Earlier this week, we learned that the Princess of Wales’s longtime executive assistant and “stylist” Natasha Archer was leaving royal employment. After fifteen years of terrible pay, endless buttons and taking orders from a bewigleted gopher, Natasha is apparently setting off on her own. She’s opening her own stylist/fashion-consultancy business. Which might explain why we’ve been hearing so much keen propaganda about the “Kate Effect” in recent weeks too – some completely fictional buzz about how Kate’s clothes sell out constantly, even if Kate has been wandering around in repeats in recent years. Well, all of the conversations around Archer’s departure are… interesting, to say the least. The Daily Mail’s Liz Jones wrote this: “Kate’s bodyblow at her most vulnerable time: Eye-opening departure is like a divorce… every woman will understand.” It’s a choice to put “divorce” and “Kate” in the same headline. Some highlights from this Liz Jones column:
Archer’s departure: It must feel as though your closest friend, privy to all your secrets, who has seen you at your best and worst, stood in your undies in front of an unforgiving mirror, is suddenly ghosting you. A body blow, just when you need every ounce of strength, every inch of confidence to step out onto the world stage. A friend who talks you down, shores you up and, most importantly, tells you honestly what she thinks. I imagine the news that the Princess of Wales’s personal stylist, Natasha Archer, is leaving her side after 15 years to set up her own business feels a little like a divorce. Who will hold my hand now?
Kate isn’t edgy: Tash has honed Catherine’s signature style, which isn’t remotely edgy. You never see the princess in a short, sexy shift, a la Diana. There is nothing too revealing. Of course, wearing a hat requires hair to be up or back, but Kate knows we all want to see her hair flowing. Can I kneel in it? Can people see my face under this hat?…Will the fabric crease, will the skirt be easily lifted by a strong breeze, is it culturally appropriate, does the bodice work with a sash, so many brooches and, most important of all, is it comfy? Hundreds of micro decisions go into every public appearance that, if you get it wrong, social media will dissect and magnify.
Kate leaned on Archer last year: Catherine will have been nervous on so many occasions, not least appearing in public for the first time after her treatment for cancer. Natasha will have acted as a counsellor, someone to lean on, as well as being able to adapt to the princess’s shape and mood.
Kate’s slip-ups: While Kate depends on and trusts Natasha, she has never been a pushover when it comes to getting dressed. When she posed for British Vogue in 2016, even the magazine’s super bossy stylist, Lucinda Chambers, was unable to persuade her into anything too princessy. There have been very few slip ups. Only the green Vampire’s Wife dress worn for the first official portrait with William springs to mind – too Quality Street wrapper, too droopy. A few too many brown, scratchy tweed coats. But over the past year, when she must have had an inkling Natasha was leaving, Kate has come into her own. The choice of a pastel Victoria Beckham trouser suit for a British Fashion council event in May was inspired.
Always a bridesmaid? Natasha is married to Chris Jackson, who photographed the King and Queen for their 20th wedding anniversary portrait and was given access behind the scenes at the Coronation. They have two children. Perhaps tired of always being the bridesmaid, she plans to open her own consultancy. My guess is that Catherine will see this as a scary-at-first opportunity to spread her wings even wider, moving away from the safe and the Sloaney and towards wearing more couture.
Queen Kate will need a real personal dresser: Once you have worn Dior, it’s hard to settle for anything less: the fit, the fabric, the colour. Once Kate becomes queen, the role of her personal dresser becomes all-consuming, with no time for a personal life. The late Queen Elizabeth of course had the devoted Angela Kelly, and relied heavily upon Scottish couturier Stewart Parvin, who told me the Queen would stand in her underwear in front of a full-length mirror, completely without vanity. It was her job to always look her best, to be reassuring, cheery and constant. Kate is now making that shift, from real woman to fantastical icon. To lose Natasha now is tough, but I think it will be the making of Kate as she shifts gear and evolves a stateswoman. All eyes will be on what she wears at Wimbledon on Saturday, and of course whom she hires next. The arm bands are well and truly off.
Yikes, they’re making it sound like Archer was Kate’s only friend and confidante. It really does raise some questions though. Why now, when the biggest prize – “Queen Kate” – is so close? Why now, less than a year after Kate’s cancer-free announcement? Was Archer involved with Kate’s weird hissy fit earlier this year about not wanting people to be focused on her clothes? Why has Kate been wearing so many repeats in recent years? Has her clothing budget been dramatically slashed? Did Archer have nothing to do when Kate was being shadow-banned from tiara-wearing events? And why did the Mail put “divorce” in the headline?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
