Kate has turned Breton into her own comfort blanket. LIZ JONES tells how, despite a new hairstyle and a ring on her finger, the Princess of Wales’s favourite striped blouse shows her steadfast resolve after a difficult year

We all need a blanket to comfort us, don’t we? Something to hold us, something to hide behind – the one thing that never lets us down.

Prince William, in a video posted to Instagram alongside Kate on Sunday to celebrate Team GB’s success at the Olympics, looked older, more confident, relaxed and completely in charge while in holiday mode at home. The reason? He was sporting a new beard.

And Catherine? Well, she was sporting her usual style. Yes, she revealed a slightly new look: side-parted hair with caramel highlights, a new ring to go with her wedding band. But her top told us all we needed to know. We haven’t lost her. She hasn’t changed. All is right with the world.

The navy and white sailor shirt is a garment to turn to when she wants to feel and look like a woman, not a princess. For when she needs security; and to reassure. To look relaxed when her life is perhaps in crisis or immersed in emotions.

The £139 Ralph Lauren Breton featured in the video is new, but some of the ones he owns are more than 11 years old. They all have a little tweak: a navy collar, a higher neckline, a slim or boxy fit, in wool, cotton or cashmere.

But there is one constant: it’s what she uses to strengthen herself. Some people have therapy dogs. For Kate, the Breton is her emotional support shirt.

And my goodness, she has needed that comforting embrace, that armour of confidence, ever since she stepped into the public eye. And never more so than when, after months of speculation, she braved the cameras to tell us about her cancer diagnosis.

Many said William should have been sitting next to her, holding her hand, when she made that announcement. But all Kate needed was her Breton blouse.

This time the gift was cashmere, £160, and the work of her friend and favourite designer, Erdem. But it might as well have been Boden’s work, she seemed so human, vulnerable and like one of us. All we needed to know was that at last there was something safe and familiar: both the woman and the sweater. Phew.

Her choice of Breton stripes shows that she is loyal, not easily swayed and definitely not vain. When she was chosen to star on the cover of the centenary of British Vogue, on the inside pages she did not choose a ball gown, but a simple Breton blouse. It was a subtle wink to us readers: Hey, I’m not a supermodel, are you kidding me? I’m just like you.

Kate has worn variations of the blouse to the grocery store, while browsing, while playing with her children, and while doing advocacy work for her various charities.

When she revisited the University of St Andrews, where she fell in love with William, she appeared again to soothe his emotions. And she appeared during the pandemic, when she and William spoke on Zoom about lockdown and mental health. The antithesis of panic, it simply meant that the show will go on.

The Breton simply works very hard. Why?

Well, the neckline is flattering, as are the long sleeves, which, crucially, are not too long. The length of the bracelet suggests that there is someone here who does the dishes, who takes care of everything.

The stripes are cheerful, never boring. There are no flashy buttons or zippers. Most importantly, the stripes (traditionally 21 white and 21 blue on the body; 15 and 14 on each sleeve) are usually navy blue.

Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman described him as “one of those people who were born not middle-aged or old, but simply never young, travelling through life in his own wake. Navy is a helper, rather than the star.”

Kate is the protagonist of this story. She never lets herself be carried away by trends or gets carried away by ostentation. In a Breton dress, she is accessible but elegant. The Breton dress is the kind of dress worn by Coco Chanel, Jane Birkin, Audrey Hepburn or Alexa Chung: women who are happy in their own skin.

As the most famous woman in the world, Kate knows that what she wears will be scrutinised for clues and details. Wearing a Breton is disarming. She says: “It’s not about what I’m wearing. It’s about what I came to say.”

Not only does the Breton give Kate a reassuring hug, she reassures us too. As an empathetic woman, she realises that we need to see her exactly as she was before. Familiar in a world of chaos. Yes, a little safe and bland, but that’s precisely what we need!

Of course, the choice of an iconic French style could well have been a nod to the Games being held in Paris, but it was also a great shout-out to the rest of us, from an old friend who is sorely missed.