Kate Middleton's go-to bag for special occasions is a wedding season essential you'll reach for time and time again

Wedding season is edging closer and we often focus on finding the best wedding guest dresses and forget that accessories are just as important. An occasionwear look can be taken to new levels of elegance depending on your choice of bag and shoes.

No one knows this better than the royals and when in doubt, we always turn to the Princess of Wales for style inspiration. After all, as the future Queen she’s an expert at dressing for formal events and her go-to bag style for everything from weddings to garden parties is always a clutch.

We can think of plenty of clutches that are amongst Kate’s best handbags ever - particularly her Emmy London suede Natasha clutch. The senior royal owns this design in a huge array of colours, from blush to navy, forest green and pale blue.

Shop Kate's Clutch Bags

Shop Clutch Bags For Wedding Season

It’s a testament to their timelessness that she has invested in so many shades and brings them out year after year. This is what Kate’s clutches generally have in common: they’re actually quite plain.

Although she does have a few embellished clutches in her collection, the ones she wears most to special occasions are generally unadorned and have a flapover style. We’d recommend taking a similar approach when you’re choosing a clutch bag as it’ll make it much easier to style with a variety of different outfits.

Neutral colours like pinky-beige, cream, taupe or even metallics will also work very well with any other shade. This means you don’t have to have an array of different clutches in your collection unless you really want to.

Instead, your carefully selected bag can be re-worn for plenty of weddings, parties and even with fabulous date night outfits without you worrying about colour clashing.

Alternatively, if a particular hue is a big part of your signature style or complements an occasionwear outfit you love wearing, go for a clutch bag in this shade. The Princess of Wales famously loves dressing head-to-toe in one key colour.

We regularly see her stepping out with a clutch bag that coordinates perfectly with her outfit. This includes a Buckingham Palace garden party in 2022 where she wore a gorgeous mint green midi dress with matching court shoe heels and a Hobbs Evesham clutch.

Kate also chooses different Natasha clutches depending on her outfit and in 2023 she attended the Order of the Garter service at Windsor Castle holding a cream Strathberry clutch for a subtle contrast against her white polka dot Alessandra Rich dress.

Whether you like a matchy-matchy look or not, the Princess of Wales has shown how classic and sophisticated this bag style is for formal events. A clutch feels more polished than a handsfree crossbody bag and is big enough for your essentials without being too bulky.

It’s a bag style you’ll find yourself reaching for year after year - just like the future Queen does. We’re expecting her to attend the Easter Sunday service with her fellow royals this month and wouldn’t be at at surprised if she steps out holding a pared-back clutch bag to tie in with her dress.