• Kate Middleton is back at work following her maternity leave and trying to up her style game.
• According to royal sources, Kate wants to dress edgier and more modern.

With royal protocol that dictates what they can/should wear—like wearing “appropriate length” dresses and skirts and even wearing panty hose even when it’s hot out—royals have to be extra creative when it comes to expressing their personal style. Apparently, Kate Middleton, who just went back to work after her maternity leave, has been toying with the idea of throwing caution and those weighted hems to the wind, because she wants to dress edgier. Okay, she hasn’t totally given up all those royal fashion hacks, but she has reportedly enlisted the help of a stylist to refresh her wardrobe to help her look “a bit younger.”

According to a People source, “Kate felt like she was in a bit of a style rut and thought she needed a little edge.” They added, “She’s consciously worked on getting her look to be a bit younger and more modern, and it’s worked!”

Sure, the Duchess of Cambridge probably isn’t who you immediately think of when you think of the word “edgy,” but she does wear things like this fiery red off-the-shoulder gown and quality denim, so if that’s what you call a style rut, please sign me up for one of those!

But going back to Kate’s so-called rut, it seems she’s working with stylist Natasha Archer again to help hone her new look. If you look at Kate’s latest appearances at Archie’s christening and Wimbledon, you can see the direction she’s trying to go in with her new style.

The pink dress she wore for the christening is likely the same one she wore for Christmas at Buckingham palace last year, but she switched up her look with a red braided handbag and matching heels.

Guess we have no choice but to file this under “edgelord” in the encyclopedia!