How Kate once broke the Queen’s number one fashion rule
There is a pretty strict royal fashion etiquette to follow when you're part of the royal family, whether you're a man or a woman.
The rules go a long way to explaining why Kate Middleton always carries a clutch bag, and Princess Diana never wore gloves for example - or why royal family members never take this off in public.
However, some rules were made to be broken, and with Meghan Markle et al being only human after all, these things do happen.
Take the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant for example, which happened on 3rd June 2012. It saw Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth ll, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge board the royal barge 'Spirit of Chartwell', to parade along the Thames to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952.
During the event, both the Queen and Camilla wore understated outfits, opting for ivory and cream colours, while Kate went for a bright red ensemble with matching hat. So far, so normal right?
Except that usually, bright colours are Her Majesty's signature look, since they mean she stands out from the crowd and so can easily be seen, not only by the public, but by her aides.
Of course, there are no rules that dictate that she is the only royal allowed to wear bright colours, but it's usually custom for her to be the centre of attention when they are all out in force, especially for such a special occasion.
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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.
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