Royal Family Shoes: Why Kate’s Heels Sell Out in Hours and What That Actually Tells Us

I can recall the exact moment I became a royal fashionista. This was 2017, Kate Middleton went for her engagement in a pair of nude suede pumps, and in 48 hours, those pumps sold out in 3 countries. At this stage I was just sort of keeping tabs on Royal Style for years, but I was getting my first dose of the “Kate effect. It’s one pair of shoes stepping out of the frame for, say, 20 minutes of screen time and causing all that commercial mayhem.

Since then I have spent an awful lot of time trying to figure out the footwear worn by the royals which seems somewhat niche until you consider the amount of information that’s going on in the footwear. Shoes aren’t chosen at random for the royal family. They abide by patterns, rules and unwritten codes that most of those watching them do not know.
Here are some things that I have learned after years of listening.

In Royal style, shoes are a more important part of the ensemble than people realize.

Most people will think about the royal dress or the hat when they’re looking at royal fashion. Shoes are forgotten, especially for the way they demonstrate practicality, protocol and personal taste, which outerwear doesn’t.

At garden parties, footwear has to be walked on for hours; during lengthy ceremonies, footwear has to be borne for hours; during the daily commute, footwear must be transferred from vehicle to vehicle dozens of times. The shoes should actually be capable of being used, not just look great in pictures.That limitation influences nearly all aspects of what is selected.

This is why you’ll see the same little brands cropping up from one royal woman to another, from one decade to another and from one event to another. It’s not because it’s not varied, it’s because very few shoes are as comfortable, durable and formal as the job calls for.

The Brands that Repeat the Annually and Again

Perhaps L.K.Bennett is the best known name when it comes to royal footwear, given that Kate Middleton has been a loyal customer of the brand since they were still just a young girl, well before she was crowned Princess of Kate Middleton. The “Sledge” pump is so much a part of her everyday wardrobe in nude patent leather, a functional heel, classic silhouette and can be worn with so many outfits. Over the years, the brand has embraced it with great enthusiasm and garments with royal connections are always highly sought after.

Another popular option is to use Russell & Bromley, which is a little more relaxed than some of the designer options, but still elegant and formal. It’s been known for many royal women to wear their boots and pumps for engagements that last long periods of time standing or walking.
Leather boots, for instance, have made Aqualia a sort of staple for a variety of weather-driven events, from royal tours to colder climates or outdoor occurrences where utility trumps strict formality.

When it comes to more formal evening occasions you’ll regularly see Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik, although not quite as frequently as you would think considering how these shoe brands are linked to luxury fashion as a whole. For daytime events, the royal family prefers to opt for more practical and comfortable designs, and for evening events and state occasions, they step up to the designer side of things.

There are hidden rules to follow when making your decisions.

Patterns are present which aren’t recorded anywhere, and only become evident if you have seen enough royal wars.
The height of the heels remains moderate. Royal women do not wear any more than 2-3 inches for the daytime. It’s not a fashion constraint, it’s practical. A stable, lower heel is preferred when walking on grass, walking on an uneven floor of a military parade, and numerous times during the day when entering and exiting vehicles. A very common issue for royal stylists to avoid is stiletto heels in the soft soil when visiting the garden.

Closed toes are the most popular for formal occasions. Sandals with an open toe are much more often worn for a casual look or for a holiday occasion; official occasions call for either closed toe sandals or boots. This is the tradition of older protocol, but with a modicum of relaxation in recent years.
There is a sense of colour coordination but it is not strict. Nude and neutral colors are always in style since they can go with almost any color of clothing. There will be colour coordinated shoes as well – especially for certain occasions, such as at a wedding, if the royal wishes the overall look to be coordinated, or for key state occasions.

Repeat-wearing is perfectly acceptable and encouraged. But in contrast to some interpretations of royal fashion “rules”, it is not a rule that one should not wear the same shoes twice. Indeed, royal women re-wear shoes continuously – it is a practical and realistic thing to do, not something they should be avoiding. Kate Middleton has been seen in the same L.K.Bennett heels for several years, and many countries.

These are truly massive effects on the commercial world.

It is the element that pleases some people who don’t pay very close attention to royal style. If Kate Middleton or another royal lady is wearing a certain pair of shoes, the business ripple impact could be huge.

L.K.Bennett has publicly attributed Kate’s patronage to greatly enhance brand recognition, sales and market share, especially in international markets where L.K.Bennett was not well known. Shoes have been sold out hours after airing of an appearance, with wait lists of up to several months.

In fact, the phenomenon exists in fashion world jargon, “the Kate effect” or “the royal effect,” and fashion retailers take it seriously because it has a measurable and significant impact on finances. Reports from the fashion industry have predicted that Kate’s fashion choices alone account for hundreds of millions of dollars in related sales for all the brands she wears, including shoes, every year.

If you want to find and purchase shoes that are royal themed, here is how to do so.

When you are looking for a particular pair you have seen in royal coverage, here’s the method that works!
Begin with dedicated royal fashion tracking sites accounts and blogs that are dedicated to finding out what the royal fashionistas are wearing, down to the specific product name and where they can be found. These are because there is real need for this information, and the people running them are very detailed in their sourcing of exact matches.

Always consult the brand’s official website directly and not the third-party resellers. Some brands, such as L.K.Bennett, Russell & Bromley, and others may have a specific area marking items that have been used by the Royalty, as they are aware that there’s a large demand for pieces that have been used by the Royalty.

If the shoe is already sold out (which happens quickly), purchase a similar shoe that is the same silhouette as the original. Another common occurrence is when a brand will also have a number of different colorways or minor tweaks to their popular shoe, which may not be as obvious but still be the same shoe.
Watch for added up resale marketplaces after a royal appearance. I’ve seen shoes selling for $250 be sold for $600+ in a matter of days after the media began reporting it. While it’s important to be patient, re-stocks do occur more often than you think, especially when you’re shopping for a brand that actively re-stocks popular items such as L.K.Bennett.

Some of the typical mistakes people make when purchasing ‘Royal Style’ shoes.

As the price goes up, so does the “royalty. Many of the shoes that royal women actually wore are not so ultra-luxury as one might assume — practicality and comfort are sometimes more important for everyday wear.

Purchasing without size and fit reviews based on photos. Sometimes people rush and buy shoes just because they’re associated with the royalty and without realizing whether the brand’s shoe size fits. For instance, L.K.Bennett is a bit light on the side, as per customer reviews, so it is best to be aware of that before ordering.

That comfort is a true consideration in these choices. When you’re tempted to purchase a certain royal shoe design because you’ve seen it in pictures, keep in mind that one of the main reasons for those who wore the shoes was the ease of use for all day wear. Selecting by both will yield a better real world result than style.

This is where it’s going,

The fashion media’s coverage of Royal wear has grown steadily since the rise of social media and it is very clear that footwear has its very own section among the various areas of interest. Younger royals will be filling these roles in increasingly public spaces and will continue the pattern of “practical” brands that are “accessible-ish” for the average consumer, and not just “high-end” designer brands that create an aspirational and financial barrier between the royal members of the public and the public who are observing them.

One thing has remained the same over the decades of royal watching: The shoes that are remembered and re-worn are not necessarily the showiest! These are the ones that have worked, that are comfortable enough for a 12-hour engagement day, still classic enough to make a good picture in any context, versatile enough to be in repeated rotation.

If you take away all the hype around particular brands going out of stock, it’s that simple. It’s not about the extravagance, but about identifying shoes that can actually get the job done.