13 Fashion Scandals Of The Royal Family

The royal family has had their fair share of scandals. Being a royal means there are fashion rules that must be followed — with some being more obvious than others. For example, it was a bold move when Princess Beatrice wore an outlandish fascinator hat to William and Kate’s wedding. However, when Meghan Markle caused a minor stir for not wearing a name tag to an event and for wearing jeans to Wimbledon, it left many Americans scratching their heads. Even Kate Middleton isn’t safe from a royal fashion scandal, which she discovered when she wore a controversial color to a red carpet event.

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Some of the royal fashion scandals actually make the royal family seem more down-to-earth. When the Duchess of Sussex accidentally left the tag on her dress, many people could sympathize. Fans love it when Middleton recycles a dress for a public outing or breaks royal protocol and wears wedges (which the Queen hates) instead of heels. From Pippa Middleton’s bootylicious dress to Prince Harry’s bold costume, get the scoop on 13 of the royal family’s most controversial outfits.

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Ready to clutch your pearls? Check out the Top 13 Royal Fashion Faux Pas!

"There was a moment where I thought I would find myself with my head on a spike outside the Tower of London," designer Treacy said in an interview.

Princess Beatrice put all that controversy to a good cause, as she ended up selling her hat for over 80,000 British Pounds (around $104,000) in an auction, with the proceeds going to UNICEF and Children in Crisis.

At the 2018 BAFTA Awards, almost every celebrity who attended the event wore black to support the Time’s Up movement … that is, except Kate Middleton.

The Duchess showed up on the red carpet wearing a dark green Jenny Packham dress, which raised quite a few eyebrows.

Was this her way of saying she doesn’t support Time’s Up? Likely not. Royal experts were quick to point out that the royal family is supposed to remain “politically neutral” and not doing so could be seen as a “breach of protocol.” In addition, according to royal etiquette, the royal family should only wear black to funerals.

Perhaps the black sash on the dress was her way of subtly showing her support of the cause.

Even though Middleton wore her name tag throughout the event, royal experts say that the nametag is only required to get through security. In fact, several other royals — such as Princess Anne, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice — were spotted without name tags as well.

Princess Diana caused a few fashion controversies in her day, and her “Revenge Dress” takes one of the top spots. In 1994, Princess Diana arrived at the Serpentine Gallery looking gorgeous in a short black velvet dress. With its plunging neckline, it was a daring outfit for a royal, and she knew it would raise some eyebrows.

It was auctioned off in 2013, and the Auction house explained how the name “Revenge Dress” came about.

“We called that “The Revenge Dress.” She wore that the same evening Prince Charles confessed to his adultery with Camilla. Diana had a public engagement at the Serpentine Gallery, and while some would have been like “I can’t face it this evening” Diana went out in that dress looking drop dead gorgeous. She made a big statement right there.”

Markle attended her first Trooping The Colour ceremony wearing a gorgeous off-the-shoulder Caroline Herrera dress paired with a coordinating fascinator by Philip Treacy.

Even though there is no denying that her dress was gorgeous, many royal watchers called out her dress for being “inappropriate” saying that she was “pushing the limits” for the Queen’s birthday celebration.

Compared to Middleton’s more formal dress, her dress did show more skin, but this event doesn’t have an official dress code, and Markle did look gorgeous.

Middleton loves wedges. After all, they give a little bit of height, are easier to walk in than heels and look great paired with everything from dresses to jeans.

Unfortunately, the Queen doesn’t agree.

"The Queen isn't a fan of wedged shoes. She really doesn't like them, and it's well known among the women in the family," a source tells Vanity Fair.

The Duchess still wears her preferred shoes … just not around the Queen.

Prince Harry found himself in the middle of a royal scandal in 2005 when The Sun published pictures of him at a party dressed as a Nazi officer with a red swastika armband.

The Prince, who was 20 at the time, released a statement about his costume choice saying he was, "very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone."

"It's a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30, on account of your sister, brother-in-law and your bottom,” she joked in an interview.

Markle looked chic as she paid a visit to Croke Park in Ireland in 2018 wearing a Givenchy pantsuit paired with black heels. Even though she looked fashionable, the Daily Mail reports that Prince Harry encouraged her to wear more traditional dresses when they visited Australia that same year.

"Meghan is being told she needs to stop dressing like a Hollywood star and start dressing like a royal. Meghan wanted to wear a tuxedo-style suit but Harry said it wasn't traditional enough," the source claimed.

A windy day and a sundress don’t mix, as The Duchess of Cambridge found out the hard way. Middleton wore a yellow Jenny Packham dress on the tarmac in 2011 and struggled to keep it from flying up. The press was abuzz that she was having a Marilyn Monroe moment!

The Queen’s tailor reportedly began sewing curtain weights to the hem of her garments to prevent future windy wardrobe malfunctions.

Wearing jeans at Wimbledon is a big no-no, apparently. So is wearing a hat. The Duchess of Sussex did both of those things! Markle attended Wimbledon in 2019 with some friends, and the British press was quick to point out her fashion faux-pas, saying that wearing denim is “frowned upon.”

Because she was wearing jeans and a hat, she was not allowed to sit in the royal box, but she may not have had plans to sit in the box to begin with.