Duchess of Cambridge only ever carries a clutch bag with her – and this is the reason why

The Duchess, Kate, 35, is one of the most fashionable royals around and is known for her impeccable wardrobe. 

Alongside wearing a mixture of designer and high street dresses, and ones she’s worn before, her signature style often includes accessorising with a small clutch bag at formal events. 

But rather than it just being down to a fashionable choice, Kate is believed to have a clutch bag at such occasions for another reason. 

Myka Meier, the founder of Beaumont Etiquette, told Good House Keeping the Duchess holds her bag in front of her in both hands when shaking hands might be awkward. 

While a clutch bag might be a good excuse to avoid uncomfortable situations, there’s a host of things the Duchess needs to remember to do when holding them. 

Myka revealed there’s certain etiquette a royal must uphold when donning a clutch. 

According to the etiquette expert, if Kate does needs the use of one hand, she can place the clutch bag in the other hand. 

But it should never be tucked under an arm or placed on the ground or table. 

When it comes to sitting down with your clutch, Myka advised: “If there’s not a stool available, slip it between your back and the back of the chair.” 

But the Duchess isn’t the only royal to use their bag for other purposes. 

According to royal historian Hugo Vickers, Queen Elizabeth II uses her bag to indicate she’s ready to end chat. 

Hugo told People magazine that in order to signal this, the Queen shifts her bag from one hand to the other.

She’s also been known to place her bag on a table at events to signal that she’s ready to leave. 

Referring to the handbag hand switch, Hugo said: “Luckily, they’d let you down easy.

“It would be done very nicely. Someone would come along and say, ‘Sir, the Archbishop of Canterbury would very much like to meet you’.”