Kate wows in something borrowed, something blue

Madonna has said she suspects her daughter Lourdes of borrowing her clothes and actor Sadie Frost has confessed to wearing her son’s hoodies.

Now the Duchess of Cambridge and her mother Carole, it appears, are joining in the new trend of celebrity mother-daughter clothes swapping.

Kate, 30, chose to make her maiden speech in a deep blue £139 Reiss dress from its autumn 2008 collection, giving another boost to the high-street label that she has worn on other occasions.

The dress was instantly seized upon by fashion commentators as identical to one worn by her 57-year-old mother Carole to Royal Ascot in 2010.

A St James’s Palace spokesman said the dress belonged to the duchess, fuelling speculation that she has lent her mother the garment in the past.

The revelation comes after Madonna told the BBC One Graham Norton Show that she suspected her daughter Lourdes, 15, of taking her outfits.

“I think she sneaks into my room and borrows my clothes. I’m pretty sure she lends them to her friends at school, too,” she said.

Sadie Frost, formerly married to actor Jude Law, has also said she has often worn her 21-year-old son’s hoodies and her 15-year-old’s tracksuit bottoms.

Graeme Moran, fashion writer at Drapers, the industry magazine, praised what he called the Duchess of Cambridge’s tendency to “recycle” clothes.

“She is known for recycling coats, shoes and dresses. I think it is a good message, personally.”

Meanwhile, Kate gave an assured performance in her maiden public speech as a member of Britain’s royal family. She looked confident as she stood in front of staff and volunteers from a children’s hospice and paid tribute to their efforts helping those with life-threatening conditions.

The duchess, the royal patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, was in Ipswich to launch the organisation’s new £3m facility.

She said: “When I first visited the hospice in Milton, I had a pre-conceived idea of what to expect.

“Far from being a clinical, depressing place for sick children, it was a home.

“Most importantly, it was a family home, a happy place of stability and care. It was a place of fun.”