We didn’t see this coming…
From the editors of Travel and Leisure Words by Stacey Leasca
Queen Elizabeth is known for her appreciation of Essie's iconic Ballet Slipper nail polish, a perfectly understated hue of soft baby pink. What may be lesser known is that Kate Middleton wore a similar shade, Essie’s Nail Polish in Allure, on her wedding day to Prince William.
And it’s likely that shade and that shade alone will be the only colour you’ll ever see the Queen or the Duchess wearing in public because, as The Sun noted, the royal dress code strictly prohibits them from wearing garish colours like red when out at royal events.
Furthermore, to add fuel to the royal engagement rumours, Glamour noted that Meghan Markle, girlfriend to Prince Harry, was spotted wearing a similar shade of pink on her fingertips during the couple’s very public outing at the Invictus Games last month. So either she got the royal memo or baby pink is just really in right now.
But this isn’t the only style rule the royals live by - even little Prince George has to abide by royal clothing protocols and wear shorts out in public. This is apparently because it’s too ‘suburban’ to wear trousers as a child.
‘It's a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts,’ William Hanson, an etiquette expert explained in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. ‘Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent class markers that we have in England. Although times are (slowly) changing, a pair of trousers on a young boy is considered quite middle class – quite suburban. And no self-respecting aristo or royal would want to be considered suburban. Even the Duchess of Cambridge.’
Though none of this should really be all that surprising for a family who is banned from eating shellfish, never gives autographs and can never, ever, travel outside the bounds of London without a piece of chocolate cake.