This month was always going to be one in which what members of the royal family were wearing was bound to grab some attention. Yet cashmere has never been far from the headlines.
No bigger headlines, of course, could be written than those concerning King Charles III and Queen Camilla wearing crowns as they took centre stage - or throne - at Westminster Abbey, before doing so again in a golden carriage procession and then on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
Inevitably, what others were wearing at the coronation was noticed too, including those of estranged royals like Prince Harry in his smart suit and medals, or non-royals like Penny Mordaunt, who as Lord President of the Privy Council won as much praise for her startling blue outfit as she did for carrying the heavy Sword of Offering so adeptly.
As ever, many tabloids were focused on the female royals, include the apparent mystery of Kate’s neckline. But once the Coronation had come and gone, attention swiftly reverted to the more everyday wear of the royals, not least cashmere.
While her mother has been featured many a time wearing cashmere, it seems Princess Charlotte could be next, making her a future icon for women’s cashmere knitwear after years of being the focus of fashion for girls.
As the Daily Mail reports, the extra bank holiday of May 8th, when the royals joined the Big Help Out event in Slough, saw the young princess sporting a cashmere sweater, an attractive knitted pink top that she looked entirely comfortable in as she painted the wooden door of what will shortly be a scout hut. The paper also noted she owns a blue version as well.
“Better not get paint on that jumper!” screamed the paper, as if it wouldn’t wash off so resilient a material as cashmere. But still, that made for a good headline.
Perhaps the best thing was the way Charlotte was able to effortlessly juxtapose this with very ‘normal’ wear, such as denim shorts, showing that smart cashmere can fit well with a stylish, special occasion or a day of casual dressing and some creative work.
It hasn’t been long since her mother was spotted in cashmere, the occasion being Prince Louis’ birthday last month when she sported a white sweater with horizontal dark blue stripes. This is true to form for Kate, who has shown off any number of cashmere garments down the years.
The big question many will be asking is whether Charlotte is now set to follow suit. Will she be seen in more and more cashmere outfits? And will this inspire parents to head for the shops? (According to OK! Magazine, mums have been dashing out to get the £20 trainers Charlotte was wearing in Slough).
At the age of eight, she has a few years to go before she can emulate her mother as an icon of women’s fashion, but there can be little doubt that whatever she wears will be influential. A cashmere jumper in Slough may be a sign of things to come.
