[Getty]
Until little Prince George’s christening at St James’s Palace last week, few had heard of Emilia Jardine- Paterson, his new godmother. Yet Grazia has learned that recently the Duchess of Cambridge’s close friend from Marlborough College has taken on another role too – as Kate’s secret stylist.
It’s understood that interior designer Emilia, 31, who’s been friends with Kate since they were 13, has been responsible for overseeing all of Kate’s public outfits in the last few months, and her style certainly seems to have been rubbing off on Kate. This includes the Alexander McQueen jacket and skirt she wore to the christening last week.‘Kate admires Emilia’s style,’ said a source. ‘Emilia has become increasingly important to her and Kate always uses her as a sounding board. Emilia is trying to move Kate away from the Middleton neutral palate and push her towards colour or pattern. Emilia loves vintage and tries to get Kate to be a bit more quirky. When they were at school she used to tease Kate about her prim Jigsaw shirts and hated those fur gilets Kate wore.’
[Rex]
Emilia, whose nickname is reportedly Emilia de Lankypants, runs her own interior-design business and is also thought to be assisting the Cambridges with the design of their Kensington Palace home. The couple moved in in early October after a year of renovations.
‘Emilia has kept to the same ethos when advising Kate on interior decor,’ said a source. ‘Kate had wanted it all muted beiges and neutrals, but Emilia has encouraged more colour.’ Emilia has many ties with the Cambridges. Her husband David is a friend of William’s from Eton, while his brother once dated Pippa Middleton. And a new book,* Kate,The Future Queen*, by royal biographer Katie Nicholl, reveals it was Emilia who introduced Kate and William, 31, when they were 17. ‘Emilia has become an integral part of Kate and William’s life,’ said our source, ‘so she was an obvious choice to guide George in his future.’
See Kate Middleton's greatest style hits in the gallery below...
Kate Middleton Style - Best Dresses & Outfits
1 of 291 Kate Middleton style green coat
2 of 292 Kate Middleton style wimbledon 2014 dress
Kate Middleton at the mens singles final of the Wimbledon Championships - July 6, 2014
3 of 293 Kate Middleton style pink dress
Kate Middleton visits an M-PACT Plus Counselling programme - July 1, 2014
4 of 294 Kate Middleton style anzac day coat
Kate Middleton at the ANZAC Day commemorative service - April 25, 2014
5 of 295 Kate Middleton style d day blue coat
Kate Middleton at a service during the D-Day 70 Commemorations - June 6, 2014
6 of 295 Kate Middleton style military outfit
Kate Middleton during an official visit to Bletchley Park - June 18, 2014
7 of 296 Kate Middleton style prince george jeans
Kate Middleton and Prince George of Cambridge at the Royal Charity Polo - June 15, 2014
8 of 297 Kate Middleton style white black dress
Kate Middleton at the Ben Ainslie Racing America's Cup Launch Event - June 10, 2014
9 of 298 Kate Middleton style jonathan saunders
The Duchess of Cambridge wearing Jonathan Saunders in Scotland - 29th May 2014
10 of 299 Kate Middleton style hobbs
The Duchess of Cambridge in Hobbs at Ayers Rock - 22 April 2014
11 of 2910 Kate Middleton style lela rose dress
The Duchess of Cambridge in Lela Rose in Canberra - 24 April 2014
12 of 2911 Kate Middleton style pink dress alexander mcqueen
The Duchess of Cambridge in Alexander McQueen at Adelaide - 23 April 2014
13 of 2912 Kate Middleton style green dress
The Duchess of Cambridge in Catherine Walker in Canberra - 24 April 2014
14 of 2913 Kate Middleton style yellow dress sydney
The Duchess of Cambridge at Taronga Zoo in Sydney - 20 April 2014
15 of 2914 Kate Middleton style grey dress
The Duchess of Cambridge in Roksanda Ilincic in Uluru - 22 April 2014
16 of 2917 Kate Middleton style white dress manley beach
The Duchess of Cambridge in Zimmerman at Manley Beach - 20 April 2014
17 of 2915 Kate Middleton style alexander mcqueen
The Duchess of Cambridge in Alexander McQueen at Easter service, Ausralia - 20 April 2014
18 of 2916 Kate Middleton style white blue dress l k bennett
The Duchess of Cambridge in L.K. Bennett at Amberley Air Base - 19 April 2014
19 of 2918 Kate Middleton style red outfit
The Duchess of Cambridge in Christchurch, New Zealand - 14 April 2014
20 of 2919 Kate Middleton style yellow dress roksanda ilincic
The Duchess of Cambridge in Roksanda Ilincic arriving in Sydney, Australia - 16 April 2014
21 of 2920 Kate Middleton style prince george rebecca taylor
The Duchess of Cambridge in Rebecca Taylor leaving New Zealand - 16 April 2014
22 of 2921 Kate Middleton style diane von furstenberg
The Duchess of Cambridge in Diane Von Furstenberg in Blue Mountains, Australia - 17 April 2014
23 of 2922 Kate Middleton style zara new zealand
The Duchess of Cambridge in Zara wine tasting in New Zealand - 13 April 2014
24 of 2923 Kate Middleton style jonathan saunders
The Duchess of Cambridge in Jonathan Saunders at rugby in Dunedin, New Zealand - 13 April 2014
25 of 2924 Kate Middleton style erdem green coat
The Duchess of Cambridge in Erdem at Avanti Drome in Hamilton, New Zealand - 12 April 2014
26 of 2925 Kate Middleton style emilia wickstead blue dress
The Duchess of Cambridge in Emilia Wickstead at Dunedin - 13 April 2014
27 of 2926 Kate Middleton style zara
The Duchess of Cambridge in Zara and J Brand at Auckland harbour, New Zealand - 11 April 2014
28 of 2927 Kate Middleton style jenny packham new zealand
The Duchess of Cambridge in Jenny Packham at State Dinner, New Zealand - 10 April 2014
29 of 2927 Kate Middleton style prince george tory burch
The Duchess of Cambridge in Tory Burch in Wellington, New Zealand - 9 April 2014