Inside the lavish £250K handbag collection Princess Charlotte is set to inherit as celebrates her 10th birthday

The Sun

02-05-2025

PRINCESS Charlotte may have turned 10 today but she is already in line to inherit some luxury items that many people can dream of.
The daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales will one day be given Princess Kate's jaw-dropping handbag collection, which is worth a whopping £250,000.
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Princess Kate, 43, always looks impeccable during public appearances, and finishes off her chic outfits with a range of enviable designer bags.
While she does have a number of high street options, Kate does have a number of pricey bags from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Jenny Packham and Jimmy Choo.
In fact, Princess Kate has over 110 handbags in her enviable collection, including over 80 clutches, 15 top handle bags, crossbodies, totes and satchels.
The entire collection is estimated to be worth over £250,000, according to fashion expert Amber Graafland - and they could one day belong to her lucky daughter.
Amber told Fabulous: 'For most mere mortals 110 bags sounds like a huge amount, but if you consider that the princess attends upwards of 100 public engagements a year, it's not actually that ridiculous.
"Kate knows that she needs a few timeless clutch bags and top handle day bags in her arsenal. Having carefully chosen timeless designs, she wears them on repeat."
The fashion expert said estimating the value of Kate's collection is difficult because of the disparity in price.
London bags start at around £500.
"Then of course you have to factor in that designer handbags like her Chanel style go up in value.
'So, while her burgundy bag was estimated at £4,000 in 2015, it would cost double that today.
Princess Charlotte looks battle ready in camo in adorable new photo taken by Kate to mark her 10th birthday
"A Chanel handbag, once owned by the Princess of Wales, is pretty much priceless.
"With the resale of designer handbags increasing year-on-year Kate's collection could be valued at a quarter of a million pounds today, so in the future Princess Charlotte looks set to inherit quite the collection."
Kate's priciest bags
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Princess Kate often champions shops that you'd find on the high street and has bags from affordable brands such as Hobbs, Reiss and Jaeger, which can cost £150 on average.
However, she does have a number of designer bags with an eye-wateringly price tag.
The Princess of Wales owns a Chanel Burgundy Small Flap Bag with Enamel Handle, which has an estimated price tag of £3,249.
The quilted burgundy bag has been carried by Kate over five times, including on a royal visit to Paris in March 2017 and a three-day tour of Boston, Massachusetts in December 2022.
We've also seen her carry a £3,635 Chanel Mini Rectangular Flap Bag in Black Lambskin.
Kate carried the quilted bag at the Rugby World Cup Quarter Final Match in October 2023.
Another one of her favourites, which has been spotted on her over four times, is her Alexander McQueen White Satin Butterfly Box Clutch, which costs £2,235.
Fans may recall the royal mum-of-three carrying it at the BAFTAs in February 2019 and US State Banquet in June 2019.
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Kate's British brands
Kate also likes to champion British labels too, and has been seen carrying Aspinal, DeMellier, Tusting and Grace Han, to name a few.
When it comes to her handbag style, Vogue said "ladylike top handle bags has become a true hallmark of her royal style".
Many of her favoured bags are simple, classic and timeless, similar to her wardrobe collection.
THE Princess of Wales carries just FOUR things in her handbag, according to author Marcia Moody, who penned Kate: A Biography.
The items are all incredibly practical - and go some way to explaining how she always look so fresh.
The first is a compact mirror, reports Mamamia - presumably for checking her make-up is on point and she doesn't have any food in her teeth.
Kate also carries a trusty lip balm as well as a sheet of blotting paper - usually used to remove excess oil or sweat from the face.
The final item is a handkerchief. That's right, no phone, no purse, nothing.
Arguably one of her favourite bags is her Mulberry Bayswater wallet, which she has carried to over 60 engagements, and although it is sold-out, similar bags from the brand retail for £650.
Last year, we saw Princess Kate at the Wimbledon Men's Final with Princess Charlotte.
For the event, she carried the L.K. Bennett Milly handbag in the shade of 'Trench'.
We've seen Kate carrying the bag before, including during an Early Years roundtable meeting with US First Lady Jill Biden in 2021.
The sold-out bag, which retailed for £225, is a 1960s inspired piece and is said to be 'small in size but big on style'.
It has a grab handle, although also comes with a removable crossbody strap, and has brogue detailing.
Diana's iconic collection
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Princess Diana also racked up legions of fans due to her impeccable fashion style, and she showcased a number of incredible bags.
Included in the batch was her iconic black Lady Dior bag, which retails for £5,300 in the medium size.
It was formerly known as the Chouchou before Lady Di caused it to boom in popularity after she was gifted it by the First Lady of France Madame Bernadette Chirac in 1995.
The secret signal Kate Middleton sends with her handbags
THE Queen was known for using her trademark Launer handbag to signal to her staff how she was really feeling in public.
According to royal historian Hugo Vickers, if the Queen was at an event and she wanted to end a chat, she would shift her bag from her usual left side onto the right.
And Kate has a similar trick with clutch bags that she's regularly seen carrying.
According to Myka Meier, founder of Beaumont Etiquette, when Kate is at an event, she 'holds her bag in front of her in both hands when shaking hands might be awkward.'
Etiquette coach William Hanson added to Good Housekeeping: "By holding something like her clutch bag, it is perhaps giving her an 'excuse' to not extend her hand to everyone.
'She can't shake the hands of everyone she meets – the Duchess would be there all day!'
It's not known who inherited the memorable bag, following her tragic death in 1997.
Princess Diana wrote a 'Letter of Wishes' that requested that her jewellery and three quarters of her personal belongings ('chattels') be passed on to her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
The remaining quarter went to her 17 godchildren.
Fashion expert Erin Fitzpatrick claimed Princess Kate never uses Diana's bags, saying: 'She's never worn any of Princess Diana handbags, even though she's obviously inherited many pieces of Diana's jewellery.'