Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Style

    There's a reason Kate Middleton and the Queen never take off their coats

    Penny Goldstone's avatar
    By Penny Goldstone
    Published 20 June 2019 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    If you look back at pictures of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Queen at official events, you'll notice they very often wear coats or coat dresses, especially during autumn and winter.

    Even Meghan Markle has adopted this look, as recently as Trooping the Colour, where she and Kate also nodded to their wedding days with their outfits.

    kate middleton dress

    (Image credit: Rex)

    They tend to be colourful and match whichever dress they have underneath. You'll probably see them at the same event with their coats on, and later without, however the one thing you'll never see is the royals taking them off - and there's apparently a reason for it, which like many things, comes down to royal fashion etiquette.

    According to Australian site Honey, it's because it's 'not ladylike' to take any item of clothing off in public, and that includes coats, regardless of how demure your outfit is underneath.

    And Kate is a stickler for the rules, often opting for nude or pale pink nail polish in public (dark polish is a no no), although she does like wearing wedges, even if the Queen isn't a fan.

    You may like
    • hannah strafford taylor wearing a trench coat Fashion Editors and Celebrities Agree: The Trench Coat Is the Easiest Solution to Mid-Season Dressing
    • Chloe Fashion Has Officially Escaped to the Country—From Kilts to Coats, These Are the Brands We’re Wearing
    • Vintage Faux-Fur Coats A Faux-Fur-Trim Coat and Jeans is the Transitional Outfit Solution We Can’t Wait to Wear
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Penny Goldstone
    Penny Goldstone
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Fashion Editor

    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.

    Read more
    hannah strafford taylor wearing a trench coat
    Fashion Fashion Editors and Celebrities Agree: The Trench Coat Is the Easiest Solution to Mid-Season Dressing
    Chloe
    Fashion Fashion Has Officially Escaped to the Country—From Kilts to Coats, These Are the Brands We’re Wearing
     
     
    Vintage Faux-Fur Coats
    Fashion A Faux-Fur-Trim Coat and Jeans is the Transitional Outfit Solution We Can’t Wait to Wear
    DUA LIPA WEARING A CAMISOLE TOP
    Shopping When a T-Shirt Feels Too Plain, Try the Trending Top Alexa Chung, Tracee Ellis Ross and Daisy Edgar-Jones Are Wearing
     
     
    Latest in Style
    Chanel shirts
    Fashion How Much is Too Much to Spend on a Shirt? And Where to Find the Best Ones
    Lily Russo-Bah Marie Claire UK
    Shopping I’ve Just Discovered NEXT’s Best-Kept Secret—Plus the Trending Skirt Style and Workwear Pieces Worth Your Attention
     
     
    What Lily Loves
    Shopping These Black Leggings Are My Secret to Easy Autumn Style Plus the Celine Loafers I’ll Never Regret Buying
    collage of October fashion collaborations
    Fashion From Rixo to Burberry and M&S Lingerie, These are the Fashion Collaborations We’re Excited About Right Now
     
     
    Latest in News
    New Beauty Launches: Burberry Beauty / Mes Beauty / rhute / Jo Loves / Ziip Beauty
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Jennifer Lawrence’s Unexpected Haircare Launch, Burberry’s Exquisite New Perfumes and Jo Loves Sparks Festive Joy
    New Beauty Launches: Amouage, Haus Labs, XERF
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Is XERF Worth the Hype? Plus, Amouage’s New Body Collection & The Beauty Beat Returns
     
     
    Jeans And Jackets
    Shopping Celine Dion, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sarah Pidgeon Swear by This Trophy Jacket-and-Jeans Formula for Instant Fashion Confidence
    Next
    Shopping NEXT’s Autumn/Winter 2026 Collection Has Everything We Love About Getting Dressed in the Colder Months
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.