Although she’s not a senior royal or working member of the family, Princess Beatrice has garnered quite a few headlines over the years. Most have been regarding her fashion, and they haven’t been flattering.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson‘s oldest daughter has been criticized and mocked for some of the things she’s worn, including that infamous bow hat to her cousin Prince William‘s wedding. The fashion choice was scrutinized so much so that Beatrice actually broke down in tears over some of the things that were said.

Her sister, Princess Eugenie, told British Vogue: “There was a horrible article that had been written about Beatrice, and she got really upset. We were just about to step out and she had a bit of a wobble and cried.”

But that was then, and now a fashion expert is breaking down Princess Beatrice’s style evolution and why she’s no longer mocked.

Expert offers explanation as to why Princess Beatrice was mocked so much

Lauren Bulla is a fashion journalist who has been featured in The Independent, The Cold Magazine, New Wave Magazine, and many more. She recently became the Fashion Editor of Groupie Magazine, where she has revamped their fashion offering, notably providing in-depth, on-the-ground coverage of New York, Paris, London, Berlin, and Copenhagen fashion weeks.

Speaking on behalf of Fruity King, Bulla told Showbiz Cheat Sheet: “Looking at her style, as it’s evolved over the years, I think a big part of the criticism that she received when she was much younger was purely to do with the fact that she was growing up in the public eye. When you’re young and a teenager coming of age, there’s so much experimentation that happens, but for most of us, that happens in our small communities or in our friend groups. In Princess Beatrice’s case, everything she wore was going to be immediately available to the public, and therefore any kind of scrutiny would be very public.”

Bulla added: “I also think a lot of those decisions that were criticized were just very of their time. If you look at the era of fashion that she was dressing in, it didn’t fit what other people were experimenting with. It just may not have fit what people expected of a royal, but it fit the experimentation that was happening at those times.”

Beatrice’s style has evolved, and she has ‘stayed true to her passion’

Bulla pointed out that even though the princess’s style has evolved over the years, she’s stayed true to herself.

“I think a big part of her style as it’s grown over the years, was this kind of whimsy that is imbued throughout her styling, regardless of what phase of life she’s in. I do think a big shift in the way she’s presented her wardrobe comes with working with her stylist, Olivia Buckingham. We see a leaning away from these more polarizing patterns and colorways and towards more neutral colorways and refined silhouettes.

“Simultaneously, you still have that pop of whimsy throughout the majority of her outfits, whether it be a more unique silhouette, accessory, or headpiece, it’s clear that she still has that consistent whimsical nature to her wardrobe. Over the years, there has just been this kind of refining. It also coincides with her just getting older and the phases of life she was in.”

The expert continued, “I mean, you initially have her in the public eye, kind of understood to be a sister, she and Eugenie came as a package deal. As she got older, became a wife, and an adult, and was less attached to her sister’s hip, her positionality in the world changed, as did her wardrobe. 

“I think this inching toward a more subdued wardrobe, the reining in of hemlines and necklines, being more modest, the reduction of overly campy patterns and bright colors, is very understandable, but I love that she has stayed true to her passion for experimentation.”

Bulla concluded that “Princess Beatrice is not at all afraid of color, of this intermixing of old patterns and overlapping materials. I just think that as she’s gotten older and begun working with a well-established stylist, her wardrobe has naturally become a little more trimmed around the edges.”