The then Duchess of Cambridge wearing a more tailored outfit at a Scouts meeting in Glasgow in 2021
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Kate Middleton first showed fans what they could expect of her countryside style in 2007, when she was still dating the young Prince William. The pair attended the first day of the Cheltenham Festival together, for which Kate relied once more on Ralph Lauren, wearing a tight-fitting tweed jacket with a matching, flared skirt. Clearly, the suit remains a much-cherished piece in her wardrobe: a full 18 years later, the Princess rewore the same jacket, pairing it with a pleated tartan Gucci skirt and a brown turtleneck for a visit to Pontypridd in south Wales in February.
In a break from tradition, Kensington Palace announced earlier this year that it would no longer be releasing details of the Princess’ outfits during her royal engagements, in a move that many saw as signalling Kate’s desire to shift attention away from her wardrobe and onto the causes she serves. A source from the palace explained the decision: ‘There is an absolute feeling that it [the public-facing work] is not about what the princess is wearing,’ they told The Times. ‘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.’