The one outfit Royals always have to pack on tour

It follows strict protocol

(Image credit: Rex)

It follows strict protocol

During her recent tour of Germany and Poland, the Duchess of Cambridge proved that there’s always room for creativity when it comes to picking out outfits for the tour. For example there was the dress that paid homage to Poland, and the Berlin dress that had a hidden detail.

However, there’s always one outfit Kate and the other Royals always have to pack, as dictated by Royal protocol, which we perhaps luckily don’t get to see very often.

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Queen Elizabeth II is saluted by the crew as she leaves her Viking airplane of the King's Flight, London Airport, June 3rd 1952. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Because said outfit is a black mourning outfit, which all members of the Royal family must wear as a mark of respect should anyone die.

For example, in 1992, Princess Diana’s father, Lord Spencer, died while she and Prince Charles were skiing in the Alps. The couple changed into all-black attire on their way back.

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Princess Diana & Prince Charles Leaving Lech, Austria, After News Of Her Father Earl Spencer's Death, March 1992 (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

This is a strict protocol to follow at all times too. When the Queen’s father, King George VI, died in 1952 while the Queen was on safari in Kenya, she didn’t have an appropriate outfit to wear.

She wasn’t allowed to be photographed until she had been brought a mourning outfit by her aide, which she changed into on the plane when she landed in the UK.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.