Kensington Palace has issued a rare clarification after a week of controversy over the Princess of Wales’s fashion decisions.

Last week, the Sunday Times reported that the palace would no longer routinely release details of the princess’s outfits from her royal engagements.

The report triggered criticism and discussion about the role Kate’s fashion choices play in promoting British designers and connecting with the public.

On Wednesday (AEDT), People magazine reported that the palace had released a rare statement clarifying that no changes had been made to formal policy on sharing Kate’s clothing details.

“Over the last week, I have received numerous questions about a story regarding the Princess of Wales’s clothing and how Kensington Palace shares information about her outfits,” a spokesperson told People.

“To clarify, the comments that appeared in the [Sunday Times] article were from me, not the Princess of Wales.

“The comments that were reported should not be directly attributed to the Princess of Wales.

“To be clear, there has been no change in our approach to sharing information about Her Royal Highness’s clothing.”

The palace has in the past frequently issued information to the media on the clothes and jewellery worn by Kate.

Brands often receive a boost from the so-called “Kate effect” after she wears their lines – and her influence on the British fashion industry has been estimated at as much as £1 billion ($A1.97 billion) a year.

The Sunday Times had reported that Kate was frustrated by a perceived focus on her style rather than the substance of her work.

“There is an absolute feeling that it is not about what the princess is wearing,” a palace source reportedly told the newspaper.

“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 has so far issued no details about Kate’s outfits to the media during her engagements this year.

On Tuesday (British time), she visited a mother and baby unit at a prison in Cheshire. No details of what she was wearing were officially released.

Late last month, there was another solo visit, this time to the Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice in Wales, to meet young people.

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 also visited the Welsh knitwear and sock manufacturer Corgi in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, to shine a light on British industry.

Kate recently launched an initiative aimed at developing Britain’s “social and emotional skills” to alleviate the human cost from a world sometimes filled with “mistrust and misunderstanding”.

Kate’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.

-with AAP