Duchess Sophie Just Revived This Controversial Shoe Trend in the Chicest Way

Danielle LongSat, May 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

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Duchess Sophie Just Revived This Controversial Shoe Trend in the Chicest Way

Fashion trends are funny because one person’s “absolutely not” is another person’s entire personality. And honestly, that’s kind of the beauty of it. Style is personal. But every so often, a trend becomes weirdly divisive. We’ve seen it happen with low-rise jeans, shoulder pads, skinny scarves, you name it. And with summer fashion conversations officially heating up, there’s one controversial shoe style creeping back into the chat: wedges. And apparently, Duchess Sophie is fully on board.

The Duchess of Edinburgh, 61, recently visited The Plants with Purpose Garden, and while the outing itself was focused on sustainability and gardening initiatives, I couldn’t stop looking at her outfit. Sophie wore crisp white pants paired with a white collared shirt underneath a tan blazer featuring white stripes and gold buttons. But the real standout? Her tan wedges.

Duchess Sophie finished the look with matching tan wedge heels that made the whole outfit feel polished and effortless. It was the kind of styling moment that makes you pause and wonder why wedges ever became controversial in the first place.

For years, wedges have had a bit of a reputation for being bulky or overly chunky compared to sleeker heels and sandals. But lately, they’ve been making a comeback in cleaner, more minimalist silhouettes that feel much more modern than the sky-high cork wedges of the early 2000s.

Ironically, wedges reportedly weren’t exactly popular within the royal family either, at least not with Queen Elizabeth.

“The Queen isn’t a fan of wedged shoes,” a source told Vanity Fair. “She really doesn’t like them and it’s well known among the women in the family.”

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Still, Sophie seems perfectly content doing her own thing style-wise, trends and royal preferences aside. And to be fair, she’s probably focused on bigger things than internet debates over shoes.

Buckingham Palace shared photos from the outing on Instagram, captioning the post, “Something is blooming.”

The Palace added, “We are honoured that HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh and Alan Williams of Landform Consultants are co-designing and building The Plants with Purpose Garden which will sit at the heart of the Royal Windsor Flower Show this year.”

The garden aims to spotlight sustainable food production, healthy soil, and educating younger generations about where food comes from—so yes, definitely more important than whether wedges are “in” again. Though Sophie may have quietly answered that question anyway.

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Buckingham Palace Shares Striking Photo of Duchess Sophie During Historic Northern Ireland Visit

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”