The fashion secret of Camilla, Britain’s Queen Consort – she wears everything with pure confidence

Britain’s Queen Consort as the wife of King Charles, Camilla has been noted for her choice of ornate evening coats over flattering dresses

Her long-time couturier Fiona Clare says it’s her confidence that is key – ‘if you are confident in what you wear, like she is, you will always look great’

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The then Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, attend the ceremonial opening of the Welsh parliament, in Cardiff, Wales, last year. The Queen Consort stands out for her personal style. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:15pm, 1 Jun 2022Updated: 12:45pm, 9 Sep 2022

The British Queen Consort’s fashion success comes, paradoxically, from the fact she doesn’t seem to take any of it too seriously. She laughs, she smiles and she treads that very British line between being self-deprecating and self-confident.

And we are about to see more of it. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth on September 8 and her husband’s coronation as King Charles III, Camilla will be stepping more into the spotlight.

At 74, Camilla is clearly comfortable with her role, and stays true to her trusty couturiers – Dior, Anna Valentine, Bruce Oldfield, Roy Allen and Fiona Clare – while playing with increasingly fashionable looks: lemon yellow dresses, red check coats and even the occasional burst of hot pink or leopard print.

For many, Camilla’s most iconic look will always be from 1970, when she wore a tight red T-shirt and was photographed speaking to a flustered Prince Charles, who had just stepped off the polo field.

Charles and Camilla on their wedding day, April 9, 2005. Photo: Reuters

Since her marriage to the then Prince of Wales, though, her style has become more formal. Some of her most famous looks include the red long-sleeved dress and hat she wore to the opening of the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) and the light blue dress with gold detailing she wore in Athens for the 200th anniversary of Greek independence.