Princess Kate gave the humble cardigan a royal makeover with her genius styling twist

Princess Catherine is the doyenne of the country-core trend. Take a look at the future Queen's outfit last October, when she and husband Prince William made a surprise visit to Mallon Farm in Northern Ireland. 

The 44-year-old looked the part in a heritage-inspired layered outfit, from the tweed midi skirt to the barn jacket and not forgetting her knitwear too - so chic, so cosy and so classic with her cardigan.

Wearing a tonal ensemble, the Princess of Wales looked impossibly chic for the visit, with her long brown hair left loose and her signature pared-back makeup look.

But it's her humble cardigan, the lynchpin of many women's wardrobes, that had me sitting up and taking notice. The royal wore it in the most unexpected way which had me rethinking how I style my very own classic cardigans.

Kate layered the coffee-coloured With Nothing Underneath Jura Cardigan over a fine knit roll neck. The past few years, it's been the trend to wear a white T-shirt under a knit like a cardigan, letting the crew neck of the tee pop over the neckline of the cardigan. However Kate's new vibe is a fresh, yet classic way to wear a cardigan. 

The key is keep your layering piece, the roll neck, as lightweight and fine as possible to avoid adding unwanted bulk to your silhouette. The Hush Supersoft High Neck Top or the Cos Roll Neck are ideal pairings.

I asked HELLO!'s Fashion Editor Laura Sutcliffe what she thought of Princess Catherine's look: "Kate's layered cardigan look is both classic, yet modern. The humble cardigan is often associated as an older lady trend, but it shouldn't be! It's the perfect layering piece and Kate's short version looks super sleek with her skirt. It doubles up as a warm and cosy outwear staple but can amp up any ensemble. Kate teaming it with a  rollneck screams heritage chic."

Can you wear this cardigan combo with jeans? Absolutely. In fact, I think it looks cooler with denim, ideally a pair of straight leg or slim barrel jeans, worn with loafers or pointed boots, especially now as we ease into autumn.

If you love Kate's look, M&S' Yarn Cardigan is a great choice to emulate Kate's outfit. Made from lightweight Air-Yarn, it's short like Kate's and features a crew neck and brown buttons.

And this Boden cashmere cardigan would also look stylish layered, and a great price for a 100% cashmere piece.

The country-core vibe is big news right now, thanks to influences like Claudia Winkleman's style  on The Celebrity Traitors, and the Netflix series, The Gentlemen.