How posh are YOUR wellies? From Harper Beckham's £120 Hunter boots to Kate's Le Chameaus, etiquette experts reveal what the real upper crust would never wear

Everyone knows the handbag you wear says an enormous amount about how posh you really are. Is it timeless Chanel, new money Louis Vuitton or a trend piece from M&S?But did you realise that the wellington boots you sport this autumn are also a big indicator of your wealth?Take for instance Harper Beckham's appearance at Reading over the weekend. The 15-year-old followed in the footsteps of most A-listers at festivals and sported a pair of £120 black Hunter wellies.The heritage footwear brand, which once held two royal warrants, is regularly flaunted by celebrities and royals alike such as Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, Cara Delevingne, the Princess of Wales and the late Princess Diana.But despite the calibre of clients preferring the Edinburgh-based boots, they are not the poshest wellies on the market. No, that title is awarded to Le Chameau, according to Julius F. Smith, former royal butler and founder of Regal Afternoon Tea.Shoes from the French wellymaker, popular with the likes of Prince Harry, Kate, and Victoria Beckham and Taylor Swift, range in price from £140 to £420.But what if you're more Dunlop or Holland Cooper? Or prefer a pair of wellies from Barbour? Read on to discover what your choice of wellington boots really says about you... Harper Beckham's appearance at Reading over the weekend. The 15-year-old followed in the footsteps of most A-listers at festivals and sported a pair of £120 black Hunter welliesLe Chameau Founded in 1927, Le Chameau is the only brand to handcraft each pair of boots by a single Maître Bottier (master bootmaker) from start to finish.The French brand has several celebrity fans including Victoria and David Beckham, Taylor Swift and Kate Moss.It was also the first bootmakers to perfect a zip on a rubber boot and to develop their own Chamolux rubber - which is remarkably supple and has the strength and durability to last for years while remaining stylish. Julius said: 'Le Chameau is certainly associated with the wealthier country and shooting set. They're expensive, but they look as though they're there to do a job rather than show everybody how much you've spent.'They're the sort of boots I would expect to see on a proper country estate - and are definitely posh, but quietly so.' The Princess of Wales, pictured, wore a pair of Le Chameau's boots to watch Prince William and Harry play in The Golden Metropolitan Polo Club Charity Cup in Tetbury in 2012HarkilaWorn by Prince William, Danish brand Harkila is 'very traditional', according to Julius. He added: 'Harkila is the sort of boot that looks perfectly at home in the countryside and among those who like to go shooting. 'They're practical rather than something you're wearing to make a fashion statement.'The Harkila wellies promise exceptional comfort, but they also have that ability to give you an air of country savoir-faire - even if your idea of serious labour is a leisurely Sunday stroll followed by lunch at the pub,' said Laura Windsor, known as the Queen of Etiquette, who advised Netflix on Regency-era social graces for Bridgerton.'They are elegant in a very practical, quintessentially British way. Lightweight and offering protection, warmth and flexibility for long walks, and other pursuits in cold, wet conditions, here is an example of true country elegance.' Dubarry A favourite of the Duchess of Edinburgh, Irish-based Dubarry is a 'very well thought of' brand, explained Julius. 'It has that proper country look without appearing as though you're trying desperately hard to prove something,' he added.'It's the sort of footwear that looks entirely natural at a country fair, a shoot or walking across an estate, and is traditional and tasteful.'Hunter 90s supermodel Kate Moss, the queen of festival wear, donned this famous outfit in 2005, matching a waistcoat and tiny shorts with Hunter wellington bootsFounded in 1856 as the North British Rubber Company, the Hunter waterproof boots have been worn by royals such as the Princess of Wales and the late Princess Diana.Its original iteration, the North British Rubber Company, supplied rubber boots to the army in the First and Second World Wars, after it was the first firm to manufacture the product in the UK. In 1981, they were worn by Princess Diana in her engagement photos, the distinctive 'Hunter' label clearly visible.Buoyed by Diana's endorsement, green Hunters became the weekend uniform of Sloane Rangers as they visited their country piles.In 2005, model Kate Moss was spotted wearing Hunter wellies to Glastonbury and the brand soon started adapting the boot for a wider market, releasing them in a range of colours and prints.No longer just for the upper-classes, Hunter Wellington boots are favoured by students and festival-goers alike. It now counts the US as its largest market.Julius explained: 'Hunter is, of course, the traditional old-money wellington boot. The problem is that somewhere along the way it was rather hijacked by new money and became a fashion item.'There's a great difference between pulling on an old muddy pair of Hunters that have been sitting beside the back door for 15 years and wearing a pristine pair because you've seen somebody famous wearing them.' Saint Laurent or Chanel Showing she is a glamorous star, Shirley Bassey donned a memorable 2007 Glastonbury look, matching a feathered fuchsia gown with bejewelled welliesWhilst there's brands that are just known for making wellington boots, designer labels have also tried their hand at designing wellies, including the likes of Saint Laurent and Chanel.But for Julius, these boots would be 'new money through and through'.He claimed: 'Old money doesn't need a designer label on its wellies. You would never decorate your wellington boots, and traditionally you certainly wouldn't wear them into town as a fashion accessory.'That's where you can often tell the difference. Old money wears wellington boots because there is mud. New money sometimes wears wellington boots because they want you to think there might be a country estate somewhere. 'If you're buying your wellington boots from Saint Laurent or Chanel, I suspect there's a very good chance you're wearing them in town as a fashion accessory rather than trudging across a muddy field.'Holland CooperHolland Cooper is a brand loved by the Princess of Wales, and whilst it might once have been accused of being more 'new money' because of its age (it was established in 2008), Julius argues it's 'moving into traditional posh territory'.He said: 'Holland Cooper is an interesting one because I think it is becoming part of that traditional country look.'The founder, Jade Holland Cooper, started very small at country fairs and built the brand from there, and you now see it very much associated with the Cheltenham set.'It's a newer brand that has managed to establish genuine country credentials.'Barbour'Barbour was once the absolute uniform of old money,' said Julius. 'An ancient Barbour jacket hanging by the back door, preferably covered in mud and looking as though it had seen better days, was almost a badge of honour.'It has now found its way far beyond the traditional country set, and you’re just as likely to see Barbour on the streets of London as you are on a country estate.'The great irony is that with genuine old money, the older and scruffier the Barbour and the wellington boots, the better. They should look as though they've actually been worn across a field, not as though they've just come out of a box.'Muck Boot The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Auckland, New Zealand in 2018. Meghan wears a pair of Muck Boots'Muck Boots are the sort of thing you genuinely see being worn on shooting estates,' explained the etiquette expert. 'They're practical, they're made for the outdoors and nobody is wearing them because they want to be photographed in them.'That gives them far more country credibility in my eyes than something covered in designer logos.'Joules'Joules is very middle class and, for me, has always had quite a family and children's feel to it,' said Julius.'There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but I wouldn't put it in quite the same category as the traditional shooting and country brands.'Mountain Warehouse'Mountain Warehouse is functional rather than traditional,' said Julius. Laura echoed this, adding: 'Posh? Perhaps not. But they’re certainly practical, cheerful and accessible - and sometimes that’s all a posh welly needs to be.'Dunlop'Dunlop is for the price-conscious person who wants a pair of wellington boots to keep their feet dry,' said Julius, who labelled the brand 'sensible and inexpensive'.Laura, meanwhile, added: 'Sturdy, no doubt. Sexy? Nope. These are obviously not boots one wears to be seen in - more like survive in. 'If your green wellies are doubling down as practical and fashionable, these probably aren’t your pair. Posh - not at all!'