The message behind the Princess of Wales’ sold-out boho dress

The Princess wore a Veronica Beard dress for her personal video message. Photo / Kensington Palace
The Princess’ outfit worn for an intimate film to announce an end to her chemotherapy feels like a personal symbol of sanctuary and calm.
It’s no surprise that the dress the Princess of Wales chose to wear for the glossy video in which she tells the world she has finished her chemotherapy treatment looks effortlessly carefree but is also imbued with subtle meaning.
After all, the Princess is one of the world’s most polished fashion communicators and has long honed a style strategy whereby she includes messages in her clothes, while also wearing only pieces that feel right for her.
In the video, she wears two dresses, but the standout is the black-and-white embroidered “Castella” style by American label Veronica Beard. It was originally available to buy for £598 ($1272) but could still be found at some retailers for £299 on Monday afternoon. By Tuesday morning, it appeared to have sold out.
The Princess accessorises the dress with green amethyst earrings by one of her favourite jewellers, Kiki McDonough, and a Daniella Draper necklace bearing her children’s initials.
There is likely no particular intention behind the decision to wear Veronica Beard aside from the Princess simply liking the dress – although the label has previously supported cancer causes. It’s also noteworthy that the Duchess of Sussex wore a sleeveless blazer and trousers by the label during her visit to Colombia in August.
“We have been deeply moved by the Princess’ strength and grace during these challenging times and feel so honoured that she chose to wear our dress for this very important announcement,” the label’s founders, Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard, who are sisters-in-law, tell the Telegraph. “We have long believed in the power of clothes to make a person not only look good, but feel good – and love that this dress was what she felt would represent this moment in time.”
There is also a closer look at Kate’s “ring stack”. Earlier in the summer, she was photographed without her world-famous sapphire engagement ring, wearing a new eternity ring instead.
In the film, it is also absent and instead she wears her wedding band, a diamond eternity ring by Annoushka that she received around the time of Prince George’s birth, and her new diamond and sapphire eternity ring, plus one other slim band.
If you were to watch the film without the Princess’ poignant voiceover, in which she speaks about her cancer journey, you could be mistaken for assuming you were watching an advertisement for Boden or Ralph Lauren.
Though it’s likely coincidental, Catherine epitomises this season’s boho trend as she poses beside trees and walks through a field of wheat glinting in the sunlight in a video with production values as sleek as those of any upscale fashion shoot.
Elsewhere in the film, she wears a chambray shirt dress which is so simple that the brand behind it is yet to be identified by royal style trackers. Whether intentional or not, this emphasises the universality of the Princess’ message when she speaks about being with others who are on their own cancer journeys.
The dress is worn with a pair of Veja trainers, a classic “mum” choice bearing rose gold detailing, which she first wore in 2021 and now look authentically battered.
The Princess’ Veronica Beard dress might be new, but it resembles several other styles in her wardrobe, perhaps as an understated reminder of simpler times. It recalls a Boden frock she wore for a 2019 Christmas card portrait with her family and a Topshop style that she wore while feeding elephants in India in 2016.
Ultimately, though, the dress feels like a personal symbol of the sanctuary and calm, which the Princess has found in Norfolk with her family in summer.
Elsewhere in the film, the rest of the family echo the Princess’ relaxed style. Princess Charlotte is wearing a broderie anglaise top by Sfera and a striped jumper by Amaia London, while her brothers wear T-shirts and shorts – Prince George’s top is from Spanish high street store Mango.
The Prince of Wales, meanwhile, wears a casual wardrobe of polo shirts, shorts and linen shirts with New Balance trainers. Always, crucially, matching perfectly with his wife.