She is known for wearing high-street fashion designs that fly off the shelves as soon as pictures emerge of her wearing them. But there was something different about the Princess of Wales’s outfit as she honoured the great and the good of British fashion recently.
In a break from her usual thrifty ensembles, Kate proudly sported a £1,340 trouser suit designed by the pop star-turned-fashionista Victoria Beckham. The Princess of Wales teamed the smart two-piece olive-green suit with a statement blouse as she attended the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.
The event, hosted by the British Fashion Council, celebrated young British creatives and the UK’s thriving fashion industry. To some, Kate’s choice of outfit was a natural way to draw attention to one of the best British clothing brands.
But for many royal-watchers, there was belief of a far greater motive behind it. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have reportedly had a high-profile falling-out with the Beckhams, and by choosing to wear a taste of Victoria’s range, Kate, I think, may have been sending a very clear message to her Sussex rivals.
David and Victoria were once close to both William and Harry. In happier times, the celebrity couple attended the future King and Queen’s wedding in 2011. And again, when Harry and Meghan tied the knot in 2018, the Beckhams were among the smattering of celebrity guests at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Since then, relations between the Sussexes and the Beckhams seem to have dramatically soured. The couples are thought not to be on speaking terms after Harry and Meghan reportedly accused David and Victoria of leaking stories about them to the press.
William and Kate, on the other hand, have stayed on good terms with Posh and Becks – a fact underlined by Kate’s choice of outfit. Having the future Queen wear Victoria’s design for such a prestigious event is a huge boost for the former Spice Girl.
Pictures of Kate in the suit made media outlets all over the world, giving the label a priceless level of attention.
One royal source explained to me, "A great deal of thought goes into each and every outfit Kate wears in public on official duties. She will have known exactly what message she was sending by wearing a Victoria Beckham suit.
"There is little doubt that this was a signal to the Sussexes to show where the Beckhams’ and the Waleses’ loyalties lie."
It almost feels like Posh and Kate taking on Meghan in a way that is hard to respond to but says a thousand words. Yet it is not an approach we have seen very often from the Firm. ‘Never complain, never explain’ is their usual mantra, but I can’t help feeling that the Prince and Princess of Wales have finally reached their limit.
After the latest attack from Prince Harry following his court appeal recently, it is perhaps their only way of expressing how angry they are. A subliminal message that, of course, was never going to go unnoticed.
This also came at the same time that reports claimed Prince Harry and Meghan were "secretly supporting" Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and his wife Nicola due to their "similar family feuds", with comparisons having been drawn by the media between Brooklyn and Harry’s partners appearing to cause a divide with their families.
One newspaper reported that Nicola and Meghan had had a "deep and meaningful" chat and share a bond after being labelled as "homewreckers" and women who "tear apart their husbands’ families". And it has been claimed that Brooklyn and Nicola have had "unwavering support" from the Sussexes, who are reportedly "empathetic" towards them amid the younger couple’s tensions with David and Victoria.
Though Victoria seems keen to smooth things over, tagging Brooklyn in an Instagram post of a family photo showing all her children and the words, "We both love you all so much." The arguably unlikely partnership between the couples is just more evidence of a royal rift that looks likely never to be resolved.
Harry might want to come back, but his actions have caused a divide that seems irreparable.
This feature first appeared in Woman magazine. Subscribe now and get your first 6 issues for £1.
