Royal style vs. substance: Princess of Wales wants her work to be the focus, not what she's wearing
Kensington Palace will no longer routinely share details of Catherine's clothes
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It is, perhaps, a quintessential quandary: style versus substance, and whether one should hold sway over the other.
The Princess of Wales — or a source speaking for her — waded in the other day. They let it be known that Kensington Palace would no longer be regularly sharing word about the clothes Catherine is wearing in the hope that the attention she inevitably attracts would focus more on her work.
The Sunday Times quoted a palace source saying: "There is an absolute feeling that it [the public work] 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.
"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."
This comes as Catherine continues a gradual return to public duties after completion of preventative chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer.
"I think that with Catherine's return to public life after an extended absence during cancer treatment ... she's had the opportunity to take stock of her public role and what she wants to achieve in the future," Toronto-based royal author and historian Carolyn Harris said in an interview.
Catherine's role within the Royal Family has also changed since her arrival upon her marriage to Prince William in 2011. At that point, she was a more junior member in a considerably larger multigenerational roster of working royals than there is today, and she was facing less pressure individually to make a large public impact.
"As one of the few younger working members of the Royal Family [now], she receives a lot of scrutiny in terms of her public image as well as her activities," Harris said.
"And with her work on early childhood education and other causes related to children's health and well-being, it's clear that that's where she would like the focus to be in the coming years."
The decision to pare back on sharing information about Catherine's clothes sparked a vigorous reaction in the media — inside and outside the fashion world.
A headline in Vogue magazine posed a question: "Kate Middleton's Wardrobe Spoke Volumes. What Will Happen Now That It's Silenced?"
"The clothing worn by high-profile women is a deeply complicated arena," the Vogue article concluded.
"And the Princess of Wales can — and should — do what she likes when it comes to her fashion. But power can be, and always has been, expressed through style when using one's voice wasn't an option. So one can only hope that Kate still keeps the door to her closet slightly ajar."
In the Times, a headline spoke directly to Catherine, saying, "Kate, you're wrong, your fashion choices are your superpower."
Another headline in The Telegraph suggested that "The Princess of Wales refuses to be a fashion influencer. That won't stop royal fans loving her style."
Even if Kensington Palace isn't providing as many sartorial details as it used to, it's unlikely that what Catherine wears will remain a mystery for those who are interested.
"There are fashion bloggers today that are very good at sourcing where particular fashions come from," said Harris.
"It just may result in some of these fashion bloggers and fashion social influencers receiving greater prominence as the press will turn to them to ask, you know, where did these particular fashions come from? Has she worn this before? Is this one of her favourite designers?"
Catherine's sartorial choices have long been scrutinized — and have had their own impact within the fashion industry, including her penchant for combining more affordable pieces with designer wear.
"Catherine really has had a global impact in terms of the choices she makes," Harris said.
The "Kate effect" has often kicked in, with brands or products selling out after Catherine was spotted wearing a particular item. Her wedding dress was an instant trendsetter.
She's also been known for favouring British brands, and looking to designers in other countries when she visits there. In Canada, for instance, there were headlines about the navy blue blazer from the Toronto label Smythe she donned for her arrival on her first trip here in 2011.
There have been times, Harris says, when there have been tensions between a member of the Royal Family being seen as a philanthropist and as a fashion icon.
"When we look at Diana, Princess of Wales, sometimes there was a tension between her role as a philanthropist who was comforting AIDS patients and drawing attention to the horrors being caused by landmines ... but there was also that intense scrutiny of Diana, the fashion icon," Harris said.
"If Diana attended the state opening of Parliament, for instance, sometimes there would be more coverage of what Diana was wearing than of the Queen's speech.... So that can certainly be a complicating factor when there are multiple generations of the Royal Family all attending the same event."
Regardless of Catherine's wish that there be more focus on the substance of her work, Harris expects that her style will still intersect with wider debates about 21st century fashion.
"The questions have arisen, has fashion become more timeless in the 21st century?... What are going to be the signature looks of the early 21st century?" Harris said.
"So it will be interesting to see how Catherine's fashion choices become part of that wider debate of is fashion becoming more diverse with more options or ... are trends changing less quickly than they used to?"
Prince Harry — and the Invictus Games — come back to Canada
The Invictus Games are drawing more than 500 competitors to Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., for the adaptive sporting event founded by Prince Harry to support wounded, injured and sick veterans and members of the armed forces.
After the opening ceremony at B.C. Place on Saturday afternoon, competition kicked off with wheelchair basketball in the evening. Competitors from 20 countries will also take part in winter adaptive sports such as alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling.
This year's nine-day event is the first Invictus competition to take place during the winter, and the second time Canada has hosted the Games. Throughout the decade since their founding, the Games and the veterans they support have remained a priority for Harry, an army veteran himself, even as he stepped back from official royal duties.
"At this moment, when there is no shortage of crises, no absence of uncertainty, no lack of weak moral character in the world, the values you embody — the way you carry yourselves — not only at the Invictus Games, but each and every day, your courage, your resilience, your humanity, illuminate a path forward for us all," Harry said in a speech Saturday.
"Your leadership did not end when you stepped off the battlefield or took off the uniform. It endures. The example you set is a compass for the world. We need you. And we'll always need you."
The Games reflect a natural interest for Harry on several levels.
"Harry's work with the Invictus Games builds on his own military experience and it also complements the very strong relationship between monarchy and military that has always existed within the Royal Family," said Harris.
"For Prince Harry, however, this has become a very personal initiative. It has transcended his role within the Royal Family."
As much as the Games focus on the competitors, there will also be media attention on Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
"The Invictus Games have always been very central to how the public perceives Harry and Meghan," said Harris. "They made their first appearance together as a couple at Invictus Games in Toronto [in 2017]. So there will be interest in seeing them together at the Invictus Games in British Columbia."
Harris expects there will also be interest in seeing how enthusiastic Harry appears to be about being back in B.C.
"Harry went skiing in Whistler when he was just 13 with his father and brother, the year after Diana, Princess of Wales's death. And then he spent those months on Vancouver Island after stepping back as a senior member of the Royal Family. [His son] Archie's first Christmas happened in Canada."
Harry's travel to and from California, where he now lives, could also draw media attention over the next few days.
"Certainly since President Trump's come to power, there's been scrutiny of Harry's immigration status," said Harris.
The Associated Press reported this week that a federal judge in Washington D.C., is considering the next steps in a slow-moving court case over whether to release documents that could spell legal trouble for Harry, with an influential conservative think-tank seeking to reveal if he lied on his immigration paperwork about past drug use or received special treatment to enter the country.
For Harry, Harris says, the Invictus Games will likely be his "major legacy."
On a personal level, she said, he can be "quite a divisive figure."
"But his work with Invictus Games really brings people together," she said.
"Even critics of Prince Harry's personal decisions have expressed a great deal of admiration for what he's done for veterans through the Invictus Games."
A welcome letter — and patronage — from the King
Sheep farmer Gillian Crawford didn't really know what to expect as she stood on a windy pier in Pictou, N.S., one spring day in 2014.
Crawford was waiting to meet Prince Charles as his Prince's Charities Canada launched an initiative to promote the sustainability of wool and the role that it plays supporting rural livelihoods and economies.
Charles and his wife, Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, spoke with Crawford and others involved in sheep farming and related industries and activities.
"I was really impressed that as he walked along the line he took the time to stop and chat," Crawford said in an interview Thursday.
"It wasn't just a chit-chat. He knew what he was talking about and he was ... sincerely interested in what I was telling him."
A decade later, as King, Charles has renewed his patronage for the Campaign for Wool Canada. A few days ago, he sent a letter marking the campaign's 10th anniversary to CEO Matthew Rowe.
In the letter, Charles said he was "touched to be able to reflect upon the important work done by the team of volunteers and staff since the campaign was launched in 2014."
"Your part in supporting the wool industry, preserving rural livelihoods and encouraging more sustainable practices for our planet is truly admirable," Charles wrote.
Crawford, who farms with her husband, John Crawford, in River John, N.S., welcomes the thought of Charles as patron for the Campaign for Wool Canada.
"Unfortunately in Canada, the wool isn't worth a lot of money, although people … use wool and appreciate it and know that it is a valuable resource," Crawford said.
"So to have someone like [King Charles] trying to encourage other people to see the value in wool and to be promoting wool, I think it's a good thing."
Rowe welcomed the letter from King Charles, who has been updated regularly on the campaign's efforts and initiatives to promote wool and create opportunities for it.
"It's been … a very productive relationship," Rowe said in an interview.
"Any time we have the conversation ... he's always 10 steps ahead in terms of trying to ... figure out how we can better promote our cause."
That cause is wool, all that can be done with the natural, long-lasting and biodegradable material and its role in supporting a sustainable world, something that has been a longstanding interest of Charles. The Campaign for Wool is active in 13 countries.
"I think the role of the King — it has been ... to call attention to it, to provide this sort of transnational leadership where he was able to successfully bring together what are essentially competing commercial industries under this common banner with the understanding that we're stronger as an industry together," Rowe said.
"When everyone knows about wool and everyone understands wool, the whole industry benefits. And that's a kind of global co-operation that I think has some lessons for us in the modern time, maybe this week more than ever."
Rowe said Charles is by no means only a figurehead for the Campaign for Wool.
"He is definitely engaged. There was a concern that when he succeeded [to the throne] that there would be all these other obligations. And obviously there is. We don't get as much time as we used to," Rowe said.
"But the fact that he renewed the patronage of the Campaign for Wool even when he didn't renew other long-standing patronages of [his late mother, Queen Elizabeth], it really speaks to how the Campaign for Wool fits into his global vision of harmony, of sustainability, part of this mission to address climate change."
Royally quotable
"I just know I was really well looked after, so thank you."
— Princess Anne, as she offered her gratitude to hospital staff who treated her for a head injury last summer. Anne visited Southmead Hospital in Bristol, England, on Thursday, touring the building and meeting health professionals involved in her care for the injury suspected to have been caused by a horse.
Royal reads and watches
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Princess Beatrice has given birth to a daughter several weeks prematurely, with the four-pound five-ounce royal baby, named Athena, said to be healthy and doing well. [ITV]
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King Charles is set to feature in a new documentary for Amazon Prime Video. The project is expected to highlight his environmental charity work in the U.K. and overseas. [BBC]
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King Charles released a heartfelt video to mark World Cancer Day. Catherine also marked the day, releasing a new photograph taken by her son, Prince Louis. [ITV]
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King Charles and Queen Camilla are to host actor Stanley Tucci at a formal dinner on Friday evening to mark the confirmation of a state visit to Italy later this year. [BBC]
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Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, exchanged hugs with families of new Gurkha soldiers as she and Prince Edward visited Nepal. [Daily Mail]
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The Princess of Wales travelled by school minibus along with an enthusiastic group of five-year-olds to visit an exhibition in central London. [BBC]
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Prince Andrew was in contact with the U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein longer than previously admitted, emails published in court documents appear to show. [BBC]
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The full text of a gushing letter written by Prince Andrew's adviser to the alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo reveals how intimate the relationship between the two had become in the aftermath of the prince's disastrous 2019 interview with the BBC. [The Guardian]
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