LONDON — In the absence of Kate Middleton, all is permitted, including Princess Beatrice topping Tatler’s 2024 Best Dressed list.
The British high society magazine’s September issue named 25 people from the world of film, Formula 1 to royalty, counting Cruz Beckham at number three; Queen Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot at number five; rapper Eve at number 12 and more.
But it’s Princess Beatrice of York who has come out at the number-one spot, an unusual contender considering more than a decade ago she was the subject of public scrutiny for her Philip Treacy fascinator at the wedding of Prince William and Middleton.
Princess Beatrice of York at the Sovereign’s Garden Party.
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“I think if any one of us was continually subjected to scrutiny over an outfit worn 13 years ago, we’d all be in trouble. Personal style is a journey and we’re all guilty of a faux pas or two. The true test of great taste is experimenting, learning from our mistakes à la mode, and coming back more fabulous than ever,” said Chandler Tregaskes, Tatler’s style editor, who curated the list.
“Perhaps there’s been more headlines to fill as the Princess of Wales stays out of the public eye during her recovery, but the best dressed royals have always been offering up ultra-elegant ensembles — you just have to know where to find them, even if they’re in the back rows of the balcony at Buckingham Palace,” they added.
Even though the princess has been in the background while other members of the royal family take center stage, Beatrice commanded everyone’s attention in the summer of 2020 in the midst of her father, Prince Andrew, mired in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, and the COVID-19 crisis putting an end to the original celebration planned at St. James’s Palace.
Reflecting the restrained mood of the moment, she wore a hand-me-down, bejeweled and shimmery Norman Hartnell gown adapted for her by the Queen Elizabeth II’s own dresser Angela Kelly and couturier Stewart Parvin. The late monarch was pictured in the dress in 1962, attending a performance of “Lawrence of Arabia.”
“Princess Beatrice is crowned this year’s Best Dressed in Britain owing to her steady stream of consistent chic. It can be difficult to navigate appropriate royal dressing while remaining on the forefront of modern fashion, but Beatrice has truly found her footing when it comes to this. She perfectly blurs the lines between the court and the catwalk and does it with a keen sense of personal style,” Tregaskes said.
Britain’s First Lady Victoria Starmer wearing Edeline Lee’s Dada dress at the Labour Party conference in October.
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Britain’s new first lady, Victoria Starmer, whose husband Sir Keir Starmer became U.K. prime minister on July 5 also made the cut at 10.
Until recently, she has kept a low profile. But when she does step out in public, she generally makes a statement in chic, understated silhouettes in bold monochromes in British labels, Me+Em or Edeline Lee.
Model Estelle Ogilvy was number 11 on Tatler’s Best Dressed list.
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“Lady Starmer’s official Downing Street wardrobe may have only just begun, but she’s been soft launching her interpretation of political spouse style for some years. In 2022, she served a Jackie O silhouette at Wimbledon, but present-day Starmer is cultivating her own look — and anyone who wears a white sequin cape dress to Buckingham Palace deserves a top spot on our list in my opinion,” Tregaskes said.
Other notable names on the list include model Estelle Ogilvy at number 11 for her “cute minis and preppy knits”; Middleton’s brother James at number 15 for his “laid-back luxe” style, and novelist Plum Sykes at number 24 praised for her country chic attires.
