Why the duchess won’t dress down

The world turned on its axis last week, when the Duchess of Sussex closed her own car door. She was attending the opening of Oceania at the Royal Academy of Arts on her first solo public outing and wore a sleek black Givenchy dress that cost £2,510. The day before, she attended the Coach Core Awards at Loughborough University and wore a navy blue, asymmetric-hemmed Oscar de la Renta top (£1,636), black Altuzarra trousers (£555) and – shocker – high heels, while being thrown netballs in front of the global media. (Nice catch by the way, Meghan.) Cue the hoo-hahs of dissent about her polished and pricey wardrobe versus what was apparently expected – a dressed-down duchess. What? No flats, ripped jeans and boyfriend shirt, as she wore for her first public appearance with Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in Canada? Well, no, of course not. That was a year ago, when the duchess was Meghan, pre-firm, pre-royal, pre-chauffeur. As for her latest work uniforms of chicness, they convey the deepest respect for her role. These clothes are her armour, her security, her weapons. Do they say she is elevated and above us? Yes, that too. She is a duchess, after all. A newly anointed one at that. After seven years in pearls and custom-made Mcqueen, her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge has earned the right to wear trainers and roll around on the grass at the polo in high-street brands with the kids if she so likes – and don’t we all like her the better for it? But our latest duchess isn’t there yet; she’s only just begun to build her royal identity. Along with her Teflon-coated confidence. And who of us can deny the power of professional elegance? Especially in hers – the most intensely watched and pressurised of all environments…