The Reason You Won't See The Royals' Diamonds Before 6pm

Diamonds aren't forever, apparently.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but apparently not before the sun goes down for the royal family. Barring tiaras and any other religious accessories, it’s supposedly an unspoken rule that Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and the Queen don’t bust out their bigger rocks before 6pm. And now that we know that, we’ve definitely noticed.

In a recent interview with royal etiquette expert Myka Meier, News.com.au discovered that you’re not likely to see the women of the royal family flashing diamonds in the day time. Instead, they’re generally saved for evening occasions.

She said, ‘At night, you’ll see the diamonds come out, and that’s in order to not come across as flashy in your appearance.’

Of course, we’ve seen a few obvious exceptions like Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton's engagement rings. Many of the royals are also partial to a great diamond brooch at afternoon events, pinned to a fierce skirt suit. In fact, the Queen’s brooch from President Obama which she wore during Trump’s visit happens to rock a handful of them. (We’re still convinced it was a sly dig at Obama’s successor.) And naturally when it comes to special occasions like the royal wedding, the tiaras and other finery come out to play too.

That’s not to say they can’t rock other gems in the daytime however. In fact, if you scroll through our gallery of Kate Middleton’s favourite earrings you’ll find she’s quite partial to a great pair of pearl drops and rocks Monica Vinader’s more subtle pieces like no other.

Meier explained, ‘Other jewels are worn pre-6pm. Before 6pm, you’ll see metallics, gemstones, pearls, sapphires.’

TBH we don’t envy Meghan Markle. It seems like there are so many unspoken royal fashion rules that she needs to wrap her head around, like wearing pantyhose, avoiding off the shoulder pieces and wearing a suit (even if she does pull it off fabulously). Luckily, she doesn’t have to keep tabs on it all by herself as apparently she’s got her own team to get to grips with it.

‘[The royals] have a team who know what is appropriate for the event they’re attending, and Meghan especially would be given a lot of advice,’ Meier explained.

Pretty handy. Do you think they’re anything like the cast of Queer Eye? The thought of JVN sassing the Queen over her hair routine brings us no end of joy. Can you belieeeve?

Megan is a freelance journalist who covers entertainment and all things lifestyle, with a particular passion for fashion, beauty, travel and Keanu Reeves stories. She has previously worked on staff for titles including Marie Claire UK, CNN Style and The Evening Standard and has written for titles such as Bustle UK, Wallpaper*, Forbes and Hong Kong Tatler. She splits her time between London and her hometown Hong Kong, where she currently lives with the love of her life - an elderly dog named Poppy - and her husband.