DUCHESS of Cambridge Princess Catherine – formerly known as Kate Middleton – is said to be a huge fan of espadrilles made by Spanish design house Castañer, and was seen wearing them at the Chelsea Flower Show.
She also wore a pair at a Royal Photographic Society event in aid of Action for Children this week – but the Royal household is said to disapprove, believing the rustic-looking, comfortable shoes are 'inappropriate attire' for a future Queen of England.
On her Instagram site – in her own name (@catherinecambridgefashion) but with posts written in the third person – the Duchess is seen wearing a frilled silk mid-calf-length paisley dress by Ridley London, Catherine Zoraida hoop earrings and raffia wedge-heeled beige sandals, the Carina model by Castañer (detail in third picture).
Her attire (second picture) was described as 'youthful and fun', 'approachable when working with kids' and 'perfect for spending a day' with the children at the charity event.
It has since been revealed she was wearing the same pair of Castañer espadrilles along with her blue-and-white polka-dot dress when she posed outside the hospital with her newborn son Prince George in 2013.
Princess Catherine has been seen running around with her children in the Castañer shoes, and even playing cricket in them during a Royal visit to New Zealand.
She and her husband, Duke of Cambridge Prince William, posed with HRH Queen Elizabeth II at the Chelsea Flower Show at the end of May, wearing a dark-blue and white floral maxi dress – and the ubiquitous Castañer espadrilles – in the first photograph by Kensington Palace on Instagram (@kensingtonroyal).
Now the pictures have made headline news in Spain, it is likely Castañer will see a run on the Carina model – in the same way as British high-street store Reiss sold out of its beige Shola bandage dress within hours of the Duchess' being seen wearing it to meet the then First Lady of the USA, Michelle Obama.
The same happened after occasions when she wore a €19 necklace, a €50 double-breasted navy jacket, and a red coat worth €50, all from Zara, Spain's most famous high-street clothing chain.
Princess Catherine's children also wear Spanish-branded clothing, largely because of their nanny, María Teresa Turrión Borrallo, who comes from the province of Palencia, in Castilla y León.
The Duke and Duchess' Christmas greeting card in 2015 featured the then baby Princess Charlotte and two-year-old Prince George with the latter wearing a blue Nordic-style jumper from Spanish childrenswear label Fina Ejerique, and a few days earlier, Kensington Palace released a picture of Princess Charlotte in a floral dress from Valladolid-based label M&H, by designer Margarita Pato Cid.
In both cases, stocks of these items flew off the shelves.
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