INSIDE KATE'S NEW DAWN

From the forest to high fashion, the Princess of Wales is striking a healthy balance between her priorities as she releases a video celebrating nature then thrills couture fans

- REPORT: EMILY NASH

She has long preferred the focus to be on what she does and not what she wears, but the Princess of Wales managed to strike the perfect balance last week.

In an elegant gesture of support for homegrown designers, she thrilled fashionistas with a bold, fashion-forward look, wearing a green Victoria Beckham trouser suit as she presented the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to Patrick McDowell.

But her style statement came hot on the heels of a very different public message, in which she urged society to “reconnect to nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts” in the first of a series of videos celebrating the seasons.

Featuring clips filmed during their recent visit to Mull, it shows the Princess and her husband the Prince walking through a wood and standing, arms wrapped around one another, looking out to sea.

It was a reminder of how Kate has re-evaluated her priorities in the wake of her recovery from cancer, seeking solace in the natural world and continuing to focus on time outdoors in nature as part of her gradual return to public work.

But she looked happy to be back on duty a day later as she attended the awards ceremony, hosted by the British Fashion Council at 180 Studios in central London.

OPEN TO INTERPRETATION

In keeping with its stance of sharing details of the royals’ clothing only on state or formal occasions, Kensington Palace declined to release information about Kate’s outfit, instead leaving it to fashion and royal fans to decipher.

It was interpreted by many, however, as a tacit show of solidarity with Victoria, amid a reported falling-out between the Beckhams and their eldest son Brooklyn.