Royal family members apparently shouldn't take this off in public

(Image credit: 2018 Samir Hussein)

We can all imagine that royal etiquette can be an absolute minefield, as there are so many rules one should follow. Just a few examples include when Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis should start bowing to the Queenban on talking politics and no shellfish while on royal tours, there are too many to keep track of.

That's not even touching on fashion, which has its own set of rules, such as royals shouldn't wear diamonds before 6pm (pearls are acceptable), not wearing black during the day (but packing one black outfit every time they go away) and not wearing wedges near the Queen.

Another interesting, if a little outdated rule, is one to do with what they should and shouldn't wear in public. Specifically, for some reason, royal women shouldn't take their coats off in public.

Apparently, it would be 'unladylike' for them to do so and be akin to them undressing in public. So this explains why you might see Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle with coats on, or without, but never in the in-between stage.

If you look back at pictures of them and the Queen on official engagements, you'll always notice they have a coat on, or if they're headed indoors, you'll notice in the pictures that they have taken them off. Where they do it is a mystery, perhaps in a secret room, or in the car if they get too hot.

Curious, but there you have it.

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.