Meghan and Harry who?
That was the message in the Princess of Wales’ red carpet appearance at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston on Friday evening.
We know Catherine wears clothes well. But when she wants to take it up a notch, she can really deliver. And then some. And she did so in a £350 neon green off-the-shoulder gown borrowed from British fashion rental platform Hurr – the first time she’s used such a service.
For an evening dedicated to protecting the planet, it was an impeccable choice; using this high profile moment to champion the sharing economy, of which fashion rental is a key part.
The label, Solace London, was a new one for her, and so was the vibrant hue – we know she’s fond of literal dressing, and the Earthshot Prize is about a greener future.
It also called to mind the late Queen’s fondness for that searing shade of lime, and how, after wearing it for Trooping the Colour in 2016, #neonat90 was trending on Twitter. It’s likely that Catherine learnt a lot from Her late Majesty about the importance of being visible.
“She needs to stand out for people to be able to say ‘I saw the Queen’,” the Countess of Wessex explained in the documentary The Queen at 90. “When she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, 10, 15 deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the queen’s hat as she went past.”
While the dress was at the more affordable end of the style spectrum, her jewellery certainly wasn’t. Queen Mary’s Art Deco emerald and diamond choker was last owned by Princess Diana, and as William’s wife, by his side on one of the most important evenings of his career, it seemed fitting that she wore it as a talisman.
If the first day of the couple’s Boston visit was overshadowed by the Lady Susan Hussey racism row, and the second day marred by the release of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary trailer, this appearance had the capacity to silence those conversations and keep the focus on the Earthshot Prize.
The couple will be giving five projects £1 million each to help them scale solutions that will repair our planet in the next decade. Catherine’s superpower is in her ability to harness attention – and then get on with the job.
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