With the ink barely dry on the marriage certificate of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the royal household has gifted the nation with the news that Princess Anne has gone athleisure.
Stepping out at the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday, the 13th in line to the throne — and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip off of The Crown — was snapped bucking the recent trend for small sunglasses, choosing instead to don a pair of adidas Speed Dealers to the annual event in west London.
The glasses — which retail at £115 — feature double-snap nose pads for perfect fitting and protection, as well as a sturdy lens changing feature, enabling the wearer to easily adapt to all light and weather conditions.
Of course, the 67-year-old Princess Royal has previous experience with the athleisure trend; a style in which clothing traditionally designed for athletics is worn in settings such as work, home, or visiting the Libertarian Monument in the Falkland Islands.
Princess Anne is known for her love of horses, with an equestrian career that saw her compete in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, and was initially spotted wearing the pair at Sandown Park Racecourse — a track so renowned for its love of horses that it is now over three weeks since it last killed one.
In an exclusive piece of investigative journalism by i-D, we can reveal that the lenses were first worn by her daughter Zara Phillips in 2012, when the now 37-year-old represented Team GB in the equestrian at London’s Olympic Games. How the glasses eventually worked their way to Princess Anne is unknown, however there is no suggestion, at the time of writing, that she robbed them.
Since then, Her Royal Highness has been spotted wearing the glasses at The Royal Logistics Corps’ 25th anniversary parade, Ladies Day at Cheltenham, Blackwell Adventure Park, The Festival of British Eventing, The International Sheepdog Trials and a visit to Salford — a light and weather condition not even the adidas Speed Dealers can adapt to.
“She’ll recycle clothes without a care in the world,” said one aristocrat in an interview with Tatler. “She doesn’t give a tuppenny fuck.”
Yet, while the cost-conscious Princess might be thrifty with her clothing choices, her glasses are remarkably on trend, Vogue already highlighting their resemblance to the Fenty x Puma and Stella McCartney ones seen on the spring/summer 18 catwalks.
Turns out even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Now where can where can we get a pair?