How the Royals Wear the High Street: The Best British Brands

One of the most quietly radical things about the modern royal wardrobe is how much of it comes from the high street. The Princess of Wales, in particular, has made a signature of pairing designer pieces with affordable British labels — and in doing so has proved that royal-approved style need not carry a royal price tag.

The proof is delightfully specific. In 2019 the then Duchess of Cambridge turned up to a SportsAid event in a pair of Marks & Spencer trainers that cost just £29.50, and the British high street has been chasing her lead ever since. When a future queen shops the same rails as the rest of us, it changes what accessible fashion can aspire to.

Here is how the royals wear the high street, and the best British brands to shop if you want a little of that polished, pared-back, distinctly royal look for yourself.

Marks & Spencer: the royal high-street moment

No name captures affordable British style like Marks & Spencer. The Princess of Wales’s £29.50 M&S trainers became an instant sell-out and remain the clearest example of a royal genuinely wearing the high street — not a lookalike, but the real, affordable thing.

M&S has leaned happily into the association ever since, and its every spring dress or sweater vest that echoes one of Catherine’s looks is dissected by the press as a “Kate dupe.” That is the beauty of M&S: it distils the Princess’s understated formula — clean lines, good tailoring, muted colours — into pieces almost anyone can afford. For the royal look on the tightest budget, it is the first place to shop.

Seasalt Cornwall: coastal British ease

For the off-duty, countryside-and-coast side of royal style, Seasalt Cornwall is a lovely place to start. The Cornish brand makes exactly the kind of relaxed, practical British pieces — breton stripes, easy cotton dresses, rain-ready coats — that suit a windswept walk or a weekend away.

Its appeal is honesty: well-made, sensibly priced clothes in prints and colours drawn from the British coast. It shares the understated, unfussy spirit of the royals’ casual wardrobe without pretending to be anything grander than a very good British high-street brand — which is precisely its charm.

Crew Clothing: nautical British casual

Crew Clothing brings the same easy, weekend-in-Salcombe feeling to the smart-casual end of the wardrobe. Born on the British coast, the brand built its name on striped rugby shirts, crisp chinos and quilted jackets — the uniform of a country pub lunch or a day at the regatta.

It is the sort of unpretentious, good-value British clothing that dresses the gap between town and country, and it slots neatly into the accessible, classic aesthetic the royals wear off-duty. Nothing flashy, nothing disposable — just dependable British style that wears well for years.

White Stuff: the British high-street staple

A high-street stalwart since the 1980s, White Stuff offers colourful, characterful British clothing with a craft-led, slightly bohemian streak — printed dresses, cosy knits and easy separates designed for everyday life rather than the red carpet.

Its cheerful, wearable pieces are a reminder that the accessible-British spirit runs right through the high street. For the relaxed, real-life end of a royal-inspired wardrobe — the clothes for the school run and the garden, not the gala — White Stuff is a warm, affordable British option.

Why the royals wear the high street

The reason the royals shop the high street is the same reason we love them for it: it makes their style feel real. By mixing an accessible M&S piece with a designer coat, the Princess of Wales turns royal glamour into something aspirational yet attainable — the entire secret of the “Kate effect,” which we explore in full in our piece on the Kate effect.

It is also, quietly, rather modern. A monarchy that shops where its public shops feels closer, warmer and more relevant. And practically, it works: high-street basics stretch a wardrobe, and re-wearing an affordable jumper draws none of the criticism that repeating couture might. Thrift, done with polish, has become part of the royal style story.

How to shop the high street like a royal

The formula is simple. Build a base of good high-street staples — a well-cut blazer, a midi dress, a crisp shirt, a pair of neat trainers — in a muted palette of navy, camel, white and forest green. Then lift them with one or two better pieces: a quality coat, a leather bag, a good pair of boots.

Re-wear without apology, tailor where you can, and keep the silhouette clean. The royals prove that looking polished is far less about labels than about fit, colour and confidence. Shop the high street well, and you can get remarkably close to the look for a fraction of the price. Our guide to dressing like the Princess of Wales takes the idea further.

Why it works

The enduring lesson of royal high-street style is a democratic one: great style is available to almost anyone who shops thoughtfully. When a princess steps out in £29.50 trainers, she is not lowering the tone — she is showing that elegance is a matter of choice, not cost.

That is why these British high-street brands endure. They make the royal-approved look genuinely wearable, season after season, for the price of a good lunch rather than a designer handbag. Browse more of our Royal Style & Fashion stories to keep building an accessible, royal-inspired wardrobe.

Frequently asked questions

Does Marks & Spencer have a royal warrant?

Marks & Spencer is a British high-street institution, but it is not among the widely publicised current royal warrant holders. Its clearest royal link is that the Princess of Wales has worn M&S pieces, including £29.50 trainers at a 2019 event. For the definitive current warrant list, see royalwarrant.org.

Does the Princess of Wales wear Marks & Spencer?

Yes. Most famously, she wore a pair of £29.50 M&S trainers to a SportsAid event in 2019, which promptly sold out. M&S pieces are also frequently styled as affordable versions of her designer looks.

What high-street brands do the royals wear?

The Princess of Wales is documented mixing designer pieces with high-street labels such as Zara and Marks & Spencer. This blend of high and low is a defining feature of her style and the basis of the “Kate effect.”

Is high-street fashion really royal-approved?

In spirit, yes. The royals — Catherine especially — have made a point of wearing accessible high-street pieces alongside designer wear, proving that a polished, royal-approved look does not depend on an expensive label.

What are the best British high-street brands for a royal look?

For accessible, royal-inspired British style, Marks & Spencer leads the way, alongside Seasalt Cornwall for coastal ease, Crew Clothing for smart-casual staples and White Stuff for characterful everyday pieces.

How do I dress like a royal on a budget?

Build a wardrobe of well-fitting high-street basics in muted colours, re-wear them without worry, and add one or two better pieces — a good coat, bag or boots. Fit and colour matter far more than labels for achieving the look.

Brands are described as of 2026; Seasalt, Crew Clothing and White Stuff are included as leading British high-street labels, with royal associations noted only where documented (the M&S example).