The royal family make hundreds of appearances every year — thus, making it impossible that they won’t experience a garment glitch or wardrobe whoops now and again. From the Queen’s broken handbag strap to a tiara that needed immediate repair on her wedding day, to Duchess Meghan’s last minute zipper issues and even King Charles’ socks with holes, the royal family often has to suffer from sartorial setbacks just like commoners.
Even the Princess of Wales is not immune to a clothing catastrophe — over the years she’s experienced airborne skirts, sticky heels and falling earrings.
Here are 10 of Kate Middleton’s Most Relatable Wardrobe Malfunctions:
1. Un-Wrapped Dress
The princess wore a Max Mara Studio Grey Wrap Dress with a ruched waist for a Hope House Visit in 2013. Expecting a little bundle of joy (AKA future heir Prince George), she was dressing her burgeoning belly with this flattering grey printed wrap dress. The only style snafu? Kate had to quickly secure the tie front as it became undone as she left the car. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
2. Falling Earrings
Taking a style risk and breaking away from the usual petite pearls and mini hoops, Kate donned heavy Blaiz red beaded earrings for a football match in 2020. Though most people had their eyes on the field, a few photographers managed to snap the princess struggling to stop her slipping earrings. The chunky and heavy earrings likely broke away from her ears and lost their post back during the football fanfare. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
3. Paint Splatter
Visiting an art class at a school in Oxford in February 2012, the princess suffered an all too common occurrence — a paint accident. While chatting with students and participating in an art therapy class at Rose Hill Primary School, the princess ended up splattered with a few streaks of rogue red paint that marked up the sleeve of her brown jacquard bird print Orla Kiely skater dress. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
4. Heels Hazard
While seven months pregnant in February 2018, the princess proved she didn’t resort to frumpy footwear just because she was expecting. In fact, she donned remarkably high 3 3/4 inch Stuart Weitzman power black suede pumps with a sharp stiletto heel for a visit to Action On Addiction Community Treatment Centre in Essex. And while the British beauty looked flawless in her seasonally appropriate Goat Ellroy blue coat, she couldn’t predict that her surroundings would foil her fabulous fashion statement. In fact, the princess suffered from a “grate” disappointment — when she got her heel stuck near the front entrance of the building. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
5. Hats Away
The princess narrowly avoided a harrowing hat story when her navy felt saucer derby hat by British milliner Sean Barrett was nearly lost in the wind. Wearing the large brim hat to Commonwealth Day in March 2023, she managed to avoid parting with her chic chapeau. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
6. Pant Problems
Touring a textile mill was the perfect place to suffer from a sartorial mishap — the princess could get an immediate fashion fix up if needed. Still, she recovered quickly from her minor shoe and pants entanglement episode and went on to tour the manufacturing outpost in Leeds in September 2023 wearing her elegant emerald suit from Burberry. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
7. Backwards Blouse
Intentional or accidental, the princess wore her purple Gucci bow blouse in reverse for a March 2019 visit to Henry Fawcett Children’s Centre. While the silk blouse in pale violet has a line of covered buttons down the back, Kate flipped the style script and wore the buttons facing front. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
8. Wedge Wobble
Despite wearing perilously high skyscraper heels on the regular, the princess rarely ever fumbles or falls in her towering pumps. Still, if there’s an uneven surface or unexpected hazard in the road ahead, she may suffer a slight tumble. Case in point: a royal tour of Australia in 2014 included a visit to a bumpy vineyard where the princess nearly lost her balance in her 4.5 inch Stuart Weitzman cork wedges. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
9. Windy Woes
The princess has suffered many times from a windblown skirt situation. From gentle gusts to heavy drafts, she’s frequently been the victim of sudden wild weather. Dubbed her ‘Marilyn moments’ the mom of three often has to act quickly and swiftly to steady her skirts otherwise she’ll risk overexposure. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
10. Shoe Slip
While she looks perfectly poised at nearly every engagement, the princess sometimes deals with an errant shoe. From heels that get stuck in sewer grates to pumps that fly off, she’s often forced to contend with problematic footwear. And she dealt with a renegade Rossi issue when visiting Troubadour White City Theatre in November 2019. {Shop the look on Amazon HERE}
