According to sources at The Daily Mail, Kate has enlisted the help of university friend and former fashion magazine editor Virginia Chadwyck-Healey (known as Ginnie) while Archer is on maternity leave. Chadwyck-Healey, who previously worked at British Vogue, has taken on the role of royal stylist, alongside running her own consultancy business. The pair met while at university, studying history of art at St Andrews. Both Chadwyck-Healey and her husband are friends with Kate and Prince William.
It's rumoured Chadwyck-Healey has been helping the Duchess since the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry last May, but has recently ramped up trying out new things, like the now-famous Gucci pussy bow shirt, which the royal wore backwards — one serious styling trick if we ever saw one.
"Ginnie is Catherine’s secret weapon," a source told The Daily Mail. "She has made a big difference to the Duchess’s wardrobe for public engagements and has helped give her a whole new sense of confidence. Catherine has been really impressed and is very grateful for her help."
Chadwyck-Healey has been a freelance stylist since 2018 when she left Vogue after 12 years. Since her departure from publishing, the mother-of-two has taken a decidedly more relaxed aesthetic and has become a champion of high street finds via her Instagram. She even wrote about her experience of attending the royal wedding in 2011, sharing a story of what it was like to be a guest at the big day.
"To my great surprise, I found myself included in the fashion reviews as one of the best-dressed wedding guests," she wrote, per The Daily Mail. "Royal protocol had to come first, but I wanted to feel like I had an identity amid the sea of celebrities, friends, military personnel, foreign members of state and, of course, the royal family."
It's not yet known how long she will be working with the royals, but if her recent work is anything to go by, there's a long and stylish future ahead for both Ginnie and Kate.
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