It’s not lost on me that the Princess of Wales has partially gone back to her baseline style, which is mostly “rejected Downton Abbey looks.” She dressed the same in the pre-Meghan days. As such, Kate has gone back to long coats and coatdresses in a big way, much to everyone’s dismay. If her event is entirely outdoors, no one begrudges the fact that her coat stays on. But for inside events, Kate leaves her coat on and it often comes across as rude. Like, she’s not going to be there long enough to take her coat off, and look at that, she’s already gone. Well, for some reason, this was a big story over the weekend, with the Daily Mail trying to convince their readers that it’s all about royal protocol!
The Princess of Wales has routinely demonstrated her ability to communicate through fashion, illustrated by her evolving collection of elegant A-lined coats. Yet while striking statement outwear may have become an integral asset to Kate’s wardrobe, a secret royal protocol means that royal fans will never see the princess remove her coat in public.
In fact, even in the heat of summer, Kate, 44, alongside other numerous royal women, is forbidden from removing her glamorous long coats that stretch below the knee.
The reason behind such restriction? Historic royal protocol dictates that the act of removing an outermost layer of clothing in public would be considered ‘unladylike’, as per royal standards.
Coats must also be long in length and made of an appropriate fabric and design, meaning that Kate is unlikely to ever be spotted out in a puffer jacket or making a quick outfit change.
Meanwhile, all royal women must ensure that their skirts do not ride above the knee and that hats are not worn indoors at formal events unless it is after 6pm.
Since she wed into the royal fold in 2011, Kate has been adamant about sticking to these historic rules, while still showcasing her creativity and versatility in numerous coats that are often quickly snapped up by eagle-eyed fans.
I’m giggling at the use of “historic rules” and “historic royal protocol.” One might even say “heritage frump.” Still, back in the day, they were always using “royal protocol” to bash the Duchess of Sussex, and that’s when we learned that most “historic” royal protocols are absolute bullsh-t. If Kate wanted to remove a coat, she would and they would bend over backwards to explain why it was perfectly acceptable, nay, it made her a royal icon of coat-removal. The fact is, Kate doesn’t want to remove her coat because it would be pointless – she’s not sticking around, and she wants to remind people of how little she cares. The skirt length thing is a big tell as well – while Kate loves to dress like an Edwardian dowager countess these days, she used to also love a twirly miniskirt without hem weights back in the day. The Daily Mail even devoted countless articles to Kate’s “Marilyn Moments.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
