Times Kate Middleton Adorably Matched Her Kids

It wouldn't be uncommon to assume that the life of a royal is one of endless glitz and glamour. What could possibly be the drawback of a life full of tiaras, gowns, and waving to your adoring fans from sun-drenched balconies? However, one aspect of royal life that your average commoner doesn't always consider is the unavoidable presence of the paparazzi. Whether you're simply walking your children to school or cutting a ribbon at a high-profile charity event, the flash of a camera bulb is never too far away for a royal, especially if you're a royal as adored as Catherine, Princess of Wales. 

The future Queen of England is rarely if ever seen out without an immaculate blowout and a friendly smile on her face, showing that she has clearly mastered royal life. As her children with Prince William have begun making more and more public appearances, it's clear that these privileged youngsters are following in their mother's footsteps. Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte of Wales are almost always dressed in the best children's fashion can offer, waving sweetly to the camera. 

One clever way the family makes sure they look their best for the paparazzi is by dressing in coordinated outfits. Snappy dresser Catherine often dresses herself and her children in complementary shades of blue, pink, or red. In celebration of this savvy PR sense, let's take a look back at some of the Princess of Wales' best matching moments with her children.

When the eldest two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, started their first day at Thomas' Battersea school in 2019, Princess Catherine showed her school spirit by dressing head to toe in the school's traditional colors of red and navy. Catherine's floral long-sleeve dress was paired with a black belt around the waist, matching her children's uniforms even down to their shiny black shoes. The Princess of Wales walked hand-in-hand with her daughter Charlotte while Prince William held son George's hand. The doting parents were also spotted carrying each child's school bag in hand, completing their very scholastic look. 

From the time she first stepped into the royal spotlight, Princess Catherine has always had impeccable fashion taste. However, over 10 years after her extravagant royal wedding, the future queen is still able to surprise royal fans with her bold style choices. For her family's 2023 Easter outing, the princess was photographed walking to a Sunday church service dressed in a bright Egyptian blue coat dress. Her youngest two children looked just as ready for the spring season, with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis also dressed in robin's egg blue tights and shorts for the occasion. 

In lieu of a traditional fascinator for her first Trooping the Colour ceremony in 2016, Princess Catherine instead dressed the infant Princess Charlotte in a sweet white dress and a blush-colored bow to hold back her baby blond tresses. The youngest princess could even be seen sporting primrose pink baby booties. Catherine stuck with tradition, however, opting for a very grown-up version of her little girl's look. The mom of three wore a collared, white coat dress paired with a tilted fascinator. The blush-colored headpiece was also decorated with an oversized floral embellishment.

The two Princesses of Wales matched with their matriarch, Queen Elizabeth II, at the 2018 Trooping the Colour in June. Although all three were wearing blue frocks, the mother-daughter duo took care not to upstage the queen on what is considered her official birthday celebration. While Queen Elizabeth was dressed in a stunning azure blue coat dress, Princess Catherine and Charlotte opted for dresses in a light cotton candy blue color. Catherine, again, wore a matching, tilted fascinator while Charlotte struck out on her own this time with an adorable crimson bow in her hair.

Globe-trotting is one of the more exciting parts of Princess Catherine's job description. As the wife to the future king of England, Catherine has traveled to more continents than your average mother of three. During her travels, the royal mom often takes the opportunity to color coordinate with her kids whenever they touch down in a new city. Their trip to Berlin in 2017 was one such example, when the royal clan stepped off the airplane in striking royal blues. Catherine was dressed in a princess-cut periwinkle dress while Prince George and Princess Charlotte both wore baby blue patterned 'fits.

Not long after Princess Catherine gave birth to her and Prince William's first child, Prince George, the family took flight for a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand. While the 8-month-old's engagements were kept to a minimum, likely due to a busy schedule of nap and feeding times, George did make an appearance at a playdate with other infants and new mothers at the Government House in Wellington. The blond baby looked adorable in a short-sleeved white shirt and miniature black dungarees, while Catherine subtly matched her firstborn in a geometric black and white dress of her own. 

With teams of stylists surrounding the Princess of Wales, it's safe to assume that most of Princess Catherine's matching moments with her kids are planned ahead of time. However, one sweet twinning moment that occurred in 2016 seemed to have been a happy accident. For the firstborn's exciting royal engagement, Catherine and Prince George attended a grand military air show in Gloucestershire known as the Royal International Air Tattoo. While strolling down the tarmac, the mother and son duo looked adorable, as Catherine's royal blue sheath dress was almost the same color as George's light blue safety headphones.

After eight days of exploring Canada with their two little ones in 2016, the Prince and Princess of Wales waved goodbye to their North American subjects from the Victoria Harbour Airport. As Princess Catherine boarded the plane with Princess Charlotte on her hip, the duo cleverly gave a shoutout to the Canadian flag with their red-hued looks. Covering both ends of the pink spectrum, Catherine was dressed in a ballet slipper-pink dress while Princess Charlotte kept warm with a scarlet red cardigan over her patterned dress. The little princess' look was completed with a matching scarlet hair clip.

Following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in April 2021, the royal family stuck with tradition by appearing in black garb for a period of mourning. These protocol-mandated matching looks were on full display in March 2022, when the Wales family arrived at the Service of Thanksgiving for His Royal Highness Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey. Princess Catherine looked refined in a long-sleeve column dress in black, adorned with a polka dot design, while Princess Charlotte wore a similarly dark coat dress and the children's version of her mother's black pumps.

Princess Catherine and her kids looked well-coordinated again in 2018 as they cheered on dad, Prince William, at the Maserati Royal Charity Polo Trophy. Far from the foggy skies England is known for, the trio was blessed with warm weather for this outing. To stay cool during the tournament, Catherine wore a lightweight, wide-collared blue striped dress while George looked very princely in his own blue collared shirt. Charlotte opted for a floral pink summer dress, but still wore matching accessories with her mom, as the two both sported pink-hued sunglasses atop their heads.

One sweet tradition Princess Catherine has continued to follow is matching with her children at their christening ceremonies. The latest child to be christened was Catherine's youngest son, Prince Louis, who was born in 2018. Appearing at the Chapel Royal at St. James' Palace, the new mother of three was glowing in her cream-colored V-neck gown. Catherine's new bundle of joy slept soundly in her arms while dressed in the traditional royal christening gown, a replica of the original royal christening gown which was made in 1841, and whose cream-colored lace sweetly mimicked mom's intricately jeweled headband.

Princess Catherine's first public appearance as a mother occurred on July 23, 2013, when she presented Prince George to the public. For the momentous occasion, she wore a blue and white polka-dot dress, while William matched in his own blue striped button-down. The two were the portrait of new parent joy, from their bright smiles to the slight hint of a remaining baby bump from under Catherine's loose-fitting summer dress. While George's swaddling blanket was white, it's clear that the couple chose the traditional boyish color of blue to match their newest addition.

Princess Catherine often chooses to match her children based on the color of their clothes. However, the Princess of Wales took a different approach for the 2022 Christmas season. When appearing at a Christmas Day service in Sandringham, Catherine decided to dress herself and her two youngest children in cozy wool coats all in different jewel tones. While Charlotte wore a garnet coat dress, Catherine opted for a deep jade coat dress, and Louis rounded out the bunch with his own blue coat. Catherine also sported sleek leather gloves and a feathered fascinator for the occasion. 

While Princess Catherine clearly loves a cool blue moment, it seems like white might be her second favorite color to rock at royal engagements. When the princess landed in Warsaw, Poland, with her family in 2017, she looked stunning in an all-white peplum dress. Her brood rounded out the primary color story with Charlotte dressed in a red, white, and blue patterned smock dress and George wearing a blue and red checkered shirt. Prince William also wore a ruby red tie atop his white button-down shirt — the same color as his daughter's toddler-sized shoes. 

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Princess Catherine, Prince William, and their kids appeared on Instagram wearing all blue as they clapped in honor of Britain's brave civil servants. While the family has repeatedly appeared in coordinating shades of blue, the choice was especially significant this time, as blue is the official color of the National Health Service. Catherine wore a periwinkle floral dress similar in style to Charlotte's baby blue smock dress, while Louis sat on his mother's hip in a navy sweater. William and George also twinned in matching shades of stone blue.