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A few weekends ago, Kensington Palace announced that they would no longer release information about the Princess of Wales’s clothes. Royal sources huffed and puffed about how the time had finally come for Kate to be seen as a woman of substance, and that identifying which designers she wore distracted from the important busywork Kate does every now and then, when she feels like it. As I pointed out, this was not the first time KP had tried to pull this “don’t talk about Kate’s fashion” sh-t before, and they had to walk it back all of those other times too. Just like they’re doing now. It seems that several British papers published critical columns of Kate’s new “substance over style” complaint. So now Kate and her office are complaining and explaining, will you look at that.
Kate Middleton’s office is clarifying the official policy for releasing details about her clothing following recent backlash over new palace guidance. After a week of discussion surrounding the Princess of Wales’ clothing and the possibility of changing the formal policy on sharing her fashion details, Kensington Palace issued a rare statement.
This follows a Feb. 1 Sunday Times article titled “Princess of Wales: Focus on my work, not my wardrobe,” which quoted a royal source saying that Kate “wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting.”
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, a Kensington Palace spokesperson responded with a statement to PEOPLE: “Over the last week, I have received numerous questions about a story regarding The Princess of Wales’s clothing and how Kensington Palace shares information about her outfits. To clarify, the comments that appeared in the article were from me, not The Princess of Wales,” the statement continued. “The comments that were reported should not be directly attributed to The Princess of Wales. To be clear, there has been no change in our approach to sharing information about Her Royal Highness’s clothing.”
In response to the Sunday Times report, several op-eds criticized the notion that Kate’s style should be downplayed, emphasizing the vital role it plays in shining a spotlight on British designers and boosting the British fashion industry. Critics also pointed out that her fashion choices not only pay homage to the legacy of Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth but also serve as an important tool for connecting with the public and should not be minimized.
This is bullsh-t, all the way around. First of all, the Times and other outlets made it clear that the “substance over style” quotes were not coming from Kate directly, but the quotes were attributed to an unnamed palace source. I knew what it meant – it was coming from Kate’s office or it was coming from Kensington Palace in general, meaning Prince William’s staffers might have had a hand in it too. Why was Kate’s spokesperson unable to go on the record the first time, when he or she ranted to the Times and other outlets about not releasing fashion IDs? Why complain and explain nearly two weeks later, but not even make a point of changing the new and unpopular policy? It’s basically just an acknowledgement that Kate’s idea is unpopular, that she doesn’t actually have much substance to begin with, and that Kate and her staff are boneheads for orchestrating this completely unnecessary mess. Kate’s staffers are too incompetent to even fall on their swords properly – this clarification just made things dumber.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, visits Ty Hafan, a childrenís hospice based in Sully, near Cardiff, which supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives.,Image: 958888628, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Richard Pohle/Avalon/Avalon
AMMANFORD, WALES – JANUARY 30: Catherine, Princess of Wales during a visit to Corgi, a family run textiles manufacturer focused on the production of socks and knitwear on January 30, 2025 in Ammanford, Wales. During her visit to South Wales, The Princess of Wales she highlighted the work of longstanding organisations that prioritise community at their core. The Princesses focus was on the wellbeing of children and families, as well as celebrating the excellence of Welsh textiles manufacturing.,Image: 958961908, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rebecca Naden/Avalon/Avalon
AMMANFORD, WALES – JANUARY 30: Catherine, Princess of Wales arrives for a visit to Corgi, a family run textiles manufacturer focused on the production of socks and knitwear on January 30, 2025 in Ammanford, Wales. During her visit to South Wales, The Princess of Wales she highlighted the work of longstanding organisations that prioritise community at their core. The Princesses focus was on the wellbeing of children and families, as well as celebrating the excellence of Welsh textiles manufacturing.,Image: 958961915, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rebecca Naden/Avalon/Avalon
London, UK, 04 February 2025: Catherine, The Princess of Wales joined a group of four and five-year-old school children at the National Portrait.Gallery and launched a new project from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood aimed at supporting young children in the development of crucial social and emotional skills.,Image: 960115471, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards/Avalon/Avalon
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Catherine, Princess of Wales At The National Portrait Gallery.

Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales

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London, UNITED KINGDOM – Catherine, Princess of Wales At The National Portrait Gallery.
Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales
BACKGRID USA 4 FEBRUARY 2025
BYLINE MUST READ: Timmie / BACKGRID
USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com
UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com
*UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children
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The Princess of Wales during a ceremony at London’s Guildhall, to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 27 Jan 2025
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages
**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The Princess of Wales attends a ceremony at London’s Guildhall, to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 27 Jan 2025
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages
**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The Princess of Wales, Patron of Action for Children, during a visit to a mother and baby unit inside HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire, to highlight the importance of strong, loving and consistent mother and baby relationships to a child’s development, even in the most challenging of environments.
Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales
Where: Wilmslow, United Kingdom
When: 11 Feb 2025
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages
**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
