Would Meghan Markle have got the same free pass had she worn such an expensive outfit to a charity event? Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesĪnd the reason, I think, lies in not what Kate has done or not done differently to her sister-in-law, but one simple fact: She has reached the other side of the baptism of fire that are the first few years of life as a Windsor wife. RELATED: Meghan move that ‘crushed’ Charles The Daily Mail chuntered “Revealed: Meghan Markle wore $2500 Gucci tweed dress for Vogue portrait taken at Smart Works charity that donates clothes to disadvantaged women.”) (When Meghan wore a very expensive designer dress for a photo taken at one of her charities, it made headlines. There would be news stories, opinion pieces and on and on the news cycle would spin, a whirling dervish of self-righteous condemnation and clucking. I think we can safely say that some quarters of Fleet Street would have devolved into paroxysms of self-righteous huffing, Meghan’s choice of an exxy look just another example of her lamentable performance as a Duchess. However, it is impossible not to wonder what would have happened if it had been Meghan in her designer shoes? Given Kate has achieved quasi-beatific status in the UK these days, there was not a peep out of the British press about her choice of outfit. The point here is that Kate wore an outfit worth $4321 to support a charity that helps struggling and vulnerable families. She went to the charity event in a designer $3350 Suzannah dress but no one batted an eyelid. RELATED: Photo that would have infuriated Meghan (She teamed the look with a pair of Tabitha Simmons pumps which, to be fair, she has had in the back of her cupboard since 2011 when she wore them on a tour of North America.) (She first debuted at Wimbledon last year.) This week Kate stepped out, appearing at an engagement in Sheffield wearing another in an interminably long line of banal ladylike frocks, in this instance the “flippy wiggle” dress from a brand called Suzannah. Throughout the pandemic, everyone from Her Majesty, to Prince Charles, Princess Anne and William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been taking part in official engagements via Zoom with nary a hoodie in sight.įor the Windsors, working from home means pastel frocks, pearls and managing to project regal poise while planted in front of a laptop for hours. (To be fair, it’s hard to see the Queen kicking back in her Bonds after a hard day poring over dull diplomatic cables and trying to keep Philip away from his beloved Land Rover.)
In these times of COVID-19, our wardrobes have shrunk dramatically with sales to tracksuit pants and pyjamas skyrocketing.īut, like so many other things, there are different rules for members of the royal family. Hands up who has worn an item of clothing in recent months that did not have an elasticised waist? Uh huh, exactly.