Irish milliner Philip Treacy has long been a favourite of the British royal family but is a huge honour about to be bestowed upon him by the Princess of Wales?
Kate Middleton will soon be able to dish out Royal Warrants, a new ability that'll surely see her already proven power to impact fashion trends, dubbed the Kate Effect, go into overdrive.
Kate will be the first Princess of Wales able to give out Royal Warrants in more than 100 years, so speculation is rife as to who will get one, and a name that is firmly on royal fans' lips is Philip Treacy's.
Kate has long worn milliner Philip's designs, including to high-profile events such as when she attended Ascot in 2023 and for her first public appearance amid cancer treatment at Trooping The Colour in 2024, so it makes sense that she’d want to honour him in this way.
If he does receive a Royal Warrant from Kate, it won’t be Philip’s first as he already has one from Queen Camilla, which he received at the end of 2024, and this might in fact make it a little easier, or at least a little quicker, for him to also gain Kate’s on-paper approval.
Companies that already hold Royal Warrants from King Charles and Camilla get first dibs on applying to be endorsed by Kate and Wills. Applications to new companies will open next year.
So, what is a Royal Warrant, and why would brands want to get one? Well, according to Town & Country, a Royal Warrant is an official mark of recognition to businesses who have regularly supplied goods or services to the royal household, and emphasis on the regularly.
To qualify, a brand or person must have supplied a royal for a minimum of five out of the last seven years and be able to show their commitment to sustainability, something that is very important to the modern royal family.
As well as bragging rights to being officially approved by royalty, holders of Warrants can display the arms of whichever royal endorsed them on their products. With the Kate Effect already a well-known phenomenon, it’s safe to assume that anyone given her Warrant can expect to see results at the tills.
As for other brands apart from Philip Treacy that might get the nod from Kate once she can grant warrants, many royal fans are tipping her other go-to designers, such as Jenny Packham.
Kate is also regularly seen in pieces by Catherine Walker and Beulah London, so perhaps they’ll get the nod, and royal expert Susan Kelley, founder of website What Kate Wore, has even tipped Dubarry of Ireland as having a good chance.
She told Town & Country: 'Key factors [as to who achieves Royal Warrant status] are likely to include a brand's history and heritage, its role in British culture and contributions to the community, as well as its corporate governance and business practices.'
There's also lots of talk over Kate opting to endorse smaller brands over bigger names, which we'd love to see! Here's hoping she'll pick a few Irish companies when the first Royal Warrants are announced!
