‘Kate is rarely seen without a clutch’ used to signal to aides

Kate Middleton has taken style inspiration from Princess Diana in many ways over the years, but there is one particular accessory favoured by the royal ladies which has a “fascinating” secret use. Celebrity stylist and fashion coach Miranda Holder explained that the clutch bag is a royal classic, most notably used by Princess Diana, which the Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall has made a wardrobe staple of her own.

Miranda Holder, who is known for her viral TikTok style videos posted under the username @themirandaholder ‘Your Feel Good Fashion Coach’, explained: “The clutch bag has always been a royal classic, but Kate is rarely seen without a clutch even with her more casual outfits.”

She continued: “A clutch bag is a very elegant and chic way to finish off an outfit. It’s very ladylike. She never really goes for oversized bags, she always goes for those on an average scale. It just looks very put together, very finished and very elegant.”

However, there is a lot more to the royal clutch bag than meets the eye. Miranda explained that there is actually “a whole language of the clutch bag”.

“It is sort of typical by itself really, and it’s quite fascinating,” she said. The expert explained the clutch bag was seen regularly at royal functions and high-profile affairs in the late 1970s right through until the late 1990s thanks to the then Princess of Wales, Princess Dianna.

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“Princess Diana would use it to shield her cleavage getting in and out of cars,” Miranda said.

Chelsea-based handbag designer Anya Hindmarch, who regularly helped the Princess of Wales with her accessories, previously told the Telegraph: “We used to laugh when we designed what she called her ‘cleavage bags,’ little satin clutches which she would cover her cleavage with when she stepped out of cars.”

One of the most notable photographs of this was in 1997 on her 36th birthday just two months before her death.

Attending a gala held in honour of the Tate Gallery’s Century in London, the princess used a black clutch bag to conceal the neckline of her beaded Jacques Azagurygown.

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Kate Middleton has similarly adopted the clutch bag, though there are many other uses for it than simply protecting her modesty. Miranda explained: “The royal ladies use it to signal to their aides when they wish to be rescued or move on, when they’ve had enough or when they need the loo.”

Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette, told Good Housekeeping the Duchess holds her bag in front of her in both hands when shaking hands might be awkward. According to the etiquette expert, if Kate does need the use of one hand, she can place the clutch bag in the other hand. However, she rarely tucks her bag under one arm, as this might be considered “bad etiquette”.

Clutch bags are not the only accessories included in the Royal Family’s secret language though. Queen Elizabeth II was known for using her handbags to signal various things to her aids.

Daena Borrowmanwman, marketing manager at jewellerybox previously told Express.co.uk: “Handbags or clutches also serve as a handy social tool.

“They are always held in the left hand so their right hand is free to wave at the public or greet people, yet royals may sometimes hold them using both hands to avoid shaking hands. The Queen, however, used her handbag to send social signals to her staff to indicate that she was done with her meal or would like to end a conversation.”

If the Queen was ever in a situation she was keen to get away from, she would place her handbag on the ground, it’s rumoured.