The Princess of Wales was left so frustrated by one aspect of royal life that she requested a major change at Kensington Palace, it has been claimed.

The palace will reportedly no longer routinely release details of the outfits and accessories that Kate is wearing on official duties amid her concern about a perceived focus on her style rather than the substance of her work.

Since becoming royal on marrying Prince William almost 14 years ago, many royal watchers pour over her fashion choices with brands almost immediately seeing an huge uptick in sales if she ever wears one of their pieces.

Kate during a visit to South Wales last week ( Image: John Myers)

The palace has in the past frequently issued information to the media on the clothes and jewellery worn by Kate. And it is believed they may still issue these details about garments worn to important state and family events, but the princess wants to shift focus.

A Kensington Palace source told the Sunday Times: “There is an absolute feeling that it is not about what the princess is wearing. She wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting. There will always be an appreciation of what the princess is wearing from some of the public and she gets that. But do we need to be officially always saying what she is wearing? No. The style is there but it’s about the substance.”

Kensington Palace did not issue details of Kate’s outfit to the media during two recent engagements in South Wales. Kate made a solo visit on Thursday, meeting youngsters at the Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice. The princess, who confirmed last month she is in remission from cancer, has become patron of the hospice as she continues her gradual return to public duties.

Kate during a visit to Wimbledon ( Image: PA)

However, within minutes of her arriving for the engagements near Cardiff, fashion sleuths were able to work out that the dress Kate wore was a recycled Zara piece that had previously been on sale for just £16.

Meanwhile, Kate has said we must recognise the need to “reset, restore and rebalance” our lives as part of her crusade to help the early years development of children. The future queen, who is continuing her recovery from cancer, told how the state of modern life was leaving many feeling “isolated and vulnerable” during troubled periods. In the foreword to a new handbook for parents and educators, Kate said those stresses can often result in “poor mental health, addiction and abuse” that was “devastating” for those affected and society.

As part of the launch for the new initiative aimed at developing the nation’s “social and emotional skills”, Kate will this week launch the project with a personal engagement. The princess’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has published the Shaping Us Framework aimed at increasing awareness of these soft or life skills to inspire action across society.

In her personal statement, Kate told how the research into changing the lives of millions of children is aimed at alleviating the human cost from a world sometimes filled with “mistrust and misunderstanding”.