11 Times Royals Wanted to Share a Meaningful Message Through Their Outfits

Many people use clothes and accessories as a way to express themselves and send non-obvious messages. That is a very common thing with royals, who tend to communicate these messages in a non-verbal way. Either it’s a statement they want to make or a dedication to the past, there are many examples of them using clothing as statements.

1. Kate Middleton’s wedding earrings

Just like Princess Diana, on her wedding day, Kate Middleton wore something that paid tribute to her family traditions. Kate’s wedding earrings were a gift from her parents. The diamond earrings are shaped like oak leaves with diamond acorns suspended in the center. Why acorns? The design of the earrings hints at the Middleton family’s coat of arms that has 3 acorns representing 3 siblings — Catherine, Philippa, and James. Oaks are trees common in England, and they also symbolize strength.

2. Flower basket brooch

The queen got this brooch as a present from her parents when Prince Charles was born. It’s with this brooch that Elizabeth was depicted in the first official portrait of her son. Over the years since 1948, Her Majesty has appeared wearing this piece of jewelry several times, but it again received special significance on the day of the baptism of Prince George. Having chosen the brooch as an accessory, the Queen outlined the connection of the newborn with his great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and his great-grandfather, King George VI.

3. Outfits of young princes during official ceremonies

In 2015, Prince George was spotted in Prince William’s arms wearing a blue onesie during the Trooping the Colour parade. A few years later, his brother Prince Louis appeared in a similar blue and white outfit during the same ceremony. The outfits, were in fact, borrowed from William and Harry themselves, who wore them for the parade back in 1986.

4. A bracelet with kids’ names

Sarah Ferguson attended the wedding of her daughter, Princess Eugenie, in a bright outfit. Her hat caught the eyes of guests and photographers, that’s why few people paid attention to her jewelry. The Duchess’ wrist was decorated with a gold bracelet, where the names of both her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, were depicted with the help of diamonds. With this gesture, she expressed her motherly love.

5. Wedding tiara not from the royal collection

Future ladies of the royal family are given a tiara from the British crown jewelry collection for their wedding ceremony. Elizabeth II offered Diana the Lover’s Knot Tiara for her wedding, but Diana refused, giving preference to her family tiara. Many women in her family got married in this tiara and this gesture let her pay tribute to the traditions of the Spencer family.

6. Princess Beatrice’s black handbag

Princess Beatrice was spotted several times holding a little black handbag while visiting various events. What makes this accessory unusual is the phrase “Be Cool Be Nice” embellished on its top. This is a slogan of an anti-cyberbullying campaign, which Beatrice joined to support.

7. Brooch given by the queen

Despite the fact that this brooch doesn’t look like a classical piece of jewelry, it still carries an important meaning. Elizabeth II presented the Royal Family Order to Kate Middleton in 2017. This brooch is given for excellent performance of duties — it portrays the Queen surrounded by diamonds and is attached to a yellow ribbon.

8. Harry and Meghan’s couple bracelets

In 2019, Meghan and Harry went for a visit to South Africa. During the first tour, the couple was seen wearing the same red and white bracelets with the words “Justice” on them. Their jewelry is a nod to the Justice Desk human rights charity organization that they visited.

9. Princess Diana’s business looks

After her divorce, Princess Diana created her own style that broke royal protocol. Lady Di’s wardrobe was filled with numerous outfits that could be considered merely business suits if not for one detail. Pay attention to the length of the skirt in the photo above — it is significantly higher than the knees, while the royal protocol says that skirts should be knee-length or lower.

Such outfits became somewhat of a symbol that the princess had taken control of her life and was now deciding what to do on her own. Apparently, Diana challenged age-old conventions.

10. Maple Leaf brooch

All members of the royal family try to pay tribute to the country that receives them, not only with their behavior but also with their outfits. Jewelry, in this case, plays one of the key roles. Thus, Kate Middleton could be noticed with a brooch in the shape of a maple leaf during her visit to Canada, while Elizabeth II wore the same brooch to Canada House in London.

11. Princess Diana’s black sheep sweater

Diana often felt like an outsider in the Royal Family as she struggled with the rules and traditions. In 1983, she arrived at a polo match wearing a pullover that had a white sheep motif, with one little black sheep featured on her chest. There was speculation that this clothing choice represented her feelings and worries about her place within the Family.