The palace’s new stance on Kate Middleton’s outfits—where Kensington Palace has dialed back on sharing fashion details—has sent ripples through royal coverage, shifting the spotlight in some unexpected ways. Announced in early 2025, this move was meant to pivot attention from Kate’s wardrobe to her work, like her early childhood initiatives and mental health advocacy. But has it really changed how the media and fans talk about the Princess of Wales?
Before this shift, Kate’s style was a royal coverage goldmine. Every blazer, dress, or pair of earrings she wore—like that £1,163 Petar Petrov jacket that sold out in hours after her National Portrait Gallery visit in February—fueled headlines, blog posts, and the “Kate Effect,” boosting British designers and raking in an estimated £1 billion annually for the fashion industry. Outlets like The Sunday Times and People leaned hard into detailing her looks, while sites like What Kate Wore thrived on decoding her choices. The palace used to feed this frenzy, often releasing designer credits for big events, like her maroon Alexander McQueen ensemble during the Qatar state visit in December 2024.
Now, with Kensington Palace going quiet on outfit specifics for everyday engagements—clarified on February 11, 2025, as no real "policy change" but a continuation of selective sharing—the coverage hasn’t exactly followed the script Kate might’ve hoped. Sure, her work gets more airtime; her January 30 visit to Tŷ Hafan hospice and her Shaping Us project launch on February 4 got solid write-ups about their substance. But the fashion chatter? It’s not gone—it’s just gotten louder in a different way.
Reporters and fans have turned into detectives. When the palace didn’t name the brands for her Royal Marsden Hospital visit on January 14 or her South Wales trip, social media and style blogs filled the gap, speculating on everything from Max Mara trousers to Sézane earrings. The Daily Mail and HELLO! noted how this secrecy “fueled more discussion,” not less, as royal watchers debated her muted brown blazer or pinstripe looks. Critics, like those in Vogue and Fox News, argued it’s backfired—drawing more eyes to her style because of the mystery, not less.
The backlash was swift, too. Fashion insiders and economists pointed out the “Kate Effect” isn’t just fluff—it’s a lifeline for British brands. Helena Chard told Fox News it’s a “pity” Kate sees it as “style versus substance,” when both could coexist. Royal expert Jack Royston told Sky News his “heart sank” at the news, calling fashion a key part of her public pull. Coverage now often pairs her charity highlights with op-eds pleading for the palace to rethink, like Town & Country questioning if her wardrobe’s “silence” dims her influence.
So, the effect? Royal coverage is split. Kate’s work gets deeper play—her cancer remission announcement and patronage roles are front and center—but her outfits remain a hot topic, just without official breadcrumbs. The palace wanted substance over style, but the public’s love for both means Kate Middleton’s fashion saga is still stealing the show, one unidentified blazer at a time.
