8 Times the Royals Made a Statement With Just One Piece of Clothing

Everyone likely knows about Queen Elizabeth’s love for monochrome looks. However, royals don’t always pick plain, straightforward designs like these. Sometimes, it’s an important statement that stands behind the clothes the monarchs decide to wear.

We at Bright Side found out the meanings behind 8 outfits British royals have worn. And if you want to know what brand Princess Diana refused to wear, take a look at the bonus section.

1. Queen Elizabeth pays tribute to Prince Philip.

A couple of weeks ago, Her Majesty The Queen attended the first public event since the demise of her husband, Prince Philip. The Queen was wearing a blue coat with a yellow flower-colored collar over a matching dress, also sprinkled with yellow flowers. This outfit choice was Queen Elizabeth’s tribute to the late Prince Philip, as it was the same dress she wore when she celebrated his ninety-ninth birthday.

2. Kate Middleton shows support for the #MeToo movement.

The 2018 BAFTA Awards had a specific dress code that celebrities were encouraged to wear. That was anything in black, as a symbol of support for the #MeToo movement. As a representative of the monarchy, Kate Middleton should’ve stayed away from displaying any political views. However, over her green dress, which was designed by Jenny Packham, Middleton wore a black belt as a potential nod to the movement.

3. Meghan Markle pays respect to suffragists.

In 2019, Meghan Markle had to attend a panel discussion at King’s College London, dedicated to International Women’s Day. The look she picked for the event was anything but random. The black dress with suffragette white-colored ornaments all over it was picked to pay tribute to the suffragist movement.

4. Princess Diana’s revenge dress

The most iconic outfit in this compilation is probably Princess Diana’s “revenge dress.”

The dress was worn on June 29, 1994, at a fundraising dinner that Diana initially refused to go to. However, right before the dinner, a documentary was aired, in which her ex-husband, Prince Charles, admitted that he was unfaithful to Diana during their marriage. So Diana arrived at the dinner wearing a stunning, not-so-modest, little black dress. The dress was immediately declared to be “revenge” for the interview and has since become one of Diana’s most famous outfits.

5. Meghan Markle’s wedding veil alludes to the Commonwealth countries.

At her and Prince Harry’s wedding, Meghan Markle wore a Givenchy dress. The veil, however, was designed by the British designer, Clare Waight Keller. Meghan asked for her veil to have references to all 53 countries of the Commonwealth. It had ornaments representing the flora of every single country out of those 53.

6. Kate Middleton pays tribute to the countries she visits.

During Kate and her husband’s numerous tours, the duchess often shows respect toward the countries she visits through her clothes — the color choices of her outfits often allude to the national colors of the country. During her Poland visit in 2017, Kate wore a white dress with a red purse, referencing the colors of Poland’s flag. And during her Canada tour, she decorated her red dress with a maple leaf.

7. Kate Middleton’s dress was in memory of Princess Diana.

In 2017, on the twentieth anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, Kate Middleton decided to give a nod to Lady Di via her dress. She wore a green dress with long sleeves — the same type of dress Princess Diana often wore. Also, Kate’s dress was sprinkled with poppies, flowers that are a symbol of remembrance in Britain.

8. Princess Beatrice supports the anti-cyberbullying campaign.

In 2018, Princess Beatrice attended the Chelsea Flower Show wearing a beautiful flower-colored dress. Also, the princess was holding a small black handbag with a custom caption that said, “Be cool, be nice.” It’s a slogan from the anti-cyberbullying campaign that Beatrice supports.

Bonus: Princess Diana refused to wear Chanel.

During the numerous tours and events Princess Diana attended, she wore outfits from many different designers. However, there was one brand Lady Di didn’t want to wear.

Australian designer Jayson Brunsdon, who helped to pick Diana’s wardrobe during her last trip to Australia in 1996, shared the story of Princess Di refusing to wear the Chanel logo after her divorce from Prince Charles. He recalled that they were searching for a pair of shoes to match Diana’s Versace dress, and Brunsdon suggested trying the ones from Chanel. “She said, ’No, I can’t wear linked Cs, the double C.’ So I asked why, and she said, ’It’s Camilla and Charles,’” shared Brunsdon.

Did you know about the statements behind these royals’ outfits? Which one did you like the most?