When Kate Middleton joined a group of primary school children on a trip to the National Portrait Gallery in London on Tuesday, there were gasps of surprise when she stepped off a minibus.
The Princess of Wales was sending a clear message: Not only is she back to her duties, she is rolling up her sleeves and getting to work.
Sources close to the princess say she is delighted to be picking up her early childhood development projects and resuming other work she was forced to put on hold during her year-long cancer battle.
However, Kate made headlines this week for making the decision not to release details of her wardrobe when she is on engagements. A palace source told The Times, “There is an absolute feeling that it [the public-facing work] is not about what the princess is wearing.”
Usually known for wearing a pop of color to her engagements, Kate opted for black trousers, a black turtleneck and a brown jacket for her visit to the National Portrait Gallery.
“It’s hard to know if she was making a point, but this felt like a bit of a departure from what we are used to seeing her in, which are lovely bright trouser suits and pretty dresses,” Claudia Joseph, author of How To Dress Like A Princess: The Secrets of Kate’s Wardrobe, tells Vanity Fair.
“This felt a bit drab, but it’s winter, she was with children so I do get it, but I hope it doesn’t mean she’s going to stop experimenting with fashion.
“Fashion can be seen as frivolous but it generates a lot of money into the economy and part of Kate’s role is to boost British fashion. She has put many small brands on the map,” Joseph says.
Kate’s decision not to public