‘The style is there but it’s about the substance’ - Kensington Palace will stop releasing details of Kate’s outfits

2 February 2025, 14:13

Kensington Palace will stop regularly releasing details of Kate’s outfits as the Princess of Wales is reportedly frustrated with the public’s focus on her outfits rather than her work.

The Princess of Wales’s outfits have always been at the centre of her public appearances, as people routinely scrutinise, judge and copy her fashion.

Her outfits have contributed to the success of many fashion houses and designers in the past, who will sorely miss the highly sought-after publicity.

She has repeatedly topped world best-dressed lists, and the ‘Kate effect’ - when clothes become incredibly popular after Kate is spotted wearing them - was reported in 2021 to have boosted the British fashion industry by up to £1 billion a year.

But now, Kensington Palace has announced they will stop officially announcing her outfits to the public, as Kate feels her style is commanding too much attention.

Kate has been frustrated by a perceived focus on her style rather than the substance of her work, according to the Sunday Times.

The newspaper reported that Kensington Palace may still issue details on outfits or jewellery worn for important state and family events, despite the changes in relation to other public engagements.

The palace has in the past frequently issued information to the media on the clothes and jewellery worn by Kate.

As a result, brands have often received a boost from the so-called "Kate effect" after their lines are worn by the royal.

Kate was famously photographed wearing a £40 TopShop dress on her birthday in 2012, which sold out within 24 hours.

She has since launched several collections for TopShop, which all sold out rapidly.

A Kensington Palace source told the Sunday Times: "There is an absolute feeling that it is not about what the princess is wearing.

"She wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting.”

Kensington Palace did not issue details of Kate's outfit to the media during two recent engagements in south Wales.

Kate made a solo visit on Thursday, meeting youngsters at the Ty Hafan Children's Hospice.

The princess, who confirmed last month she is in remission from cancer, has become patron of the hospice as she continues her gradual return to public duties.

Kate also visited the Welsh knitwear and sock manufacturer Corgi in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire to shine a light on British industry.

The source added: "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."

It comes as Kate launches a new initiative aimed at developing the nation's "social and emotional skills" to alleviate the human cost from a world sometimes filled with "mistrust and misunderstanding".

Kate said the state of modern life was leaving many feeling "isolated and vulnerable" during troubled periods, resulting in "poor mental health, addiction and abuse" that was "devastating" for those affected and society.

Kate's Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has published the Shaping Us Framework aimed at increasing awareness of these soft or life skills to inspire action across society.