Kate Middleton Ditches Her Usual Clutch for a Queen-Approved Top Handle Handbag
Kate Middleton is following in Queen Elizabeth‘s handbag-toting footsteps.
The royal, who typically carries small clutches on her outings, opted for a square handbag with a top handle for her visit to the Royal Opera House on Wednesday.
Kate’s small black leather handbag by Aspinal of London resembles the Queen’s purse of choice. The monarch is never without her trusty Launer London black bag. She has reportedly owned more than 200 Launer handbags over the years. The Queen’s loyalty to the brand began in 1968, when designer Sam Launer sent the royal her first bag.
The Queen’s preferred bag style has a longer handle to ease the process of handshaking — a tip Kate has seemed to notice as well.
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But what’s inside the Queen’s ever-present purse? This age-old question has so stymied the 92-year-old monarch’s subjects that it even inspired a 2007 book, What’s in the Queen’s Handbag? And Other Royal Secrets, by Phil Dampier and Ashley Walton.
RELATED: Why the Queen’s Purse Is Her ‘Most Valued Possession’
“She may have had a small camera in it, as she likes to take impromptu snaps,” Dampier previously told PEOPLE. “She will have perhaps had her glasses in there, or her sunglasses in there if she was going out in the garden.”
She’s also rumored to include a small mirror, lipstick, mints and a pen in her bag. And on Sundays, a £5 or £10 note for the church collection plate.
“She would feel lost without it,” he adds. “It’s her most valued possession and a valuable tool. The Queen would never go anywhere without her handbag. The only time she might not have it by her side is when she is in a completely relaxed environment, like up at Balmoral, and she’s out driving or something.”
