ALEXANDRA SHULMAN: I applaud the Princess of Wales for choosing not to play the mannequin

Kensington Palace's determination to nary longer merchandise details of the Princess of Wales's apparel connected nationalist engagements volition undoubtedly disappoint many.

Following what 1 of the best-dressed women successful the satellite appears successful is hugely entertaining – and a large boon to the designers she endorses.

But successful my opinion, the determination makes implicit sense. We person present a pistillate who has experienced the genuinely life-changing diagnosis of cancer and 1 that has progressive lengthy treatment.

Although the Princess is simply a consummate nonrecreational and 100 per cent alert of her presumption successful the nationalist arena, she is besides a quality being. And radical who spell done what she has often look astatine aspects of their beingness successful antithetic ways erstwhile they are connected the mend.

Now that she is starting to look successful nationalist again – looking arsenic elegant, polished and inspiring arsenic ever – it is wholly understandable that she mightiness privation the accent connected these appearances to absorption much connected the cardinal mission. Not her clothes.

Although the royals are paid for retired of the nationalist purse, they are not paid to beryllium mannequins but to correspond the state and prosecute with institutions that payment from their support, specified arsenic the Ty Hafan Children's Hospice successful South Wales we saw her sojourn past week.

Yes, it was absorbing that she was wearing a achromatic and achromatic Zara formal past seen connected her successful 2021, and that connected Holocaust Memorial Day she chose to deterioration the Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings talented by the precocious Queen. And galore volition nary uncertainty miss those details.

However, Catherine has ne'er wanted to play the apparel horse, arsenic I cognize from moving with her intimately connected a screen communicative for Vogue. 

She wants her activities to bespeak the existent her and what she finds important.

And – with the introspection of priorities that superior unwellness often brings – she has decided, for now, that what is important is not what marque she's wearing.