Princess of Wales public appearance

[MrsFinkelstein]

Didn't see an existing thread, so apologies if this is a duplicate

Catherine appeared with William today in Southport to speak to the families and first responders affected by the horrific knife attack.

Good to see her back at work.

BBC News - Kate makes surprise first public visit since ending chemo
www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm249ym44dvo

@CurlewKate Just wondering what you expect a male member of the rf in his 40’s to wear? Surely you realise there are certain expectations which go with the job?

pilates said:
CurlewKate Just wondering what you expect a male member of the rf in his 40’s to wear?

I wondered this too. What would men you know dress like to meet bereaved parents, CurlewKate if you think do think it's a shame that William dresses so old!.
My thoughts were that dark colours and a jacket, collar and tie were appropriately respectful. I know a PP said they thought "men wearing jumpers under smart jackets always look a bit naff" but I'm afraid I don't agree - it looked a cold day and the jersey seemed practical.
What would your friends and family who are your age wear in such circumstances?
I can see my sons in law, say, wearing similar things.

"you think do think"
Gah! One "think" will do. No need for the "do think".

Quite!

I think the 'clothes fawning over Meghan' threads have skewed people's attitudes about what this type of royal visit is about.

It's not about the clothes. In fact, the aim was probably to deflect any attention whatsoever from what W and C were wearing, which is as it should be.

@pilates Obviously he can wear whatever he wants- or whatever his valet lays out for him. But IMO, if he wants to wear a tie and a jumper, then V rather than crew. Or a turtle neck. And not a white shirt. In the picture, it looks like a suit-if so, then surely black rather than brown shoes. If it's not a suit then the coat and trousers should be more distinctly separate in colour. The men of my acquaintance, since you ask, would probably wear something less structured. Or a blazer-with the extra layer for warmth under, not over the shirt.

I'm not convinced that the clothing of a prince making a low key visit to the parents of three children that were horrifically murdered needs this much dissection tbh. Does anyone actually care what neckline his jumper had ? No.

Exactly my thoughts @StiffyByngsDogBartholomew

I was just thinking that. I've gone back to look at the photos and all I'm getting from both of their outfits is: calm, neutral, unfussy, nice, safe.

Which when I think about it, is entirely appropriate for the purpose of the visit. They're "sombre" but not obviously in mourning, not extravagant or attention seeking.

Unmemorable really. Which is very fitting when they're there to support and draw attention to First Responders and to a Community in mourning, and to meet grieving families. Absolutely what the RF should be doing at visits like this - reflecting attention onto "the cause".

@StiffyByngsDogBartholomew I agree. However the Princess's appearance had been dissected earlier in the thread. And I wasn't the first person to post about his-and I was asked what I meant.

I think their outfits are walking a line between low key/muted and smart and put together enough to be respectful. The visit was (rightly) not publicised until afterwards, they didn't need to stand out to be recognised, the opposite really. Can't see anything wrong with either of them.

Burgundy was used in the Victorian convention of "half mourning" as in deliberately subdued and acknowledging a period of grieving without being full on black. It isn't done now but I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't still implicit somewhere in the RF dress code.

@MrsFinkelstein "Unmemorable really. Which is very fitting when they're there to support and draw attention to First Responders and to a Community in mourning, and to meet grieving families"
Of course. Good that nobody commented on the Princess's outfit, then.

But if you look at the comments most people are just saying it looked nice, mainly posters were saying how nice it was to see her back in public again. Most of the negative comments came from posters saying William looked like a Geography teacher and he should do better.

When the majority of the comments are bland then they've achieved their goal. Their outfits are not extravagant or inappropriate. Had they been, then there would have been far more comments made.

Edit to add - they're the Prince and Princess of Wales, this is the RF board, it's one of her 1st public appearances in months - are you really suggesting that no one would make any comments about them at all?

@MrsFinkelstein "- they're the Prince and Princess of Wales, this is the RF board, it's one of her 1st public appearances in months - are you really suggesting that no one would make any comments about them at all"

Of course not. I am just a little surprised that saying that I thought William could look better seems to be even slightly controversial.....But hey ho.

CurlewKate

I am just a little surprised that saying that I thought William could look better seems to be even slightly controversial.....But hey ho.

"hey ho" indeed.

My interest was piqued because you said I do think it's a shame that William dresses so old! I'm older than him and no men I know my age dress like that.
I'm also older than William and know plenty of men my age (also older and younger) who wear trousers, jackets, jumpers, shirts and ties. They're standard male clothes so I was curious as to what these middle aged/old men that you know wear.
I actually don't agree with you on if he wants to wear a tie and a jumper, then V rather than crew. Or a turtle neck.
A V-neck and tie reminds me of young boys' school uniform and I prefer a crew neck with such an outfit as it looks more adult.
Wouldn't a turtle neck actually cover up the tie?
And not a white shirt.
Why not?

If it's not a suit then the coat and trousers should be more distinctly separate in colour.
They look fairly distinctly separate shades of grey to me; maybe that's just individual perception.
But you think they should be different colours?

The men of my acquaintance, since you ask, would probably wear something less structured.
Less structured? How so?

Or a blazer-with the extra layer for warmth under, not over the shirt.
A nice blazer with shiny buttons? Not a lover of blazers myself, but if that's what these men want to wear, fine.
And a cosy vest under the coloured shirt. Fair enough. I rely on thermals myself during the winter.
So, coat/blazer, trousers and shirt all of distinctly separate colours? Plus a tie - should that have even more colours?
Suppose it doesn't matter if he's got a jersey (yet another colour, would you suggest?) with a turtle neck covering it up.
That doesn't sound like the low key, sombre, but not overly formal outfit the occasion seems to merit to me.

I actually do agree with you that that the brown shoes were a mistake.

I think they both looked fine. Completely appropriate. Catherine’s dress was a re-wear with the belt re purposed as a neck bow and William looked smart but not overly so (ie not in a suit) but fairly low key. It wasn’t really an occurring be fashion forward or wear shouty clothes. It’s not really his style anyway, but so what? He ( and she for that matter) looked perfectly tidy and presentable which was. IMO, all that was necessary in these circumstances

@LaMarschallin a blazer doesn't have to have brass buttons . And yes- unless it's a suit, trousers and coat in noticeably different colours.

His clothes looked like what my father considered casual wear, and he was born in 1918!

I don't really know why anybody feels the need to criticise or write reams over either of their outfits. A woman who has been having cancer treatment and her husband, both of whom hold unenviable high profile public positions, have worn a couple of safe, seasonally appropriate, suitable outfits to meet the parents of victims murdered by a madman and the emergency services workers unfortunate enough to have responded to the incident.
if they had attended dressed up like Ali G and MeJulie I could understand why their appearance would be scrutinised. But they didn't. I don't know why people want to spend their time and energy arguing over it.

CurlewKate

a blazer doesn't have to have brass buttons .
It doesn't have to, but it's generally accepted that they do have metal buttons.

And yes- unless it's a suit, trousers and coat in noticeably different colours.
But, if he was wearing a suit, the suit trousers would be the same colour as the suit jacket/coat, wouldn't they? Unless it was a morning coat, which would be silly to wear for that event.
I suppose he might wear an overcoat but the trousers would still match the jacket.

His clothes looked like what my father considered casual wear, and he was born in 1918!
But William wouldn't attend such a meeting in "casual wear", would he? His outfit looks like smart/casual verging on smart to me, regardless of what your father wore to be casual back in the day.
William's casual look wouldn't consist of a jacket and tie, would it? Even if your father's did.

Men’s smart casual wear hasn’t really change in it’s basic style though, has it? He may well have had that blazer for a few years and just puts it on and wears it. Ok, maybe the buttons need a bit of an update, but there aren’t many blokes who take that much notice of details like that. He looks clean, smart, reasonably colour coordinated and not massively dated. His clothes fit and are not creased. He doesn’t have holes in his clothes. He looks fine

eta I agree with @LaMarschallin. William wears jeans, shorts etc as casual wear as we have seen. This was an occasion for smart casual or more precisely relaxed smart wear I suppose

I think they were both wearing burgundy and I don't know if this is the reason: purple used to be traditionally seen as 'second mourning' - the first colour you were allowed to wear after the first black-only period had passed. This is going back to the early 20th century, of course - but I wonder if they chose this subdued, serious colour out of respect? It wouldn't surprise me.

As self-appointed Celebitchy-watcher to these threads, I have to warn everyone to keep away - don't even peep. I upset myself yesterday evening by looking at their thread on this visit.

The spite, the sneering at 'Kate's' 'haggard, old, lined, miserable' face is vile. They are gleeful about how awful (in their eyes) W and C look. They don't get the point of the visit at all - I think they imagine (as Meghan did ) that it's all glam occasions and jewels. They are rubbing their hands together because 'no-one turned out to see them - where were the crowds??'

Those people have so little understanding of the difference between royalty and celebrity. It's not always about cheering crowds and adulation, or having 'star quality' like their idol, Meghan, had 🙄. W and C were doing something Meghan would be totally incapable of - showing respect, appreciation and compassion for people who've been through hell.

I really don't know if I could do it either - imagine heading to meet those parents. What on earth could you say?

Having read those pages before I 100% believed you without looking @CoffeeCantata but look I did. It is absolutely vile and makes the worst criticism of Meghan on here look like warm praise. All the tosh during the period before Kate spoke about her cancer regurgitated and enhanced with further specualtion that she has never been seriously ill.

I honestly think some of them think the BRF is a reality show and not a 1000+ year institution with a role in public life.

Well said @StiffyByngsDogBartholomew

I think they both looked good and dressed appropriately and not talking about the visit beforehand and meeting the families privately were both also appropriate and respectful

Those people have so little understanding of the difference between royalty and celebrity. It's not always about cheering crowds and adulation, or having 'star quality' like their idol, Meghan, had 🙄. W and C were doing something Meghan would be totally incapable of - showing respect, appreciation and compassion for people who've been through hell.

They either don’t get, or wilfully misunderstand, that the whole event was only released to the press after it had taken place. And the portion where Kate and William met the bereaved families was entirely private (so the misguided digs at Kate for smiling being inappropriate when meeting bereaved families were wildly off base). William’s also very well-suited to talk to emergency services about attending the scene of the attack because of his experience as an air ambulance pilot - he’s also seen some things that have impacted him deeply.

I guess, since if you are a fan of Meghan, there is no point in doing anything privately - if an act of compassion happens where there is no one to record it, what’s the point?

Goodness knows @CoffeeCantata (I greatly appreciate your name having seen it performed recently). I don't know that any training could tell you what to say.

in relation to people on celebitchy type places the only explanation I can find is that these peoples live are absolutely empty so internet forums bitching about people they don't know, will never meet and don't care what the poster thinks of them is the only thing they have to fill the endless hours. How sad.