbrellas, don't they, Rebecca? And as Amanda touched on, these are like transparent, domed styles. There's a PR reason behind it, isn't there? Well, they're called birdcage. And I have to say, I did have one of those until I broke it. And I can see why they are so good, because they protect you from all of the elements, not just the rain but the winds, because they come down very low over you. But obviously, if they do that, you need still to be seen, which is hence the transparency, because they photograph really well and people can see you through them. Does it mean as well, with that domed design, one of my absolute pet hates with umbrellas is the blowing inside out in the wind. So I imagine they're quite immune to that. A hundred percent. And I have to say, all the years I had my kind of Fulton birdcage one, never once blew out the other way. What colour was your trim? It was a black one. And the reason why I got it, I think I mentioned it on a programme the other week, I have quite a bad track record with umbrellas. I'm always buying like the 20 quid ones at railway stations. Where do all these umbrellas end up? I don't know where they go. Like single socks, where are they? And I remember when my son was quite young and having to go on a job with the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, and I was in a hurry. And the only umbrella I could find was my son's umbrella. And I also turned up to this job late after they arrived. I was running down a driveway as they were looking, running past them. And I put up my umbrella and it was one, it was a transparent one, but it was one of the ones that had elephants gambling all over it and water coming out of their trunks. And I was running this going, sorry, sorry, sorry. And I just remember seeing the King, well King now, but Prince of Wales, and he's just going. And then obviously Duchess of Cornwall, absolutely corpsing with laughter. Yes, she'd cry with laughter at that one. But his face was a picture. He's like, what on earth is this woman doing? She's a working mother. I was like, I'm so sorry, it's the only one I could find. Oh gosh, let's all just sit with that image for a minute. But she was a big fan of the transparent Fulton umbrellas. But what's the story, Claire, behind them becoming this royal go-to? I think it was the Queen Mother that actually saved them from bankruptcy. Am I right? Wow. She kind of championed them. And then obviously the Queen, when she became more visual, adopted them as well. And then the colours all started to come and the greens and the pinks to go with all her outfits. And I mean, it was almost, her umbrella became almost as famous as her handbag. I'm surprised Catherine hasn't used them yet. She does come unstuck in the rain a bit. There's a couple of times where William has had to kind of go running after her with one of the big black ones that come out of the Range Rovers, you know, when the heavens start to open. I wonder if she thinks the Fulton is a bit granny. Well, I think she could bring it kicking and screaming. Yeah, I think so. And it's good to support these British brands. Queen Camilla uses them. I was doing a job with her this week. She's got the white trim, I've noticed. She had one with a black trim, I think. Yeah, I think she's got two or three. Yeah, they're a British brand. Just, you know, champion everything British. Gosh, Amanda, I have to wonder how many different coloured trims Queen Elizabeth might have had. She was so committed to colour blocking, wasn't she? Why do you think it was so important to even bring in the umbrella? Well, I think we've got to think about the umbrella is part of your outfit on these horrible rainy days. I think where it goes wrong is when you're grabbing your child's umbrella or... Oh, I think that went right. That was a great story. The freebie or the whatever. And I think to remain really chic, think of it as an extension of your outfit. And that's why, you know, thinking of the Princess of Wales and her colour drenching, just how chic would it be to have a dark green umbrella or a dark red umbrella just to complete that colour drenched look. Now, Rebecca, I hear you have brought your limited edition Fulton umbrella into the studio today. As if by magic, here it appears. Did you bring the elephant one as well? I think I broke that one eventually as well. I have to say, this is so special to me. I've never actually even used it. Well, that's why I feel like I don't want to pressure you into unboxing it. I will unbox it. I feel like I'm on TikTok. Does everyone, if they order one, get one in the box? Did you ask me to touch it? This is a moment. I literally haven't even taken it out of the box first. You guys have persuaded me to do this. What, Jo? Look, it's still got the tap. Oh, wow. That's so pretty. Can we just take a moment? I just want to close up on the beautiful print detail on there. And the handle. Look at the end of the handle. Literally, this is pristine since Queen Elizabeth. And you've never used it? Never used it. Don't point that thing at me. Oh, that is gorgeous. How lovely is that? And you can see why they're worth the money because you've got the little detail, little leather thing holding it together. It's just... Yeah, you can feel the weight. But I'm not going to open it because it's bad luck to open it, isn't it? I'm with you there. I don't know. I mean, obviously, it was limited edition. You've never been tempted to use it? No, I've got loads of things like that. Don't leave that on the train. I've got loads of little things like that I've kept over the years. My favourite one is a Queen Elizabeth Barbie doll, which I've never taken out of the box. But that umbrella is now present itself, isn't it? I mean, I'm just thinking, imagine how impressed Queen Camilla would be to see you running up late to an event with, instead of your trumpeting elephants, your beautiful Fulton. I actually think they'd prefer the trumpeting elephants, to be honest, because on royal jobs, I always say everything always goes to plan. So they really like it when things go wrong. And unfortunately, they're normally me. That's why you're there. Poor Jester. Well, they aren't transparent, but we actually have two more umbrellas from the royally approved brand Fulton here. And as we said, it's unlucky to open them indoors, so we're not going to. But the first one is the Storm Shield golf umbrella, and I got to use this in a little photo shoot I did. Let's have a look. Rebecca, they keep you dry on an engagement, but they're so huge and heavy. Yeah, I mean, the trouble is also when you're short like I am, I can't actually have an umbrella up on the high street because I just take people's eyes out with them. I'm always the one being tutted at. Have a pick it up, Claire, is it sturdy? I'm just wondering if you put it up against Rebecca, where it would come to. It would definitely be like chest height on me. That is light. Oh, really? That's lighter than the school umbrella that I've got. That's good. And if it's windproof. Stormproof fiberglass frame. I mean, it's very practical, Amanda, but is there any actual way to make something like that fashion? Well, I think just toning it in with your outfit. But then if you're not careful, you'll end up with 20 different umbrellas, wouldn't you? Is there any chance of looking chic huddling under an umbrella? I think it's hard. I'm a big fan of a big Akubra hat in the rain. Yeah. You'd know an Akubra from Australia. Indeed, yes. I can't really rock an Akubra. OK, let's work our way down to royally approved coats now. And who better to take inspiration from than, of course, the Princess of Wales, Catherine? Now, Rebecca, how many coats do you reckon she has in her collection? I think I can professionally say a lot. A lot, yes. And I just don't think anyone wears a better coat than she does. She's very elegant. They're always very strict silhouette. Do you think she is a fan of the re-wear? Oh, no, she definitely does. And she re-wears more and more. But I think this is where we've seen her style evolve over the years. You remember when she first married Prince William, when we were kind of referring to her as the kind of queen, you know, to be the high street. And there was the, you know, wreaths and jigsaw and things like that. And now we see her wearing much more high-end design labels. But, yeah, exactly. And ones that you could actually purchase, but with very specific tweaks to her. So I think she's really found her sense of style and what works for her. And the coat is part of that. Indeed, yeah. She always manages a showstopper with a coat, doesn't she, Claire? Have you got a favourite standout? Oh, God, there's so many. But, I mean, I loved the chocolate brown one she wore when she went to visit the new archbishop at Lambeth Palace. And she was kind of dressed head to toe in browns. She had the eponine leaf and then the beautiful chocolate brown coat that accompanied it with chocolate brown suede, you know, mules. And she just looked stunning. Not many people could look that good. Well, this is the thing. I mean, to me, in winter, the reason I love summer fashion so much is like a coat is that thing that you just have to put on and you always feel a bit bulked out and a bit overloaded. But somehow she just makes it look incredible. She makes it look part of the dress. And it's a really clever trick that she has that she can make all her coats look dress-worthy. And so you feel like you're getting the whole outfit and you're not basically being hidden from what's actually underneath. It's clever. And it's true. She has a thing for brown, doesn't she, Amanda? Because in 2025, she chose a blaze Milano brown tartan coat for the Sandringham walkabout. You know, I love a bit of tartan. Did you like that as a fashion woman? Yes, I did. I thought very appropriate for Norfolk in the country, you know, with the brown hat, the brown boots with it. It was very beautiful. But I love her when she does these really sort of fit and flare coats, the sort of maxi coats, the sort of Holland Cooper type look, I think works very, very well on her. It looks really tailored, sharp. And yes, the outfit is the coat. It's not an overcoat. The outfit is the coat. It's a really good point for us. Normally, as you say, Jo, the coat is something you shrug on over it. But for her, it is the pièce de résistance. And I think it shows you the tailoring as well that she has. She obviously has people within the couture houses that work with her, but she actually has her own private dressmaker. And those little tweaks just make it absolutely perfect. I wasn't so sure about St Patrick's Day when she had the emerald coat. And she put a black belt with it, a leather belt. And that kept you up at night, has it? A little bit. Yeah, I was like... See, I love a belted coat. So do I. Especially with her tiny weave waist. Yeah, but I would say a belted coat with a... that way. Ooh, a bit of leather on it, just to... I don't know, bring the changes. Bit of heated debate on the fashion panel today. I'm on the fence on that one. I really am. When I covered the Nigerian state visit recently, she borrowed an outfit from a young Nigerian designer. But I showed a little bit of video, and you could only see it from that back when she was looking around the Royal Collection. But it almost had a corset effect at the back. I thought, ah, that's why that looks so fabulous on her. You know, little things like that, which you don't normally get to notice, and see the kind of structure behind underneath it. And kudos to her for wearing a Nigerian designer. Absolutely. That's really cool. I'll pull off another magic trick, because... Where do your talents end, Jo? There's these specific brown coats, because here we have some from brands championed by the Princess herself. Now, Claire, you have near you the wool Maxi City coat in brown. Yeah, I like that. Amanda, I want you to show me what you think of this cocoon wool coat from Bowdoin in this lovely brown, teal and pink check. So I think they're both sort of like perfect dupes for things that Catherine's worn. What do you think? This one especially. I love that colour. Yeah, it feels expensive. It does. And you've got that beautiful carded wool. It almost feels Kashmiri. It does. Just sort of in the finishing of the wool. And I think that's a really beautiful, rich chestnut brown. I don't know if you will like this check or not. I know that I do. I love it because it's like a tartan. Yeah. I think there's sort of, you know, you get so many different colours. That's what I like. In a tweed and in a tartan, you know, the more you look at it, the more you see. And I think it looks very rich. With a country hat and some really cool boots. Yeah, yeah. Well, I actually wore both of these coats during a photo shoot that I did the other day. And this is what I had to say. I am actually quite in love with this jigsaw coat. It's a really fantastic sort of chestnutty brown that you can work a million ways. It looks great with this, just a plain black and white. But it would look brilliant with bright colours like a red or a violet or something turquoise. It's a super versatile colour. It's beautifully warm. And for just under £300, a fantastic investment. This coat is a brilliant riff on what Princess Catherine wore for the Christmas walk at Sandringham last year. It's from Boden. It's £215. This plaid makes it super versatile. You can pull out any of these colours to match it to whatever you're wearing and really make your outfit pop. But look at this gorgeous detail. This is what I love about Boden. They really think about things. This absolutely sweet and fun little map of central London that makes your lining. So that's a bit of a talking point as well as anything else. Great buy. Now, one of the things we love most about Catherine is her country-inspired approach to dressing for wet weather in our spring. Now, we've noticed that she regularly steps out in practical waxed jackets and Wellington boots. Good old Wellington boots. Must be hard to find footwear as a royal woman that offers you both dependable protection from the elements while still maintaining a regal, polished finish. Now, Rebecca, has Catherine ever had a footwear malfunction? Once she got a heel caught in a grate, I remember. But apart from that, no. And I think she rocks a boot. And I think the reason why she rocks a boot so well is because it's actually what she wears naturally herself. So it's very authentic. It's not someone that, you know, takes a brand new pair out of a box and maybe, you know, fake sprays a bit of mud on it. You know she's tramping around the Barbershire countryside day in, day out, walking the dog, playing with the kids with the boots on. That sounds like you, Amanda. Are the wellies a good way to strike a chic balance with practicality? I think so. And I always think of the Penelope Chilvers leather Spanish riding boot wellie. Well, they've nicknamed that the Cape boot, haven't they? Because she's worn it ever since she was sort of in the public eye. And it's a very, very chic alternative to a wellie. And it looks beautiful on her. Dark brown leather with a little fan embossed, you know, on the side of the leg, the zip. And they're just very flattering because they're shaped to your leg rather than a wellie boot, which is a bit more plonky. Well, the thing about Wellington boots, though, this brand, again, magically appeared. One of Catherine's preferred brands is Le Chameau, who are actually the official boot partner of the Oxford versus Cambridge boat race, which goes to show just how waterproof they are. But also they have a little adjustable thing on the side, so you can sort of like measure them to your calf. And so if you've got fat calves, you're laughing. That's me. Absolutely laughing. Are you laughing? Chunky little legs. No one here's got fat calves. I've got chunky little legs. They're also incredibly warm. They've got a sort of neoprene lining or a leather lining that makes them very, very warm. Have a look, because these are the actual ones that Catherine owns. So I've seen these boots. I've never actually been in the vicinity of one of them. How's it? Is it changing your life as we speak? Yeah, they're pretty cool. They make my hunters. Oh, no, no, don't, don't, don't dis a hunter. They're great, too. Oh, they're not this. These are like cushioned. I have to confess, I do have a pair of these. They are the exact style. She's got a Fulton and she's got the Wellies. Oh, my God, you've got a tiara as well. I know it. The only reason why is because they have that adjustable strap in it. It's the only ones I could find to fit my chunky little legs. They're fantastic. Mine are neoprene lined as well, mate. They are so warm and snug. And look, see, fat calf proof. I wondered why you were smelling that for a second. Well, we can go and have a look. Yes, they smell of money. That's not my feet. Don't smell of money. But here's what I thought of them when we tried one yesterday. Well, you know what? If it's good enough for our princess of Wales, then I think it's good enough for all of us. These are her favorite Wellington boots. They are the exact ones that she owns by Le Chameau. They are 220 pounds, which, OK, it's a bit on the steep. But they are so durable and they come with this brilliant, unique selling point of this adjustable strap so that you can sort of like bring them in and out, depending on the size of your calf. I think they're fabulous and they're so comfortable. Now, last but not least, this might sound a little counterintuitive for an episode dedicated to rainy day outfits. But we do need to talk about sunglasses because, as all Brits know, just as quickly as it starts to rain, the sun comes out again and then you call it short. So in a weird way, sunglasses are just as much a part of the rainy day arsenal for us as the brolly in the UK. And the royals certainly do understand that. During a trip to Scotland, which is known for its gray skies. Sorry, Scotland, we love you anyway. Catherine took her trusty pair of Finlay Vivienne Marble sunglasses. And the princess of Wales has also been seen in their Henrietta sunglasses in the color light tortoise, while her husband, Prince William, wore the Marshall sunglasses in smoke to the Wimbledon men's finals in 2023. And we have all three pairs here today. Claire, go and have a fiddle and tell me which ones you like the best. Oh, God, I'd love sunglasses. They're my kind of... Well, I need prescription ones now, so I don't get to play with them anymore. I'm diving in there. But I think with Finlay, you can have your prescription lenses put in there. They're not just sunglasses. Oh, they look fabulous. I have prescription sunglasses. They're Williams. They actually work for you. They do. Really sweet. Love that color on you. William. Which one have you got Amanda? I've got the tortoise shell. They're going to look good on you. Oh, they look great. They look great. I know we don't have them here, but my favorite picture of a royal in sunglasses is actually Princess Charlotte at Wimbledon. Oh, yes. Do you remember that? She looked so... They weren't Ray-Bans, were they? I think they might have been Ray-Bans. And I just love... She looks so kind of cool, calm and collected. These look too small for me. They might suit Rebecca, actually. And they're all £160, these sunglasses. That's a great price, actually. They look great. Show me, show me. Good sunglasses. You've got a good sunglasses head. Yeah, I haven't, unfortunately. I've got a video. They look really good. Got a favorite, Amanda? I have to say, I was lucky enough to pull out my favorite. I love a tortoise shell. Do you have any guidance for us on a quick way to assess what face shape suits, what glasses, Amanda? Go into a good spec shop because the staff there will always... They'll look at the shape of your face and they'll know... Yes, and take it from my experience. Don't trust a friend because they don't have the same expertise. No, it's like going to a good milliner. They'll know exactly what shape hat you should be wearing for your face. Yeah. I just love... I love Mama. She's also here, just like tidying them up. You can tell she's a mum, tidying them up, putting them away. Sorry. The mess is really annoying me. She's re-merchandising them. Very respectful. £160 each, I think that's pretty good for a pair of sunglasses. And it's a British brand and I love the fact that the Royals are wearing a British brand and supporting them. Love it. And the fact that you can get your prescription lenses in which I have with all my sunglasses. I have to say, hopefully in the next year we're going to be seeing William and Catherine bring out their first Royal Warrants. I thought you were going to say the range of sunglasses. Yes, so did I. They'd be sell out, wouldn't they? Their first Royal Warrants. It's something I've revealed last year that was going to happen and I think there'll be huge clamour. Who do you think they'll go for? So apparently I've been told that they've got to look at the existing warrants of the old Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall first and see which ones they're going to honour and which ones they're not. But I think what will be fascinating is when they branch out into their own there'll be an absolute clamour for someone like the Prince of Wales, Princess of Wales. And the Prince of Wales too, but the Princess of Wales. Particularly I think for fashion. Yes. Who's she going to give out those first Royal Warrants to? Because that will be like gold dust. I can't wait to see that. That's exciting. Could be Amanda Wakely, who knows? What is that? I think I hear some thunder rumbling in the distance. Better put your brollies up. As promised, here is a montage featuring times the Royals got caught in a downpour. Well, I've never seen the Royals get so wet. With that, I think we have dissected the ultimate rainy day Royal look. So if you enjoyed this special episode please do comment down below your favourite outfit and make sure to like this video and subscribe to our channel. You can also sign up for the Palace Confidential Newsletter by scanning the QR code on screen now with your phone camera or just click the link in the description below. Huge thank you to Claire and Amanda for their expert insight. And of you, of course, Rebecca. And to all of you for watching, we'll see you next time. Bye for now.