Revealed: Style queens who’ve beautified Bea
HER garish fashion choices have regularly prompted ridicule at royal events. But now The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Princess Beatrice has recruited two fashion experts to ensure she gets her outfits right in future. Lady Emily Compton and business partner Olivia Buckingham have been hired by the Princess – with their first choices winning plaudits. Her trusted advisers selected her stunning navy blue gown from ready-to-wear brand Self Portrait, which cost a relatively modest £370, along with a white fascinator when she attended the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor at Windsor Castle in May. Beatrice, 30, later changed into a dark green, floorlength dress from the same brand for the evening party, and for the first time in more than a decade won praise from the fashion world. Now her younger sister Eugenie is also talking to the pair about hiring them. A source close to Bea told The Mail on Sunday: ‘They were an obvious choice for her. They are well connected, with some of the best contacts in the fashion world. She didn’t want to take any chances for the wedding
‘She was absolutely delighted with the result, for the first time in many years she was praised for her look. Beatrice finds working with them a joy and is using them more. The women have all struck up a friendship.’
Lady Emily, 39, a former society editor for Tatler magazine, is the daughter of the Marquess of Northamptonshire and his third wife, Rosie. She married financier Ed Horner in a lavish ceremony in 2012.
At the beginning of this year she joined forces with her friend Ms Buckingham – who returned to the UK after a decade in the Far East, where she was a contributing editor for the Hong Kong version of Tatler – to form their business, called simply Emily And Olivia. On their website the pair say they offer a ‘fashion styling service’ that ‘brings their clients the perfect one-off red-carpet look, or a bespoke shopping experience.’
Between them they claim 15 years’ experience in the fashion world. A friend of the pair said: ‘They are becoming the first port of call for the rich and famous who have a big event to dress for.’
Both Beatrice and Eugenie, 28, have faced criticism for their fashion gaffes. Last year, Bea was slammed for the frumpy Ralph and Russo dress she wore for her sister’s wedding. And for Prince William’s wedding in 2011, Eugenie was lambasted for wearing what was described as a ‘Teletubby’
fascinator.