Princess Charlotte is becoming the royal family's new fashion star after an impressive "coming out year" that has seen her make a number of important and stylish appearances, Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast has heard.
Charlotte celebrated her eighth birthday in May, just days before she attended her most important royal ceremony to date—the coronation of her grandfather, King Charles III.
Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Charlotte has become the third royal in the line of succession to inherit the throne and seen her name change from Princess Charlotte of Cambridge to Princess Charlotte of Wales. Throughout 2023 she has made a number of debuts at high-profile events, including her first visit to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships with her parents and older brother, Prince George.
With these increased appearances, the princess' style has become more widely discussed, with celebrity stylist and royal fashion expert Miranda Holder telling listeners of The Royal Report that Charlotte has become a "very well-dressed young lady."
"I think this year there has been a little bit of a sea change and Charlotte has been pushed out much more just in the spotlight," she told Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston, of Charlotte.
"They're doing it slowly and obviously in absolutely the right way, but we've had the coronation, we've had a few other moments, you know? She joined her dad to wish the Lionesses [England's women's soccer team] good luck for the World Cup finals, for example. She was helping out her [mom] very recently with the baby banks... She had her Wimbledon debut this year, her first Royal International Air Tattoo, the Trooping the Colour...So we have seen her gain much more visibility this year."
As an example, Holder noted that Charlotte's coronation outfit in particular was "obviously absolutely exquisite." For the historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey on May 6, Charlotte wore a custom white silk gown with a matching cape embroidered with silver flowers making up the floral emblems of the four nations of the United Kingdom: roses for England; shamrocks for Northern Ireland; thistles for Scotland; and daffodils for Wales.
The dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, who touchingly designed Kate's wedding dress back in 2011, and also the gown that Kate wore for the coronation.
"I think its sort of her coming out year really," Holder said of Charlotte. "I think we're going to see her grow. I mean, there there's even several websites that's dedicated to her own wardrobe. There are many more dedicated to her mother's immaculate wardrobe, but she's getting quite her own fashion following and with good reason, she's a very well-dressed young lady."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
