20 Times Kate Middleton Was Royally Unpolished

We're going to say something controversial here: Kate Middleton may be a duchess, but sometimes she looks like a regular ol' commoner. OK, fine, maybe not a regular ol' commoner, but certainly not like the glammed up (future) queen she normally looks like. She wears jeans! Baseball hats! Shorts. Hard to believe? Sure. But true nonetheless. 

At her heart, we have a sneaking suspicion that the Duchess of Cambridge feels most comfortable in sweats — or, at the least — well-made athleisurewear. 

Yeah, we said it. 

Even though every time we see Kate, she's super polished with nary a hair out of place. Behind the scenes we know she's a super hands-on mom as well as a fitness fanatic — so clearly, she's not always looking super prim and proper. 

While we can't say we've ever got our hands on a photo of the Duchess of Cambridge donning a messy bun and a hoodie (we wish!), we do have a few photos of her looking less than royal — or less than royalish

From spotting Kate in a ponytail with a hat covering her head to seeing the mom of three in jeans and sneakers, here are 20 times Kate Middleton looked unpolished. And let's be clear here, people: Unpolished for the duchess is, like, pretty polished for the rest of us. 

Ah, the life of a British royal.

Run, Mama, Run!

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While she's obviously wearing a nice dress and wedge sandals here, Kate definitely is a far cry from polished in this photo.

Dig It

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Digging in the dirt while wearing an anorak jacket, ponytail, and boots?

Yep, Kate's unpolished here.

Mom Mode

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Really, there are no words that could possibly express how much we love this photo of Kate Middleton candidly grabbing Princess Charlotte.

Woman About Town

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While she's obviously on royal duty here, Kate could almost pass as a mom running errands in this photo.

Getting into Nature

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Sure, Kate's polished for someone who's about to embark on outdoor activities, but compared to her normal look, she's pretty casual.

Hat Trick

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Well, looky here. The Duchess of Cambridge wears baseball caps on occasion. 

Who knew?!

New Mom Chic

On a laid-back day out with Prince George (when he was a baby!), Kate was spotted looking pretty dressed down and fuss-free.

Royal Grocery

Once upon a time, Kate was spotted grocery shopping — and then she loaded the groceries into her car while her security team watched. 

If that's not unpolished, not sure what is.

Royal Grocery 2

Kate is a big fan of cooking, so once in a while she just needs to do the shopping by herself. And we couldn't love her more for that.

Garden Chic

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We invite you to take a sneak peek at The Duchess of Cambridge’s #RHSChelsea ‘Back to Nature’ Garden! The woodland wilderness garden aims to get people back to nature, and highlight the benefits of the natural world on our mental and physical wellbeing. Speaking ahead of @The_RHS garden unveiling, The Duchess of Cambridge said: “In recent years I have focussed much of my work on the early years, and how instrumental they are for outcomes later in life. I believe that spending time outdoors when we are young can play a role in laying the foundations for children to become happy, healthy adults.” Some features of the #ChelseaFlowerShow garden include: 1. A swing seat hanging below the garden’s centrepiece, a high platform tree house, encouraging creative play and discovery for all generations. 2. The high platform tree house is inspired by a bird or animal nest and provides a wonderful place to retreat and look out through the trees. The treehouse is made from chestnut, with hazel, stag horn oak and larch nest cladding. 3/4. The garden is aiming to inspire interaction with the natural environment through its multi-sensory, green and blue plant scheme. The garden will be filled with incredible edibles, plants for craft activities, forest scents and a diverse range of plants, shrubs and trees of different heights and textures. The garden forms part of Her Royal Highness’s ongoing work on early childhood development and her mission to support efforts that give every child the best possible start in life. The Duchess has committed to making early childhood development the focus of her work in the years to come, and believes that providing children with the opportunity to spend time outdoors can play an important role.

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Sure, Kate looks chic here, but it isn't every day we see the Duchess of Cambridge in jeans swinging on a rope swing.

Ready for Anything

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Wearing all black and a red puffy jacket, Kate Middleton looked like she was ready for anything. Unless that thing was a black tie affair.

Snow Bunny

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Let's be honest here — no one looks super chic or put together in a winter hat. 

Kate does come pretty close, though.

Tea Time

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Kate was caught having a cup of tea and looking super casual when she was pregnant with Prince Louis.

Hi There!

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Track pants and a zip-up sweatshirt? Might not be as good as a messy bun, but pretty close. 

What a cutie!

Boat Pose

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Not only does Kate know how to rock athleisurewear, she knows how to pull off a boat pose while still managing to look chic. Not easy.

Snowball Fight

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As far as ski looks go, Kate's is pretty damn stylish. But still, she's not ready for Trooping the Colour in this get-up.

Fetch!

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Kate Middleton. Jeans. Dog.

Need we even say it? She's unpolished here.

Sporty Spice

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While her outfit was super on point in this photo, Kate wasn't afraid to let her hair down — literally and figuratively.

Vintage Kate

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Look! It's old-school Kate Middleton. Obviously she was always super chic. But she wasn't always as put-together as she is today.