Kate Middleton's style never fails to make headlines, but in an unexpected turn of events, a palace source has contradicted their own statement about the royal's fashion coverage. The source, who initially told the Times that Kensington Palace would stop releasing details about Kate's outfits, has now revised their position in comments to People on Tuesday, February 11.
On Feb. 1, the Times reported that the palace—who, for the most part, hasn't released specific details about Princess Kate's outfits in a number of years—would no longer "officially" share what the princess was wearing.
“There is an absolute feeling that it [the public work] is not about what the princess is wearing," the source said. "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.”
Both royal fashion fans and journalists have spoken out after the comments went public, with many noting the impact that the Princess of Wales's fashion choices have on brands and the British fashion industry in particular. The backlash was so strong, in fact, that it caused the palace to make a rare correction to the earlier comments.
"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," the insider said in a statement to People. "To clarify, the comments that appeared in the article were from me, not the Princess of Wales. The comments that were reported should not be directly attributed to the Princess of Wales."
The palace source continued, "To be clear, there has been no change in our approach to sharing information about Her Royal Highness’s clothing."
Indeed, there wouldn't be a reason for fashion bloggers and social media accounts to scour the internet trying to ID the royal's outfits if the palace released these details on the regular. How the prior comments were misconstrued remains unclear, but since Feb. 1, the Princess of Wales has been wearing a series of repeat and neutral looks that seem to hint at the "substance over style" message.
Whether it's wearing the same plaid coat she debuted less than a month ago during a Feb. 11 visit with prisoners and children or leaning into solid suit separates, Princess Kate has been flying under the radar when it comes to her recent style choices. While some have noted it's an attempt at focusing on work versus style, royal expert Christine Ross recently pointed out to Marie Claire that this approach has backfired for Kate in the past.
"She was clearly trying to send a message that she means business, and her work was her top priority," the "Royal Dress Code" podcast co-host said of the royal's 2023 pantsuit aesthetic. "Instead, readers and royal watchers started to lose interest as the events blended into one colorful blur. "
While her 2023 lineup of repeated trouser suits showcased practicality, it raises a broader question about royal fashion in 2025: does power dressing always mean minimalism? In an era where women command boardrooms and lead countries in bold prints and vivid colors (see: Queen Maxima), the message that one needs to wear a dark suit to be taken seriously misses the point.
