AUSTRIA'S DESIGN ARISTOCRAT - SOPHIE HABSBURG

Soft hues, floral prints and perfectly co-ordinated millinery are staples of the Duchess of Edinburgh's wardrobe. But for well over a decade, she has been adding a pop of pizzazz to her looks thanks to a certain luxury handbag label: Sophie Habsburg.

- DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH

Known as the Archduchess of Austria among her high-society circles - she's a great-niece of the last Austrian emperor - the Rome-based designer, 65, has been working with the U.K. royal since she started her business.

Her royal client gets in touch whenever she's looking for a new style, and together they work through various options. "The duchess contacts me if she needs to," designer Sophie - whose clients also include Lady Gabriella Kingston and the "very cool" Queen Maxima of the Netherlands - tells Hello!

"She might send a photo of a dress and we consult on what could match. And I send her photos of my new bags, as you would with any good client. She knows what she wants to wear and what she doesn't." 

A ROYAL INTRODUCTION

The two women first crossed paths at the wedding of Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg to the then-Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy in 2012 - Sophie's royal connections are something she's quite matter-of-fact about.

"Some of the European royal families are relatives and we see each other on [special] occasions, so the door is more open that sense," says the designer, who's been married for 34 years to Prince Mariano Hugo, head of the House of Windisch-Graetz.