Royals almost never wear this colour during the day

(Image credit: 2019 Mark Cuthbert)

The Queen has always been a fan of wearing bright colours (which she always matches with her umbrella in case you hadn't noticed), and this is so she literally stands out from the crowd when she's out and about on official duty.

However one colour you'll almost never see her wear, during the day at least, is black, and this goes for the rest of the royal family, like Kate Middleton.

This is because black during the day is generally associated with mourning, and so royal etiquette considers it too sober.

Of course there have been some exceptions, for example Princess Diana sometimes wore black, and Meghan Markle once wore a black suit during the day. However the royals often stick to black for formal evening events.

'Generally it is thought that black is not usually worn unless in mourning, although Diana Princess of Wales did occasionally wear it for evening functions, and The Duchess of Cambridge has been known to do so,' The English Manner Chief Executive Alexandra Messervy told InStyle.

It's also for this reason that royals always pack one black outfit while on royal tour. This means that if someone dies while they are away, they can change into it as a mark of respect.

This sadly happened to the Queen herself, when she was on safari in Kenya in 1952. Her father King George VI, died while she was away, and when she landed back in the UK, she was wearing funereal attire.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.