KATE Middleton is considered a style icon to many women, and there are some rules she will always follow – but why does she always carry her handbags in her left hand?
The Duchess of Cambridge isn’t the only royal who does this, back when she was a senior royal Meghan Markle would always carry her bag in her left hand too.
Similarly, Prince Charles has been known to carry briefcases only in his left hand.
Princess Diana was also regularly pictured carrying a clutch or pocket book in her left hand, while she was a member of the royal family.
This is despite all of these royals being right-handed, leading many to wonder just why they all use their left hands for this.
According to etiquette expert Myka Meier, who trained in etiquette by a former member of Queen Elizabeth II’s royal household, this is due to royal protocol demanding this.
Myka says that all duchesses and princesses should hold bags and clutches in their left hands when attending public engagements.
She further adds that princes and dukes are also expected to hold briefcases in their left hands, if they need to bring one to an event.
In 2019, Myka shared this protocol to her Instagram account, writing: ““Royal Etiquette Hack: When entering a room or event, handbags or briefcases are held in the LEFT hand so that your right hand stays open to meet, greet and shake hands! Prince Charles does this too!”
There are a number of the other etiquette rules that royals are expected to follow.
According to Myka, royals are expected to always have their chin parallel to the ground. This is because a chin held too high is said to be an indication of being haughty, meanwhile a low chin is said to indicate a lack of confidence.
During her time as a senior royal, Meghan Markle was accused of breaking protocol a number of times.
Royal fashion protocol dictates that women should wear nude tights for public appearances in which they wear a skirt or dress – a rule that the rebel duchess ignored multiple times.
It’s not just fashion and posture in which royals are expected to follow rules of etiquette – even something as simple as stirring a cup of tea or coffee has rules surrounding it.
