bitchy | Princess Kate is ‘so confident,’ she has no plans to replace stylist Natasha Archer

One of the unsolved royal mysteries of 2025 is “why did the Princess of Wales’s longtime stylist suddenly quit in July?” We heard some interesting explanations for why Natasha Archer left, everything from “it was the right time for Archer to start her own business” to “Archer had a lot of personal drama because she’s getting a divorce.” Two things stand out to me. One, Kate is going to be queen consort sooner rather than later, and it’s extremely weird that her longtime stylist didn’t want to wait it out to become part of the new queen’s inner circle. Two, the breakup was messy, because within days of Archer’s resignation, she made her Instagram public and the world could plainly see that she was cyber-stalking the Duchess of Sussex and all of Meghan’s close friends and associates. Archer’s exit exposed Kate even further as Meghan’s biggest “fan.” Odder still, Kate has not replaced Archer in the past five months. Kate still does not have any kind of stylist or dresser, which might explain some of Kate’s recent styling disasters. Still, according to People’s source, Kate is doing just fine and she has no plans to replace Natasha.

Kate Middleton certainly knows how to make an impact when it comes to her style. Despite her longtime personal assistant and stylist Natasha Archer leaving the palace earlier this year, multiple sources say the Princess of Wales, 43, has no plans to hire a stylist.

“Kate has always been very involved in choosing her outfits for royal engagements, but now she is so confident, she knows exactly what suits her and what doesn’t,” a source tells PEOPLE.

According to multiple sources, Kate is very hands-on when it comes to her styling and does most of it herself, with logistical assistance from her staff, who coordinate the looks she chooses (a full-time job during a royal tour, as she has been known to wear 24 outfits during one trip!).

In July, PEOPLE exclusively revealed that Archer, known affectionately as “Tash” who had been PA to both Prince William and Princess Kate since their engagement, had exited her role to start up her own fashion consultancy. The departure of Archer, unofficially known as Princess Kate’s stylist as she regularly acted as a go-between of sorts between the royal and designers, could have meant a huge shift in Kate’s style. However, it’s mostly been business as usual, says one fashion insider.

“I do think we are seeing a delineation between day-to-day, less remarkable outfits with these big wow moments — like the gold Phillipa Lepley dress she wore to the state dinner with Trump,” Bethan Holt, fashion director at The Telegraph, tells PEOPLE. “I think she is trying to balance both of those aspects of her job. New influences will undoubtedly come in and that will be very interesting to see how it changes over time, now that Natasha has left,” she adds.

“Kate has always loved shopping online and spends a lot of time researching brands that are meaningful. She chooses looks and often keeps them until just the right moment before she wears them. She’s not interested in trends; it’s about what she feels comfortable in and the messaging,” adds the source.

While Princess Kate might be keeping her style secrets in-house for now, things could change in the future. “One day, when she does become queen, then there might be a need to hire someone with a more formal dresser role. But for now, I’m not sure she will want that,” adds Holt. “And even then, I’m not sure there will be a splashy announcement. I’m sure that she consults people in her friendship circle, people who are very fashion literate or in the fashion industry, because she knows she needs to look relevant and she also wants to keep delivering surprises, but she knows what works for her too. It’s a fine balance.”

[From People]

“I’m sure that she consults people in her friendship circle, people who are very fashion literate or in the fashion industry…” Does she consult anyone like that? I’m really asking, because I don’t think she does. The only truth in this piece is that Kate loves to shop, especially online, and she prefers her DIY style to what should be a much more polished and professional look for a 40-something future queen. I’d also like to point out that Kate seems to be in a near-constant state of understaffing. She was without a private secretary for a year and a half (2022-2024), she’s been without Archer, her right-hand gal, for months. None of Kate’s half-assed projects, letters or appearances seem like they’ve been thought out by a team of seasoned pros. Who are Kate’s dedicated staffers at this point? Just a couple of interns and the palace gopher wearing that discarded blonde wig?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.