10 times members of the royal family caused a stir with their outfits

Publish date: 2024-07-23

A number of these unofficial rules relate to their wardrobe.

Often, when a royal makes an official engagement, their outfits are one of the most discussed topics. From the late Princess Diana to Meghan Markle, members of the British monarchy have been turning heads with their daring ensembles.

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Here are 10 times royals caused a stir with their outfits.

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When the Duchess of Sussex met the royal family for the first time, at Queen Elizabeths annual Christmas lunch in 2017, Princess Michael of Kent arrived wearing a blackamoor brooch.

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This particular accessory has origins as far back as the 13th century and has been likened to exoticizing black people as servants. Kent was accused of wearing the brooch to insult Prince Harrys future spouse. Facing considerable backlash, she later apologized .

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It's no secret that Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana had a tumultuous relationship. On the evening that Prince Charles' controversial documentary aired in 1994 (the one in which he admitted to having an affair ), Diana arrived at the Serpentine Gallery in a look that remains synonymous with her short stint as a royal, a stunning velvet little black dress with a plunging neckline.

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It was an outfit no royal had ever dared to wear before. Consequently, the dress to this day has been nicknamed "The Revenge Dress."

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But that didn't stop some fans from questioning Meghan Markle's decision to wear the dress.

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In 2011, The Duchess of Cambridge donned a yellow Jenny Packham dress that nearly caught the breeze on the tarmac in 2011. Queen Elizabeth reportedly put plans in motion to prevent that from occurring in the future.

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Stewart Parvin, one of the Queen's tailors, reportedly began sewing weights into the hem of her garments, which in the future prevents them from blowing up in the wind. "I use curtain weights, lead weights, from Peter Jones's curtain department. We call them pennyweights," he revealed to The Daily Mail .

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While most attendees wore black to the 2018 BAFTA Awards in solidarity of the Time's Up movement, Middleton decided to wear a deep green dress . Royal family protocol strictly forbids its members from adhering to a political belief. However, many likened the black sash Middleton wore around her torso as a subtle nod to her support of the campaign.

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Prior to William and Kate's 2011 nuptials, Princess Eugenie and older sister Princess Beatrice were fairly unknown members of the royal family. Their grand entrance into the spotlight would have many people talking.

The sisters both wore fascinators for the April affair . Eugenie's blue cap, pinned to the front of her head, perfectly matched her blue and green Vivienne Westwood dress, but it was the busy arrangement of flowers and feathers that sent it over the top. Some onlookers felt like the daring hue took considerable attention away from the future Duchess of Cambridge.

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Back in 2005, Prince Harry made headline for photos of him dressed up as a Nazi officer for a costume party. The then-20-year-old prince faced major backlash for the costume and later issued a statement apologizing, saying he was"very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone. It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize."

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Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at the Royal British Awards in December 2018 to present her wedding dress designer Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy the Womenswear Designer of the Year honor.

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Prince William and Kate took Prince George and Princess Charlotte on a ski trip in 2016 and animal rights activist group PETA took note of the duchess sporting a pair of Restelli Guanti gloves, lined with possum fur.

In a statement to E! News , a spokesperson for PETA promised to contact Middleton about her misstep, and inform her about the ways designers kill animals for their coats.

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A move quite possibly everyone has done, Markle arrived in Tonga for an official engagement with husband Prince Harry in October 2018 with the tag still visibly attached to the dress . It was a stunning embroidered red dress from Self-Portrait, and the gaffe turned heads. Nevertheless, the duchess handled the appearance with class and reminded us all that even some of the most powerful individuals make mistakes.

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