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

The Irish 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
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Princess Charlotte is set to inherit Princess Kate's handbag collection, which is made up of over 110 bags
Credit: Getty
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Princess Kate carried the £225 L.K. Bennett Milly handbag in 'Trench' at the Wimbledon Men's Final in 2024
Credit: Getty
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Kate looked radiant at Royal Ascot in 2018 and carried a £1,697 Elie Saab Metallic Leather Clutch
Credit: Splash News
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Kate carried her trusty Mulberry Bayswater wallet, which she has carried to over 60 engagements
Credit: AFP
Princess Kate, 43, always looks impeccable during public appearances, and finishes off her
While she does have a number of
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.
More on Princess Charlotte
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.
She explained: "While Chanel handbags cost upwards of £5,000 Aspinal of
London
bags start at around £500.
Most read in Royals
"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 at the Natural History Museum in 2019 carrying her £3,249 Chanel Burgundy Small Flap Bag
Credit: Getty
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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At the Baftas in 2019, we saw Kate with an Alexander McQueen White Satin Butterfly Box Clutch, which costs £2,235
Credit: Getty
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 four items Kate Middleton carries in her handbag
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
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
For the event, she carried the L.K. Bennett Milly handbag in the shade of 'Trench'.
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Kate and her L.K. Bennett Milly handbag at Wimbledon
Credit: Getty
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 often carried her iconic black Lady Dior bag, which costs £5,300
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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,
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.'