Kate Middleton becomes first Princess of Wales in over a century to be given rare royal duty

Last week, Kate Middleton became the first 'Princess of Wales' in over 100 years to be bestowed with a particular royal privilege.

For those in need of a reminder, following the late Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022, Kate, 43, ascended to the Wales position alongside husband William, who had both previously been known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.

Prior to this, no one had obtained the 'Princess of Wales' title since 1997 - the year that Princess Diana (the then-Prince of Wales, King Charles' ex-wife), tragically died following a car accident in Paris, France.

Interestingly, however, the honour that the mother-of-three Kate has recently received, however, had not been obtained whilst Diana attained the position.

In fact, the last individual to be given this 'power', was Princess Mary of Teck, who was Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother.

Mary became the Princess of Wales after marrying King George V in 1910 (Fox Photos/Getty Images)

This week, Kate took on a major responsibility that had last been given to Queen Mary, in that she and Prince William will now be able to issue Royal Warrants.

These are essentially permits, or seals of approval, handed down by the monarchy for companies to use the Royal Arms in connection with its trade business.

William's private secretary Ian Patrick told HELLO! Magazine last week: "Their Royal Highnesses are delighted to be able to recognize and celebrate British industry, creativity, and skills through the granting of Warrants."

These are given for up to five years at a time, and serve as a mark of recognition for supplying goods/services to a member of the monarchy.

As such, these products are given the chance to bear the royal coat of arms on their packaging.

Several of Kate's favourite brands will receive the warrant (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

The honour will come into play next year, meaning any brands that the Princess has a particular soft spot for will reap a number of awards - no doubt, a number of these will have had something to do with the so-called 'Kate Middleton effect', according to InStyle.

This trend describes the economic impact that the Kate has had over the fashion industry since she and William wed back in 2010, with industry experts estimating that she boosts UK wealth by an estimated £1 million per annum.

HELLO! report: "The princess’s decision to back a certain brand or firm will likely generate a huge amount of business and publicity for them."

Apparently, the likes of Catherine Walker, Jenny Packham, Alexander McQueen, and Erdem will receive the special honour in terms of clothing, with accessory brands like Kiki McDonough, Robinson Pelham, and Catherine Zoraida also likely to be mentioned.