The reigning monarchs from decades past would approve.
Kate Middleton returned to the Royal Marsden Hospital—where she received chemotherapy for her cancer—on January 14, and shared insight into her treatment while also revealing that she was in remission. The visit was a powerful one for the Princess of Wales, and her wardrobe exuded a similar strength, with one of her accessories of choice having a connection to Queen Elizabeth, who privately battled bone cancer in her final year.
Middleton accessorized with Asprey’s Morgan handbag, which retails for £2,995, or $3,691 in USD. Speaking with MailOnline, Bobby Gill, the brand’s director of VIP sales, said, “Asprey is incredibly honoured that the Princess of Wales wore the Morgan leather handbag on her outing to the Royal Marsden Hospital. She’s a loyal supporter of British brands and in the case of Asprey embodies the future of that special historical tie that the brand holds with the royal family.”
Asprey has been a mainstay designer for the royals since the 1800s, when Queen Victoria granted the brand a royal warrant. Queen Elizabeth has additionally given the brand a royal warrant—which, according to the Royal Family’s official website, “is granted as a mark of recognition to people or companies who have regularly supplied goods or services to the Royal Household”—as well as by every other reigning monarch within the British royal family, likely due to the brand’s philanthropy program that supports multiple charities.
There’s a chance that Middleton may follow in Elizabeth’s footsteps and grant Asprey a royal warrant, even before she becomes queen. The London Times reported Middleton will soon have the power to “recognize British skills and industry” by granting royal warrants, “a first for anyone holding the title Princess of Wales since the days of Queen Mary, who issued warrants before her husband, George V, ascended the throne in 1910.”