For the most part, Kate Middleton keeps it classic, prim, and proper when she's out on official royal business — and it makes sense. She is, after all, the Duchess of Cambridge — a woman not only representing the Queen of England, but the entire British royal institution. No pressure there! At the same time, though, Kate is a regular woman who likes to let loose from time to time in the fashion department. And might we say, for someone who's completely nailed the sophisticated look, she also does beachy damn well.
Sure, she lives in a palace and wears tiaras, but we get the impression that, in her heart of hearts, Kate is a fairly laid-back person who loves a good vacation at the beach. She's also someone who loves the look of somebody who's vacationing at the beach. Of course, this isn't something someone in her position can pull off all the time — because #monarch — but time and again, the duchess manages to slip in a beachy look.
From loose, wild woman wavy hair to no makeup to sandals, here are times Kate Middleton rocked a super beachy look. Does she do fancy well? Sure does. But the woman can also seriously pull off a windswept, sun-kissed vibe, as well — and we're feeling it.
Because going back and forth between the two? That's no easy feat.
Shore Thing
OK fine, Kate is actually on a beach here — she might be royal, but it does happen sometimes. But still, she's interpreting the part quite well, what with her strappy wedges. It's hard enough to run in shoes like that, but the fact that she's doing it on sand is even more impressive.
Easy Breezy
While she was still on maternity leave for Prince Louis, Kate was spotted at the Beaufort Polo Club looking oh-so laid-back and beachy as she spent the day outside playing with George and Charlotte. Judging by the photos, it was such a happy day for her — maybe because she was dressed so comfortably?
Beach Accessories
Sure, this would be a pretty fancy beach look for most people, but for Kate, not so much. Even on her most laid-back day at the beach, Kate's definitely going to dial her fashion game up more than the rest of us might. We could totally see her sipping on some rosé at sunset in this get-up. On the beach, of course.
Captain Kate
Kate was obviously born to be royalty, because she really just looks right steering a yacht while wearing Breton stripes. Then again, she's always been a good sailor, so it's not surprising to see that she looks right at home behind the wheel — and that she picked out the perfect outfit for the occasion.
Extreme Beaching
Sometimes Kate Middleton's beach trips are more active than others. Whatever, though. She can handle it, and as we can see from this photo, she's happy to do it. Whatever she and Will were doing in this photo, it's good to see that they put safety first by wearing their lifejackets.
Beachy Keen
Kate's outfit here is perfect for a beach party or just a stroll around a resort town. Two things she'd obviously love (but unfortunately, probably doesn't get to do much in between all of her royal engagements). And as usual, she's having a good hair day, rocking those waves like nobody's business.
Shady Katie
Obviously this dress is too fancy for the beach, but we always love seeing Kate in a pair of sunglasses. So beachy! It doesn't happen often (maybe because Kate wants to make direct eye contact with the people she's meeting), but we can't argue that she looks good in such a classic pair of shades.
Gotta Wear Shades
Again, love Kate in a pair of Ray-Bans (and not surprised at all that she'd choose a pair that is practically timeless and always on trend, much like the rest of her wardrobe). Also love that Prince William has a baseball cap resting on his knee here! This is a lot more casual than we usually get to see either of them.
Check It Out!
If Kate Middleton and Prince William don't look like they're on vacation here (especially with that camera flash going on in the background), what are they even doing? Though they're both dressy, this is one of their more relaxed moments. Look at those smiles on their faces!
Flower Princess
Somehow, Kate even manages to make a flower crown look super posh. And love Wills grinning in the background! These two have had some of their best moments when they get to communicate with kids during their engagements — probably because they're already such great parents to their little ones at home.
Cutting a Rug
Though the Cambridges normally do a good job of looking like they're enjoying whatever they happen to be doing, not all that often that we get to see them having this much fun. Obviously, both William and Kate were getting into the island spirit when they visited the Solomon Islands in 2012.
Frizzy Hair, Don't Care
She doesn't do it often, but we love when Kate Middleton leaves the hairdryer in the drawer and goes au naturel. These are perfect beach waves she's showcasing right here, and they look totally effortless. Given that when you're Kate, every day is a good hair day, we don't blame her for trying something new!
Beach Babe
Another day, another air-drying as she's hanging out in nature. Looks incredible, Kate! But one quick question: Why so glum? Maybe she was thinking about something deep here — like why it had been so long since she'd had a real beach vacation. She and Will (and the kids) deserve one!
Getting Leid
When in paradise, wearing a lei is absolutely necessary, and Kate looks simply lovely in a purple lei. The only thing missing? A fruity cocktail and a beach chair. Maybe that was behind the scenes, though — Kate does like to keep it all business when she's performing royal duties.
Resort Wear
Really, it isn't possible for Kate to look much more beachy here, unless she was emerging from the sea itself. Though she's obviously made up, her natural beauty still shines through, and that maxi dress looks gorgeous on her. We want to see this side of Kate much more often!
Bikini Kate
OK, so this is an oldie, but there's no denying that it's still a goody, especially considering how rarely we get to see her on the beach in an actual swimsuit instead of a dress and wedge sandals. Kate looking super strong and fit in a white bikini. As beachy as can be.
Beach Bums
Remember what we were saying about dresses and heels? Here's another example of what Kate considers beachwear most of the time. Alright, so it's fancy beachwear, but beachwear nonetheless. Gotta love it when the duchess pulls out her wedges, no matter what terrain she'll be walking on.
A Different Kind of Beach
While this is a different kind of beach day for the duchess, it's a beach day all the same. Love the hat on Wills, too! Even though it looks like the whole family was just a bit chilly this day, we're loving the fact that their pups joined them for this walk. Too adorable!
Evening Look
We can't deny it: We love it when Kate wears something more "fun" than usual with strappy sandals, and this look definitely fits in that category! This is something we'd pull out at night during a beach vacation for a fancy dinner overlooking the ocean — though we have a feeling Kate was headed somewhere even more posh than that.
Not-So Beachy
Does Kate look beach-ready here? Eh, not so much, but what's "appropriate" to wear on the beach is going to change person to person, and we're not royalty like Kate is. But, technically, she's on a beach and that little boy is ready to dig into the sand with her. He's even barefoot!
A Family Day
When Will and Kate celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in April 2021, they shared this sweet video of themselves playing on the beach with George, Charlotte, and Louis. It was a cold day, so there were no swimsuits to be found, but they seemed to be having fun together nonetheless.
By the Sea
When Kate breaks out her wedges, we know a beach day is in her future! Here, she and William are at a beach in South Wales in August 2020, visiting with business owners in the area. Not only is Kate perfectly prim near the beach, but that floral dress was the perfect wardrobe choice, too.
A Cold Beach Day
Not even cold weather can keep Will and Kate from the beach when duty calls! Seeing them all bundled up like this in North Wales makes us think that they're visiting in the winter, but nope — this photo was taken in May 2019. That's spring in the UK for ya!
Hanging 10
When meeting with surfers, hanging 10 for a picture is kind of necessary. On this day, Will and Kate headed to the beach in Australia to learn about a project that seeks to improve mental health via surfing, and it certainly looks like the Cambridges fit right in!
Happy & Beachy
Here's another photo of Kate from her Australia trip with Will, looking perfectly happy to be at the beach. Though we know she's a bit dressy, there's something about this photo that screams beachy. Her hair is flowing in the wind, she's got her shades in hand — she's ready!
Sailing Away
Remember what we said about Kate looking right at home on a boat? That's because she's a talented sailor. Here, she's competing in the 2019 King's Cup regatta. She looks serious, but that's because she's focused — and it also gave us a rare opportunity to see Kate in shorts for the first time in a long time.
Gotta Regatta
In another shot from that same regatta in August 2019, Kate is grinning — this might be one of the happiest photos we've ever seen of her! Baseball cap and all, Kate looks casual and so happy. We need to get this lady on a boat more often so we can see her glow like this!
Beachy Florals
Obviously, Kate wasn't on a beach when this pic was taken in June 2020, but she could have been! This floral dress is giving us so many springtime vibes — not to mention the fact that it looks perfect to wear during one of her royal engagements by the sea.
A Nautical Look
Nothing screams the beach like an outfit we could totally see on an actual sailor — and in Kate's case, that was intentional, because this photo was taken at the launch of the regatta that she looked so happy to be competing in. The stripes and those gold buttons? Amazing!
Throwing Shades
Here's another sunglass moment from Kate — and once again, she's wearing her favorite Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Here, she's at Wimbledon, not the beach, and she's rather dressy, but those sunglasses perched on her head are a rare sight for most formal events for the duchess. She'd fit in at the beach anyway!
With the Kids
Sunglasses on her head, sitting on the ground, watching her children as they play — Kate might as well be wrangling them on the beach! She wore a sundress to watch Prince Harry and Prince William play polo, and in the process, she showed off one of her most casual (yet beachy) looks ever.