London fashion week<\/a>. Styled in one of his staple jaunty ties, clashing pocket handkerchief and British-made suit, it sent the message loud and clear: this was business as usual.<\/p>\nThat message persisted when, at the Baftas at the weekend, the Prince and Princess of Wales showed a united front in coordinated burgundy velvet (\u201cPantone diplomacy\u201d<\/a>, as the New York Times put it). Catherine\u2019s blush Gucci gown showed not just solidarity in hue but also, arguably, signalled her ethics in a week when the royal family\u2019s came under fire: she\u2019d worn the dress before, on a previous outing.<\/p>\ndouble quotation mark<\/title><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"dcr-zzndwp\"><p>The house of Windsor has long wielded fashion as a weapon during times of crisis<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe king\u2019s whole look \u2013 with his British bespoke tailored suit \u2013 might be construed as putting on a brave face, and keeping calm and carrying on during yet another existential crisis,\u201d says Justine Picardie, former editor-in-chief of Harper\u2019s Bazaar UK and author of a new book, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/guardianbookshop.com\/fashioning-the-crown-9780571394289\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Fashioning the Crown: A Story of Power, Conflict and Couture<\/a>. \u201cFor Catherine, it is another expression of her taking a sustainable approach, and showing restraint, rather than excess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The house of Windsor has long wielded fashion as a weapon during times of crisis, says Picardie, pointing out the \u201csimilar tactics used after the crisis of the abdication in 1936, when Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) was dressed by Norman Hartnell in an idealised vision of traditional Englishness, to counteract the hard chic of the pro-Nazi Duke and Duchess of Windsor.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"d5063184-3fe3-4ade-b3a2-f906b0b2523b\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">\u2018Pantone diplomacy\u2019 \u2026 the Prince and Princess of Wales attend the Baftas.<\/span> Photograph: Samir Hussein\/WireImage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cClothes are used to express power and many other things \u2013 emotion, vulnerability, grief, birth, death, loss \u2026 whether it\u2019s a wedding dress or at a funeral.\u201d But what Picardie, who previously documented the hidden histories of Chanel and Dior, hadn\u2019t been aware of until researching this book was \u201cdress diplomacy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On tours and official occasions, the royal family often deploys fashion as a tool of soft power. Take the Princess of Wales attending a state reception in New Zealand wearing a black Jenny Packham dress embellished with silver fern leaves \u2013 a New Zealand national emblem. At a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey last year she wore head-to-toe unsubtle Canadian red, and she never misses a chance to wear clover-green when visiting Ireland. Princess Diana chose a dress dotted with red circles, in visual symmetry with the Japanese flag, while on tour in the country in 1986. In Saudi Arabia, she wore a dress emblazoned with gold falcons, an emblem of the nation.<\/p>\n<aside data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-gu-name=\"pullquote\" class=\"dcr-nyoej5\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 14\" style=\"fill:var(--pullquote-icon)\" class=\"dcr-scql1j\"><title>double quotation mark<\/title><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"dcr-zzndwp\"><p>Elizabeth grasped \u2018the sartorial art of royalty, and the ways in which visual iconography could safeguard the sovereign\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Picardie\u2019s book notes examples from Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s playbook too. From hats bedecked dramatically with ostrich plumes for official visits to South Africa to her wartime, make do and mend-inspired habit of wearing outfits multiple times, Elizabeth grasped \u201cthe sartorial art of royalty, and the ways in which visual iconography could safeguard the sovereign\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In later years, Elizabeth II\u2019s outfit choices, which moved from pastels to primary colours, were widely scrutinised for covert political messaging. When she wore a blue and yellow hat for the state opening of parliament in 2017, with Brexit at the top of the agenda, some argued it was reminiscent of the EU flag. Although the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2019\/oct\/28\/no-hat-trick-similarity-to-eu-flag-coincidence-insists-queens-dresser\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">palace denied there was any message<\/a>, Picardie says \u201cfor somebody who\u2019s been trained in the art of sartorial codes, it is plausible that she knew\u201d. Royal watchers also ruminated over the meaning of the queen\u2019s brooches, most memorably when she <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/fashion\/2018\/jul\/18\/was-the-queen-sending-coded-messages-to-donald-trump-via-her-brooches-absolutely\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">selected to wear one given to her by the Obamas<\/a> during a Trump state visit to the UK.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"18dde380-6741-4e99-a1ab-0c937977bcb7\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Queen Elizabeth II chose a brooch given to her by the Obamas during a state visit from President Donald Trump in 2018.<\/span> Photograph: Julie Edwards\/LFI\/Avalon\/Rex\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The laboured thought processes behind such dressing decisions is all the more plausible given the queen was clearly much more at ease in very different attire. Picardie met her several times \u2013 as her second husband, Philip Astor, was Prince Philip\u2019s godson \u2013 including at Balmoral, where she seemed very much at home wearing \u201ctraditional Scottish country clothes \u2013 a tartan skirt, a tweed jacket\u201d. On one occasion, Picardie plucked up the courage to asked her about Hardy Amies, one of her favoured designers, who was <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.townandcountrymag.com\/society\/money-and-power\/a70098317\/queen-elizabeth-hardy-amies-spy\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">rumoured to have had a role as a senior intelligence officer<\/a> during the second world war. The queen responded: \u201cOf course, it was excellent cover for a spy, to be a couturier.\u201d Picardie was astonished: \u201cIn general, she was so enigmatic, so discreet, so guarded \u2026 it was very interesting that it took that subject for her to slightly open up, which is a combination of war, jeopardy and the man she chose to design for her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Royal dressing can be overtly political, too: Picardie notes an example from 1947 when, in the aftermath of the second world war, then prime minister Clement Attlee expressed his concern over whether the silk for Princess Elizabeth\u2019s wedding dress had been produced by Japanese or Italian silk worms. Thankfully, the fabric was made in China.<\/p>\n<aside data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-gu-name=\"pullquote\" class=\"dcr-nyoej5\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 14\" style=\"fill:var(--pullquote-icon)\" class=\"dcr-scql1j\"><title>double quotation mark<\/title><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"dcr-zzndwp\"><p>Picardie says Catherine is still \u2018the most valuable ambassador for British fashion\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Even when the royals aren\u2019t trying to draw attention to their style, it still feels impossible to ignore. A year ago, Kensington Palace announced the Princess of Wales would <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/style\/story\/why-kate-middleton-will-no-longer-share-her-outfit-details?srsltid=AfmBOoqRmuJVqwkYs8Z5_TqY01raEzxmNLKDIANca90To9k1-NeIAVbd\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">no longer release details of her wardrobe<\/a>, as she wanted the focus to be on her chosen causes rather than clothes. But she recently worked with Johnstons of Elgin to design a tartan-like fabric, showing her support for British textiles and design \u2013 so whether she releases details of what she is wearing or not, there is meaning behind her choices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Picardie says Catherine is still \u201cthe most valuable ambassador for British fashion\u201d and praises her focus on recycled outfits and sustainability. \u201cLast year, at the state banquet at Windsor Castle for Trump, she wore a gold Phillipa Lepley lace gown. A female designer, British dressmaker, British textiles \u2013 that was absolutely spot on.\u201d On a visit earlier this month to a textile mill in Wales that produces blankets and throws, she wore a vintage Welsh wool coat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For more evidence that royal dressing is as an important tool rather than an after thought, there are the Duchess of Sussex\u2019s comments about the liberation she felt once freed from its limitations. Now, of course, Meghan \u201ccan wear whatever she wants, because she\u2019s not a working royal\u201d, says Picardie. Since leaving behind her official role \u2013 she and Prince Harry kept their titles \u2013 the duchess has spoken of the inauthenticity she felt having to adhere to royal protocol and being forced to wear \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/uk.style.yahoo.com\/meghan-markle-takes-swipe-silly-132249805.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">nude pantyhose<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As for Mountbatten-Windsor, aside from <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2022\/jan\/13\/veterans-ask-queen-to-strip-prince-andrew-of-honorary-military-titles\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">losing his title and military role<\/a>, \u201cit is the ultimate stripping off to have his uniform taken away\u201d, says Picardie, leaving him with the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2026\/feb\/21\/photos-kept-former-prince-andrew-public-eye\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">sports casual off-duty look he\u2019s seen wearing<\/a> in his appearances in Epstein\u2019s photo album.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">From those who remain in the house of Windsor, at a time when it is perhaps hanging by a thread, expect further coded messages through clothing.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em><span data-dcr-style=\"bullet\"\/> <\/em>Fashioning the Crown: A Story of Power, Conflict and Couture by Justine Picardie is published by Faber (\u00a325). To support the Guardian, order your copy at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/guardianbookshop.com\/fashioning-the-crown-9780571394289\/?utm_source=editoriallink&utm_medium=merch&utm_campaign=article\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">guardianbookshop.com<\/a>. Delivery charges may apply.<\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.theguardian.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into police custody last week, his brother King Charles made a \u201csurprise\u201d appearance on the front row at the opening of London fashion week. Styled in one of his staple jaunty ties, clashing pocket handkerchief and British-made suit, it sent the message loud and clear: this was business as usual. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2302755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2302754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\u2018Putting-on-a-brave-face-why-royal-fashion-has-never.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2302754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2302754"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2302754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2302756,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2302754\/revisions\/2302756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2302755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2302754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2302754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2302754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}