Kate Middleton News As Brexit Begins: Kate Chooses British Fashion And Values

Kate Middleton isn’t pregnant, and the proof is in the form-fitting, stunning, emerald green gown Kate wore to the National Portrait Gallery glamorous fundraiser gala. The gown “dazzled” other guests at the British art institution dinner and made it clear that there won’t be a Kate Middleton pregnancy announcement in the near future. Vanity Fair writes that Kate “looked especially royal” in the sumptuously designed lace dress that awed the fashion world, and she certainly put paid to the ongoing Kate Middleton pregnancy rumors, but the real Middleton news is that there was a “subtle meaning” to her choice of dress for the evening.

The Duchess made a compelling statement in favor of Britain’s top designers when she chose the now-famous lacy green confection for her appearance at the historic center of art. Because Middleton is a patron of the National Portrait Gallery and an art history student, it’s no news that Kate has a special interest in encouraging and supporting British art.

There’s more to Middleton’s art interests. As a senior member of Britain’s royal family, Kate has a special interest in upholding, promoting, and even shielding the nation’s artists and artisans. In the face of news that Brexit begins as Theresa May triggered Article 50 on the day after Kate Middleton visited the gallery, the future of Britain’s relationship with the rest of Europe is “littered with pitfalls,” and that applies to art makers too.

According to the New York Times, news reports confirm that after Brexit, the United Kingdom is committed to a vision of a “truly global Britain, the best friend and neighbor to our European partners but a country that reaches beyond the borders of Europe too.” Brexit’s meaning for the royal family is simple. Kate Middleton, Prince William, and the other royals have a job to do as they work to smooth the rocky path of Brexit and exemplify the “enduring power of the British spirit.”

Kate Middleton and Prince William to bolster UK-France relations ahead of Brexit https://t.co/tuuuAw9jmZ

— Paulo Félix (@osint) March 16, 2017

The royals’ influence, while considered to be “soft” diplomacy rather than the real thing present in bureaucrats’ negotiating sessions, is nevertheless hugely important as the Brexit process unfolds. Their visible championship of Britain’s artists is just as important, and Kate knows exactly how to do it.

https://twitter.com/ooyuzbusiness/status/840942110106877953

Sometimes, Middleton’s job involves finding the right words and the right gestures in potentially tricky international situations. The news of the Duchess’ stellar performance in France when she and Prince William visited for a whirlwind two-day Brexit-motivated mission led to exciting news that she is set to visit Luxembourg on her own in May. Kate’s solo visit to the tiny mid-European country will also be a Brexit mission, intended to strengthen bonds between the two nations.

At other times, Kate’s task is as simple as wearing the right clothes and finding the right school for her children. In the matter of clothes, Middleton “nailed it” at the National Portrait Gallery gala, just as she always does. Kate wore the gorgeous green gown by Temperly London accessorized with Kiki McDonough tourmaline and amethyst drop earrings, and she added her signature clutch purse, this time created by another of Britain’s designers, Wilbur & Gussie.

Every one of the Duchess’ wardrobe decisions was carefully calibrated to send a clear message of support to Britain’s tradespeople post-Brexit. Kate’s outfits are so influential that they often sell out within a day of Middleton news reports, and her fashion clout has spawned its own hashtag and website, “whatkatewore.” If Kate Middleton is buying made-in-Britain designs, so will everyone else.

@RachelZoe I love Kate Middleton too!!! Her clothes are awesome and so appropriate.

— Nancy Tontini Whittum (@nancy51591) April 13, 2016

In the matter of a school for Prince George, Middleton and Prince William broke with royal tradition when they recently announced their surprising news that Prince George will be attending Thomas’s Battersea pre-prep. It’s an unprecedented choice for royals and the news is an indication of the more sympathetic and accessible character of the younger generation.

Thomas’s Battersea, whose mandate is founded on its “most important” rule that students must be kind, is radically different from the military institution that Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, attended.

The choice of Thomas’s Battersea is also another sign that Kate Middleton takes her job very seriously as Brexit approaches. The distant, formal education that past princes and princesses received, a style that was rooted in the same tradition that required Britain’s royals to marry only other royals as a way to forge high-level, elite bonds with other kingdoms, is not for her children.

While still recognizing that the mystery of Britain’s royal family is an essential part of its enduring popularity, Middleton and Prince William are making sure that their children grow up to understand that they represent the people of the nation, not just the crowned heads.

Kate shared a moment of pure parental conversation with a couple whose children will also be attending Prince George’s school this fall. For all the “crown approved” elegance of the green lace gown, the Duchess, like her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, is still a mother first and foremost. That streak of down-to-earth maternity is part of what makes Middleton the perfect person to reach out and help calm the Brexit jitters and pave the way for future good relations with the rest of Europe.

At the gala dinner, Kate Middleton’s grace and sincerity paved the way for future good relations with other parents. When the duchess ran into Richard Found and his wife, Jane Suitor, both art professionals, the Standard writes that they had a quick chat about the upcoming school year.

#ThisMorning so pleased to see Kate Middleton being honest about the struggles of motherhood, no matter who you are. #pndchat

— Rosey (@PNDandMe) March 24, 2017

Found said that when Kate worried that she wasn’t “sure George has any idea what is going to hit him,” he was able to reassure her.

“He is going to love it. It is such a friendly school,” he told Middleton.

“I may see you at the school gates,” she replied. That’s right: the Duchess of Cambridge, future Princess of Wales and Queen of Great Britain, intends to take her son to class at least some of the time. Kate Middleton will join in the time-honored tradition of chatting with other parents after dropping off kids, sharing concerns and pre-school achievements, and, because she’s the Duchess of Cambridge, giving other moms a chance to check out her wardrobe by Britain’s best designers.

[Featured Image by Neil Hall – WPA Pool/Getty Images]