Can you believe Kate Middleton has owned the Penelope Chilvers Long Tassel Boots in Conker Brown Leather for over 20 years?
We know she debuted them in 2004—the picture above shows Kate modelling the brown boots at the Blenheim Palace Game Fair in 2004! Two decades ago—talk about sustainable style!
The boots appear to still be going strong. She last wore them in public the spring of 2025, in a photograph released to mark World Cancer Day.
How do we know they’re the same boots?
Penelope Chilvers, the designer, said Kate has never replaced the boots in an interview she gave to The Telegraph:
According to Chilvers, Kate has never replaced her original conker brown pair, making the cost-per-wear of the £475 boots very low indeed
The Telegraph
The Princess has worn the boots to nine official engagements since joining the Royal Family (we’ve also spotted her wearing them in a few photos captured during off-duty moments, too).
Did you know: Kate wore the hardwearing boots during a four-hour mountain trek in the Himalayas?!
The Princess often pairs her brown tasselled boots with casual and country-style outfits.
Why we love the Penelope Chilvers Boots:
The boots are cut close to the ankle, giving them a sleek and elegant silhouette. They feature a scalloped detail near the zip, and of course, the hanging tassels they’re named after.
They come in two calf sizes, ‘standard’ and ‘generous’.
Kate wears the tall version of the boots in conker brown – shop the exact pair here.
The brown boots are made from and lined with Spanish vegetable-dyed leather. They’re finished with a sturdy Goodyear Welted Commando rubber sole.
After commissioning the artisan to make Penelope the perfect Spanish riding boot – to her own specifications – taller and closer fitted at the ankle, the Long Tassel boot was born, a core style and firm favourite in our collection year after year.
Penelope Chilvers
Where to buy Kate’s brown tasselled boots:
EXACT MATCH – Penelope Chilvers Long Tassel Boots in Conker
Shop the brown tasselled boots Kate has had in her closet for almost two decades.
More variations of the tassel boot:
Penelope Chilvers sells several iterations of the famous ‘tassel’ boot. She stocks the same style in different colours, in a ‘cropped’ length, with heels, lined with fleece and even a version specially treated for wearing in inclement weather — click here to find your perfect pair!
Even Princess Charlotte Is A Fan! Penelope Chilvers sells a child’s version of the Tassel boot, which Princess Charlotte wore in the family’s 2020 Christmas Card portrait. Shop the boot for your own little Princess!
Loved by European Royalty too:
It looks like Kate isn’t the only royal to have worn the Penelope Chilvers Tassel Boots.
According to our good friends at UFO No More, Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has worn the brown boots, and Queen Mathilde of Belgium debuted a pair recently, too. Although not confirmed, it also looks like Princess Mary of Denmark owns a pair!
View more of Kate Middleton’s boots on this page. Or, browse through more of her footwear in the ‘shoe’ section of our site.