It’s a sad day for royal fashion fans — Kensington Palace said it plans to stop sharing details of Princess Kate Middleton’s outfits.
Speaking to The Sunday Times’ royal editor, Roya Nikkah, on Saturday, February 1, a palace source said Middleton, 43, wants the media’s focus to be on “really important issues” instead of on her wardrobe.
“There is an absolute feeling that it [the public work] is not about what the princess is wearing,” the source told the outlet.
“She wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting. There will always be an appreciation of what the princess is wearing from some of the public and she gets that. But do we need to be officially always saying what she is wearing? No. The style is there but it’s about the substance,” the insider added.
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The Sunday Times reported that the palace may still issue some details about the Princess of Wales’ outfits for significant royal and state events, but not for regular engagements.
The announcement appears to be part of a new media strategy as Middleton slowly returns to royal duties after announcing that her cancer was in remission in January.
In the past, it was common for Middleton and other members of the royal family to use their outfits to send a message or to pay tribute to other royals.
During a recent appearance for Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday, January 27, Middleton wore a faux five-strand pearl necklace by Jewish-owned brand Susan Caplan. She also wore pearl drop earrings which were a gift to Queen Elizabeth II by the Hakim of Bahrain to celebrate her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.
Meanwhile, other royals, such as King Charles III, 76, and his sister, Princess Anne, 74, have used fashion as a way to highlight their commitment to sustainability.
In September 2024, Charles’ charity, The King’s Foundation, partnered with Net-a-porter to launch a luxury sustainable clothing line inspired by the Scottish landscape.
As for Anne, the princess has repeated outfits on numerous occasions. For example, she has been photographed wearing the same fur-lined coat to private and public engagements since the 1970s.
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More recently, Hello Magazine reported that the navy tartan suit Anne wore to watch a rugby match over the weekend may have been recycled from the 1970s.
“Just like The Princess of Wales, we don’t comment on The Princess Royal’s outfits,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Us Weekly on Sunday, February 2.
Kensington Palace declined to comment when contacted by Us Weekly.
