Diplomatic dressing is a fine art that any senior member of the Royal family should perfect. The late Queen was the Queen of this country; Throughout his 70-year reign, he continued to hone and reinvent the respectful gestures he made during his visits abroad. This included everything from ordering a cherry blossom-adorned dress to wear in Japan to a shamrock-embroidered dress for her first visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011.
The risk is greater when the situation is sensitive; The royal attending must look in keeping with the theme without the possibility of causing any offence.
It’s a tightrope the Duchess of Edinburgh has walked with confidence over the past few days as she visits Italy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino. Her simple wardrobe for the trip ticked all the right boxes, consisting of new pieces from British designers, new finds from Italian brands and items from her existing wardrobe used for commemorative events.
On Saturday, the Duchess set the sartorial theme for her outing with two looks in soft shades of both white and beige. She first appeared in a white polka dot tea dress by London couturier Suzannah and a beige linen jacket by Eleventy Milano, a Milan-based brand specializing in muted luxury tailoring. Later in the day, the Duchess wore a white dress, this time in a white crepe design, which she wore with the same shoulder-length blazer, also by Suzannah.
As one designer who dresses Sophie regularly told me recently, ‘she looks like a ’50s movie star.’ This was especially true on Sunday, when the Duchess attended a service commemorating the end of the war. She wore Suzannah’s £2,190 ‘Dolce Vita’ silk twill shirt dress, which was not only made from Italian silk but also featured a ‘Tuscan Dreamscape’ print. Suzannah Crabb, founder of her eponymous label, said the print ‘originally started as a hand-painting of palm trees and native foliage, digitally reworked into a dreamy Tuscan landscape on a beautiful backdrop. It’s a wonderful wearable piece of art.” The design looked as subtly reflective as it looked and captured the spirit of the ceremony.
While in Italy, the Duchess carried bags made by Sophie Habsburg (also known as Her Royal and Imperial Highness Sophie Habsburg, Archduchess of Austria), an aristocrat whose designs were so beloved by the Duchess of Edinburgh that she owns more than 70 styles. It seemed appropriate for the Rome-headquartered brand to launch yet another new style for Sunday’s ceremony; The £297 ‘Noe’ bag is now sold out. Habsburg, a distant relative of the Edinburghans through Prince Philip, first met Sophie at a wedding and told her: Tatler ‘It’s so cool,’ he said last year.
It’s not just in Italy where the Duchess shows off her diplomatic dressing skills. The day before the start of her visit to Monte Cassino, she was in Edinburgh with her husband for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. For this official engagement, the Duchess introduced a new look for Suzannah, the forest green ‘Remy’ caped jacket and skirt. “The cropped jacket sits right at the waist of the ’50s-style skirt, creating a striking fit and stylish silhouette, with modern yet timeless proportions,” Crabbs explains of the ensemble’s sleek aesthetic.
It was probably chosen with a deeper meaning in mind. The color was a close match to ‘Edinburgh green’, the dark hue that has become synonymous with the Edinburgh title as it was the color used by Prince Philip (previously the Duke of Edinburgh) on his staff’s uniforms and cars. The Duchess paid a touching tribute to her late father-in-law, whose titles she and her husband inherited, by wearing the shade at Holyroodhouse.
At the end of April, the Duchess was in Ukraine, the first British royal to visit the country since the Russian invasion in 2022, and she showed similar sensitivity in her style choices. Her standout look was the Etro dress, worth £1,250, with a floral print reminiscent of the traditional Ukrainian ‘Petrykivka’ painting style.
It was worn at meetings with the UN, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, and people helping victims of war, including those affected by sexual violence. These were sensitive issues, but Sophie’s choice reflected respect, solidarity and optimism.
The late Queen would of course be proud.