8 times British royals sent messages with their fashion choices, from Kate Middleton’s Ukraine blue dress, to Queen Elizabeth’s ‘anti-evil’ tiara worn when meeting Donald Trump

Mar 29 , 2022

Whatever they can’t say, the British royals make up for in their fashion choices. Photos: AFP; @wplucehy, @EllaVandeleur/Twitter

Whenever a royal steps out for an official function or public appearance, everything from their behaviour to their fashion choices ends up closely scrutinised. And while some royals have gotten backlash for their questionable style, it’s not always about what they’re wearing, but the hidden messages behind the outfits. Royals can’t express political opinions publicly, but they may send subtle messages with their clothing.

Here are eight times British royals might have been sending sartorial political messages …

1. Queen Elizabeth wore a tiara that guards against “evil” for Donald Trump’s 2019 visit to the UK

Former US President Donald Trump and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth raise their glasses to make a toast at the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, in June 2019. Photo: Reuters

Queen Elizabeth wore her Burmese Ruby Tiara to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace with Donald Trump. The tiara contains 96 rubies that were given to the queen as a gift from the people of Myanmar.

According to the Royal Exhibitions website, the Burmese people believe that the rubies in the tiara guard against “illness” and “evil”, and Twitter users were quick to note the possible message she was sending with her tiara choice to dine with Trump.

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“The queen wore her Burmese Ruby Tiara to protect herself from evil during Trump’s visit and I am cackling,” one user wrote.

“Queen Elizabeth is a hero,” another user tweeted. “I adore her for her trolling Trump skills through the medium of jewellery.”

2. The queen may have been sending Trump a message with her brooches for his first visit in 2018

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth speaks to former first lady Melania Trump, as former US President Donald Trump looks on as they stand on the dais in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, in July 2018. Photo: AP Photo

On the first day of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump’s visit to the UK in 2018, Queen Elizabeth wore a brooch given to her by Barack and Michelle Obama.

When she actually met with Trump, she wore a brooch that her mother wore to her father’s funeral, which some people thought could be a subtle sign of the queen’s opinion of the president.

3. Did the queen subtly oppose Brexit with her hat that was reminiscent of the European Union flag?

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth delivers the Queen’s Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in the Houses of Parliament in London, in June 2017. Photo: AFP Photo

The Huffington Post reported that people drew connections between the queen’s blue and yellow hat and the flag of the European Union when she opened Parliament in 2017 and thought she could be sending a message about opposing Brexit.

4. Meghan Markle wore a necklace purported to bring good fortune and protect from “negative vibes” on a Smart Works call

Meghan Markle appeared in a short video for Smart Works Charity. Photo: @SmartWorksHQ/Twitter

Smart Works, one of Markle’s patronages before she stepped back from royal life, provides professional clothing to unemployed women to help them succeed in job interviews. On March 27, Markle spoke with a woman working with the organisation to offer words of encouragement before her interview.

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“You seem incredibly confident and prepared,” she said.

Smart Works shared a clip of the conversation on its Twitter page. In the video, Markle can be seen wearing a US$175 “Visionary Charm Necklace” from Edge of Ember that guarantees the wearer, “It’s got your back.”

5. Markle’s “suffragette white” dress she wore on International Women’s Day could have been an intentional choice

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard attend a panel discussion convened by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust to mark International Women’s Day in March 2019, in London, England. Photo: Getty Images

Markle spoke on an International Women’s Day panel with Adwoa Aboah, Annie Lennox, and other feminist activists in 2019. She wore a white printed dress for the occasion which Elle speculated was a deliberate choice to don “suffragette white”, a symbol dating back to British women’s rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst in 1908.

6. Kate Middleton didn’t wear black in support of Time’s Up at the 2018 BAFTAs

Kate Middleton at the 2018 BAFTAs. Photo: @nitrulzx412/Twitter

At the 2018 BAFTA Awards, celebrities wore black in support of the Time’s Up movement, but Kate Middleton opted for a dark green dress, likely because members of the royal family are supposed to remain politically neutral. Some thought that the black sash was her subtle way of showing solidarity with the anti-sexism and anti-harassment movement.

7. Princess Beatrice’s bag featured the slogan “Be Cool Be Nice” from an anti-bullying campaign she contributed to

Princess Beatrice of York seen attending a dinner to celebrate the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2018, in London, England. Photo: GC Images

Good Housekeeping spotted Princess Beatrice’s custom box bag at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show embellished with the words “Be Cool Be Nice”, the slogan of an anti-cyberbullying campaign with a book that Beatrice contributed to.

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8. Kate Middleton appeared to show her support for Ukraine in a blue dress

Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey. Photo: @dukeandduchessofcambridge/Instagram

Arriving for a Commonwealth Day event at London’s Westminster Abbey on March 14 – more than two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine – Middleton was photographed wearing a Catherine Walker coat dress and Lock & Co hat. The coat was entirely blue, one of Ukraine’s national colours.

She completed the look with sapphire earrings and a necklace, believed to be from Princess Diana’s collection, according to People magazine. The publication added that the duchess previously wore the jewellery to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelensky, at Buckingham Palace in October 2020.

This article originally appeared on Insider

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Royalty

Queen Elizabeth may have trolled Trump by wearing a brooch gifted to her by the Obamas, while Meghan Markle appeared to choose ‘suffragette white’ for International Women’s Day
Middleton was accused of not supporting Time’s Up at the 2018 BAFTAs and Princess Beatrice nodded at an anti-bullying campaign with her bag’s slogan