Princess Kate's New Skinny Jeans Might Be Polarizing, But She's Actually "Ahead of the Curve"
Apparently, 2026 really is the new 2016.
Princess Kate’s love of skinny jeans is well documented. The future Queen has been wearing slim silhouettes as long as she’s been in the Royal Family, pairing them with everything from Breton-striped tees to cozy knitwear. But even though she’s embraced wider legs in terms of her suits, the Princess of Wales can’t kick the skinny jean habit, as she showed while visiting Scotland with Prince William on Thursday, September 17.
Kate looked autumnal in a new chocolate brown Burberry trench coat during her trip to the Isle of Bute, pairing it with an olive green turtleneck and extra-tight brown Holland Cooper skinny jeans with suede Chelsea boots. My initial reaction can be summed up in a message from my friend and Marie Claire contributor Christine Ross: “Skinny jeans??? In this, the year 2026?”
I immediately sent a Slack to my fashion team colleague, Meguire Hennes, to get her thoughts. “Are skinny jeans…back?” I asked. As it turns out, almost.
The Princess of Wales greets fans as she arrives on the Isle of Bute on September 17.
The princess added a flat cap to her outfit to clean up a local beach.
Hennes admits that she “audibly gasped” like I did when first seeing the images of Princess Kate this morning. “I haven't seen jeans look this leggings-adjacent in years, but after scanning some Fall 2026 shows, it seems the royal is ahead of the curve,” she says.
Hennes points to the Gucci, Tom Ford and 7 For All Mankind shows, where “denim clung to models' figures the Princess Kate Way.”
A model wears skinny jeans on the 7 For All Mankind Fall 2026 runway.
Princess Kate takes part in the sport of shinty while visiting Bute Shinty Club in Rothesay, Scotland.
“Maison Margiela even tucked skintight jeans into boots à la Kate, but they were knee-highs, not Chelseas,” she adds. While extra-skinny pants haven't quite made it to the mainstream quite yet, Hennes says the shift will likely be coming soon.
“Don't be surprised if more A-listers—perhaps some London cool-girls—follow the princess's lead," she shares.
As for the royal's visit to the Isle of Bute, her skinny jeans proved to be perfect for an active afternoon. She tried out the traditional Scottish sport of shinty, played with a stick similar to hockey, and headed to a local beach with Prince William to take part in a litter cleanup initiative, adding a jaunty Baker Boy cap by House of Bruar to her fall outfit.
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