Exclusive: Kate Middleton Shares Intimate Detail About George, Charlotte and Louis’ Outgrown Clothes While Visiting Factory….Read More

The Princess of Wales stopped by Corgi in South Wales, which specializes in knitwear and handmade socks, on Jan. 30

Kate Middleton has an enviable archive of children’s clothes from the wardrobes of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

During a Jan. 30 visit to Corgi textile factory in South Wales, which specializes in knitwear and handmade socks, the Princess of Wales, 43, revealed that she has “archived” her three kids’ clothes, noting that the garments “wore really well,” per Hello!.

“It’s so lovely to reuse the things that are well made,” said Kate, who has long been a proponent of sustainable fashion and rewears.

George, 11, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 6, also have been known to wear hand-me-downs and heirloom pieces over the years, like when Louis wore his father Prince William’s sailor suit for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, or when Charlotte wore what appeared to be a pair of her uncle Prince Harry’s red buckle-up shoes while on a royal tour of Germany and Poland with her parents and George in 2017.

Kate’s younger brother James Middleton has been the beneficiary of Kate’s archive of children’s clothes, which have been given to James’ son Inigo, 1, from not just Kate but also sister Pippa Middleton, as well.

We are an affectionate and close-knit family and there are lots of hugs and laughter,” James wrote in his 2024 memoir Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life. “Catherine and Pippa bring two big suitcases of hand-me-down clothes, so Inigo’s cupboards are full of sweet little outfits his cousins — even the girls — have worn.”

He added that while the clothes seemed “enormous” for Inigo, who was a baby at the time, he didn’t realize that his son would quickly grow and “fit them in a blink.”

“We’re deluged with advice from my sisters, but we muddle through in our own way, sometimes getting things right, sometimes wrong,” he wrote about how he and his wife Alizée navigated the early days of parenthood.

Speaking to Hello!, James said that the hand-me-downs were a chance for both Kate and Pippa to reminisce about when their own kids were younger: “They are milestones, because [my sisters] remember when their child was wearing something, and how old they were — it takes them back,” James said. “It’s been a lovely thing for them.”

British childrenswear designer Rachel Riley — whose designs the Wales children have worn in the past — previously told PEOPLE she appreciated William and Kate’s affinity for hand-me-downs and rewears when it comes to George, Charlotte and Louis, saying, “They love traditional clothes, and it’s lovely to see them wearing things again and again.

While visiting the Corgi factory on Thursday, Kate took a turn at sewing a sock on one of the machines and spent several minutes trying to get the hang of the process, laughing at her attempts. “It’s so fiddly,” she said. “It’s definitely not my forte.”

“It’s really hard,” the royal added. “I’m sorry, I’m so terrible.”

She joked that factory employee Shauna Kinsey, who has worked for Corgi for six years, “made it look so easy.”

As she arrived at the factory, Kate said, “It’s so lovely to be here. I’ve been looking forward to it. I’ve heard all about your brand.”

Tying a love of clothes to her love of children, Kate was told on the main factory floor that children from the local school came in for work experience and to learn the tricks of the trade, to which the Princess of Wales said, “It’s nice to see the younger ones coming in and learning this craftsmanship.”