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Kate Middleton, now known formally as Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been a working member of the royal family for more than 12 years. She married Prince William in 2011, and since then, she has become one of the world’s biggest fashion icons, often looking “perfect” at royal engagements.

The princess has continued to come into her own as the years go by, honing her fashion, her royal etiquette, and her ability to connect with the public despite living a vastly different life. And she’s done her best to remain down to earth, even having a humble, five-word response when someone called out her “perfect looks.”

Kate Middleton looks to the side and smiles wearing a blue jacket.
Kate Middleton | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Kate Middleton had a surprising response to her ‘perfect looks’

One of Kate’s biggest requirements as a royal is regular interaction with the public. Whenever she steps outside of London for work, she can be seen greeting fans, shaking hands, and even giving hugs to those who need one. People stand for hours for their chance to interact with the princess, and when they do, their words are filled with praise for the future queen.

Back in 2017, while on a walkabout in Poland, Kate heard plenty of compliments from royal fans. And afterward, people recounted what it was like to speak to the duchess — and how she responded to their kind words.

According to Mirror, when one fan told Kate how “perfect” she was, she had a cheeky comeback: “It’s just the makeup,” she replied. Of course, Kate more than likely has her makeup done professionally for royal events, but rather than accepting the compliment, she let fans know that she’s not as perfect as they’d like to think — a way of maintaining her down-to-earth presence.

On the off chance that Kate is heckled, she handles that well, too. While meeting with fans in Ireland, Express reported that one person reportedly told Kate, “Ireland belongs to the Irish,” giving the princess heat for appearing in the country. However, the duchess just smiled and moved on, showing that she can handle both the love and hate from the public.

Kate Middleton is one of the world’s biggest fashion icons

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Since marrying into the royal family, Kate’s every move has been analyzed — including how she looks at royal engagements. Kate has unintentionally become one of the world’s biggest faces in fashion; if she wears it, it flies off the shelves (even more so if it’s an affordable look). The movement inspired a phrase known as “the Kate effect,” meaning fashion designers’ brands saw a major boost in sales upon the princess wearing any of their looks. A similar situation happened to Kate’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, as well. Meghan Markle saw a similar movement when her relationship with Prince Harry became public, too.

Through the years, Kate has only become a more prominent figure in the United Kingdom, having one of the highest approval ratings of any working royal. And she seems to age with grace, with royal fans dubbing her “perfect” — but she playfully shuts down the praise.