Kensington Palace’s decision to no longer release details of the Princess of Wales’s clothes on public engagements will undoubtedly disappoint many.
Following what one of the best-dressed women in the world appears in is hugely entertaining – and a great boon to the designers she endorses.
But in my opinion, the decision makes complete sense. We have here a woman who has experienced the truly life-changing diagnosis of cancer and one that has involved lengthy treatment.
Although the Princess is a consummate professional and 100 per cent aware of her position in the public arena, she is also a human being. And people who go through what she has often look at aspects of their life in different ways once they are on the mend.
Now that she is starting to appear in public again – looking as elegant, polished and inspiring as ever – it is entirely understandable that she might want the emphasis on these appearances to focus more on the central mission. Not her clothes.
Although the royals are paid for out of the public purse, they are not paid to be mannequins but to represent the country and engage with institutions that benefit from their support, such as the Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice in South Wales we saw her visit last week.
The Princess of Wales, Patron of Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice, during a visit to the hospice in Sully, near Cardiff
Now that she is starting to appear in public again – looking as elegant, polished and inspiring as ever – it is entirely understandable that she might want the emphasis on these appearances to focus more on the central mission
The Princess wore a black and white Zara dress last seen on her in 2021 to the hospice
Yes, it was interesting that she was wearing a black and white Zara dress last seen on her in 2021, and that on Holocaust Memorial Day she chose to wear the Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings gifted by the late Queen. And many will no doubt miss those details.
However, Catherine has never wanted to play the clothes horse, as I know from working with her closely on a cover story for Vogue.
She wants her activities to reflect the real her and what she finds important.
And – with the examination of priorities that serious illness often brings – she has decided, for now, that what is important is not what brand she’s wearing.
