Kate Just Stepped Out in the "Basic" Summer Shoes All the Royals Keep Wearing

With the temperature finally creeping into heat wave territory, summer is here, and this can only mean one thing: It's summer shoe season. While there are plenty of trending sandals styles around to whet your appetite, we're also looking to those timeless staples to add to our warm-weather capsule. Who better to draw classic style inspiration from than the royals?

Only just a few moments ago did Kate pull out her trusty beige wedged espadrilles (the very same Castañer Carina pair she wore a few weeks ago with an ankle-grazing Erdem frock—see below) to combine with a paisley-printed midi dress, leaf earrings and tousled hair. Perfect for this slightly inclement weather, and far more affordable and casual than her usual nude courts.

And whilst browsing our other favourite royal summer looks, we noticed there was one uniting theme when it came to footwear across the posh board: espadrilles. An icon of summer style, it's clear that the likes of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle can't get enough of them. Espadrilles might be known for their Spanish roots and laid-back elegance, yet we've been surprised to see the royals wearing them for more formal occasions over the last few months. 

Only recently have we seen Lady Amelia Windsor in the low-key shoe at her sister's wedding—bucking the rule that espadrilles are not appropriate for such a formal occasion. Clearly there's a theme here. We'll just take these outfits as proof of the espadrille's versatility: They'll look just as good with white jeans and a tee as they will with a wedding guest outfit. Just ask Kate. Scroll down to see our favourite royal espadrille-dotted outfits, plus shop our edit. 

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