Princess Kate’s spokesperson has issued a clarification defending her after an apparent swipe at the media’s focus on royal fashion.

U.K. broadsheet The Sunday Times said earlier this month that Kensington Palace would no longer be issuing details about the Princess of Wales’ clothing and quoted an unnamed source suggesting Kate “wants the focus to be on the really important issues” and not on what the she is wearing.

Why It Matters

as for years Kate has been praised for her dress sense and is considered to have offered a boost to British fashion brands with her carefully chosen style choices.

Now though, Kensington Palace appears to have at least partially backtracked on the remarks, clarifying that they were not a reflection of Kate’s own beliefs.

What to Know

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said on Tuesday: “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 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.”

It is exceptionally unusual for a palace spokesperson to take ownership of quotes attributed to an unnamed source and the decision to do so will not have been taken lightly.

The original Sunday Times story quoted a source saying: “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.

“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.”

What People Are Saying

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “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.”

A 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.”

Kay Burley, outgoing presenter on Sky News in the U.K., said on air: “I’m surprised that we can’t say which fashion designers she’s wearing anymore.

“Also the fashion designers, it’s impacting on them as well because it’s great if they get the footage in the papers.”

What Happens Next

Royal fans will doubtless continue to talk about Kate’s fashion irrespective of the palace’s perspective on it.

However, the latest clarification from Kensington Palace will move to protect the princess herself from any feeling the attention is unwanted.

Williams Brown is chief royal correspondent for Regalrumination.com, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly , at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com’s .

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