King Charles seen wearing 40-year-old coat - a sustainability statement but it's not new for the aristocracy

King Charles III made a name for himself by speaking out on environmental issues the world faces, and when he ascended the throne as King many expected this to take a back seat.

However, on New Year’s Day the monarch stepped out at Sandringham to attend a church service with Consort Camilla. As usual all eyes were on the royals, and what they were wearing.

King Charles opted to wear a warm wool coat with breasted buttons and slick tailoring for the festive event. A viral TikTok clip identified it was a coat he was first seen wearing around 40-years ago, with pictures going back as far as 1988.

The royal has continued to make appearances over the last four decades, and this time he layered the coat with a blue shirt and red tie beneath.

But he's not the first royal to get thrifty with their wardrobe. His sister, Anne, Princess Royal has been a champion of recycling old outfits for a number of years.

Last September she wore a black peplum-style jacket while the Queen's coffin was being prepared for its journey to London. She previously wore the same jacket in 1997 - 25 years earlier - at Princess Diana's funeral.

In April last year, Anne was also seen during a visit to Papa New Guinea wearing a stylish trouser suit for two days a row.

However, fashion isn’t the only place King Charles has made more sustainable changes. The royal has driven his beloved Aston Martin for over five decades, and went as far as to find a more sustainable fuel source in a bid to be more environmentally conscious about his methods of travel.

The monarch also previously admitted to making dietary changes in an effort to reduce his carbon footprint. In an interview with the BBC, the father-of-two said: "I haven’t eaten meat and fish two days a week and I don’t eat dairy products on one day a week. If more did that, you would reduce a lot of the pressure."

King Charles’ late mother Queen Elizabeth was also known to repeat outfits, though not as frequently. According to Elizabeth Holmes’ book, "HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style," the Queen’s outfits are recorded, and repeats are purposely spaced out.

It seems that the trend of thrifty fashion set by the older members of the royal family has been something younger royal members have taken on also. King Charles III’s daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has also become known for repeating outfits, often wearing the same dress to multiple events and repeating cosy coats.

From the minute the now Prince and Princess of Wales, went public with their relationship, all eyes were on Kate from her hair to her clothes to the point where she would be seen wearing something from the high-street and the product would be sold out in minutes.

In 2022, the royal was seen re-wearing multiple garments on her many public appearances, and some re-wears were mere months apart., Kate rewore a white coat dress by Alexander McQueen on the first day of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. She previously wore the look at the G7 Summit in Cornwall in June 2021.

Kate first wore a stunning canary-yellow dress by Roksanda during a visit to Jamaica in March. A few months later, she rewore the bright number while attending the women’s singles final at Wimbledon in July.

The Princess also brought back fan favourite pieces from over a decade ago in 2021 when she wore her nautical-inspired blouse by Alexander McQueen after first debuting this in 2011. Kate has worn it a number of times since, including in Portsmouth in 2016. A decade later, the royal paired the top with tailored trousers and a navy coat for a visit to the Imperial War Museum