The British royals’ favourite shoe brands: from Meghan Markle’s machine-washable flats from Rothy’s to Queen Elizabeth’s classic gold leather Roger Vivier pumps

Aug 29 , 2021

What shoe brands grace the royal feet of Kate Middleton and Princess Diana? Photos: Reuters, Getty Images, @flyladydi_; @supergausa; @lady.diana._/Instagram

Who doesn’t want to feel like they’re stepping out not only in style, but in royal style?

Here are a few brands that we’ve noticed have become firm favourites of the members of the ultimate Firm, the British royal family.

Of all the UK royals, no one has changed the face of fashion quite like Diana, Princess of Wales. She was arguably the first member of the family who made fashion and royalty synonymous.

Everything the princess touched or wore turned into sartorial gold. Like her go-to trainers of choice, Superga.

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Superga unisex 2750 Cotu Classic trainers, beloved by Diana, Princess of Wales. Photo: @superga_hk/Instagram

During one of Diana’s last charity missions in Angola, in 1997, the fashion icon wore an Armani jacket, jeans and navy blue Superga trainers – and, naturally, she rocked the look.

Kate Middleton in her own Superga trainers. Photo: @supergauk/Instagram

Fast forward a generation, and Diana’s would-be daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton – a fashion icon in her own right – is also a fan of the trainer brand. The Duchess of Cambridge has been spotted wearing her Superga kicks a number of times, from a tour of Canada to strolling the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019.

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Kate Middleton is a fan of heels from L.K. Bennet. Photo: @lkbennettlondon/Instagram

For a while now, Kate has also often been seen wearing L.K. Bennett shoes – making them a firm staple in her wardrobe. She is a well-known fan of affordable, high-street brands, and her passion for L.K. Bennetts definitely shows that.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, rocking high-street shoe brand L.K. Bennett at the White Garden in Kensington Palace, London. Photo: Reuters

The Duchess of Cambridge famously wore a pair to the dedication of the Kensington Palace White Garden in 2017.

When it comes to more stately and official occasions – like the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in 2018 – Kate donned a fabulous pair of Jimmy Choo heels, another go-to wardrobe item of hers.

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Rothy’s The Point shoes. Photo: @rothys/Instagram

Speaking of Meghan – when letting her own hair down, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, knows exactly what kicks to reach for when things are a little less formal, but still call for an effortlessly chic look.

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A dressed-down Meghan Markle ready to visit the beach for a clean-up operation in Melbourne, on day three of the royal couple’s tour of Australia. Photo: Reuters

According to Town & Country, the former Suits star is a devoted fan of the flats crafted from machine-washable recycled plastic bottles on offer from US direct-to-consumer fashion company Rothy’s.

Hunter Boots boast a Royal Warrant. Photo: @hunterboots/Instagram

For the wet, rainy British Isles, a royal spending the day outdoors requires a very good, high-end Wellington boot. That probably explains why a nod of approval, in the form a Royal Warrant, has been given to the Hunter Boot brand.

OG influencers? Prince Charles and Princess Diana in Hunter Boots. Photo: @sheknows/Pinterest

In fact, the company, based in Scotland, was given a Royal Warrant from Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1976. Not to be outdone, the queen awarded the company her warrant in 1986. Many a royal has been snapped in them, from the queen to Diana.

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The Roger Vivier shoes Queen Elizabeth helped make famous. Photo: @rogervivier/Instagram

And that brings us to Queen Elizabeth herself. Always considered a fashion forward woman, from her earliest days in the spotlight all the way back to her 1953 coronation, a young Elizabeth opted for a pair of gold leather pumps by designer Roger Vivier – custom, of course.

Queen Elizabeth poses with the royal sceptre in June 1953, after being crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. Photo: AFP

So famous was this choice of footwear that the company released a reimagined and restyled pair of sandals, named the Vivier Queen Sandals, in 2020!

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Royalty

Princess Diana helped make Superga sneakers part of the fashion conversation – now her would-be daughter-in-law Kate Middleton is following in her footsteps
The Duchess of Cambridge also favours high-street brand L.K. Bennett, while bootmaker Hunter even got a Royal Warrant from both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip