Revealed: How Kate always dresses Princess Charlotte in almost identical baby blue smocks to avoid causing a 'fashion frenzy' over what the four-year-old wears
- Princess Charlotte, four, wears a blue smock dress in her new birthday portraits
- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge frequently dress her in similar styles
- Etiquette expert William Hanson explained there's a clear reason why
- Said William and Kate want to avoid creating a 'fashion frenzy' around their child
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge delighted fans by releasing three new photos of Princess Charlotte to mark her fourth birthday today.
But something about the images looked decidedly familiar.
For in one of the snaps, taken by proud mother Kate at Kensington Palace, Charlotte wears a pretty blue dress with Peter Pan collar - an outfit that has become something of a style signature for the adorable young royal.
Kate and William have chosen to dress their daughter in a baby blue smock - almost always one with delicate embroidery and a sweet floral pattern - for a number of high-profile occasions, dating back to her first birthday portraits three years ago.
While the princess has been seen in a number of other looks - including the trendy tartan skirt she sports in the two other birthday portraits released today - it is the smock style that is in heavy rotation.
Today: In one of Princess Charlotte's birthday snaps, taken by proud mother Kate at Kensington Palace, the young royal wears a pretty blue dress with Peter Pan collar (pictured) - an outfit that has become something of a style signature for the adorable young royal
May 2016: Kate and William have chosen to dress their daughter in a baby blue smock - almost always one with delicate embroidery and a sweet floral pattern - for a number of high-profile occasions, dating back to her first birthday portraits three years ago (pictured)
Speaking to FEMAIL, celebrity stylist Rochelle White explained this is likely to be a conscious decision made by a royal couple trying to avoid the sort of 'fashion frenzy' they frequently experience on public outings.
She said: 'The dresses that Princess Kate chooses for Charlotte are fashionable yet traditional, girly, fun and pretty.
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'As much as times have changed in regards to children and their fashion, this is one traditional look that will never get old, dated or out of fashion just updated over time.'
She continued: 'I think that Kate is very aware that people pay attention to everything that she dresses Charlotte in.
July 2018: The dress Charlotte wears in her birthday portraits is very similar to the one she donned for her baby brother Louis' Christening in July last year, as seen above
April 2018: Just months earlier it was another blue dress - this time a £45 Periwinkle dress from Little Alice London - for Charlotte when she and brother George, now five, were taken by William to see baby Louis in hospital after his birth in April 2018, pictured
'I don’t think Kate wants parents to rush out to buy what Charlotte is seen in and cause a fashion frenzy. Keeping it simple and traditional is perfect for the little princes.'
Despite Kate's potential efforts to minimise interest in her daughter's wardrobe, the little princess once again sparked a shopping frenzy today.
British retailer Trotters, which designed the £70 worn by the princess in her latest birthday portrait, witnessed a surge in sales as soon as the birthday portraits were released. The frock is now almost entirely sold out online.
July 2017: The blue dress has also been a royal tour staple, with the princess wearing a floral print dress with a lace band across the chest in Berlin in July 2017, pictured
September 2016: Princess Charlotte wore a pale blue dress with pink stitching to a garden party at Government House in Victoria, British Columbia, during the royal tour of Canada
The dress, which Charlotte wore with a blue hair bow and navy plimsolls, is very similar to the one put on the princess for her baby brother Louis' Christening in July last year.
Just months earlier it was another blue dress - this time a £45 Periwinkle dress from Little Alice London - for Charlotte when she and brother George, now five, were taken by William to see baby Louis in hospital after his birth in April 2018.
The blue dress has also been a royal tour staple, with the princess wearing a floral print dress with a lace band across the chest in Berlin in July 2017, and sporting two different pale blue frocks on her visit to Canada in September 2016.
September 2016: Complimenting Kate's elegant blue dress, the young princess wore a pretty floral number when she was carried off the plane in Victoria on the Canadian royal tour
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