The royal men’s dress code is way stricter than the women’s

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There is a pretty strict royal fashion etiquette to follow when you’re part of the royal family, whether you’re a man or a woman.

These include, but are not limited to, having several outfit changes on Christmas Day, not being allowed to wear diamonds before 6pm, and always travelling with a black outfit.

They also explain why Kate Middleton always carries a clutch bag, and Princess Diana never wore gloves for example – or why royal family members never take this off in public.

But if you thought the royal woman had it tough, wait until you hear how strict the dress code is for royal men. It starts from a young age too, since little boys should always wear shorts, as this used to be a sign of higher class.

Trousers are usually reserved for adults, and these should be formal. That's why you'll hardly ever see Prince William wearing jeans, unless he is out walking the dogs or a similar activity.

It's usually safer for men to err on the side of caution and wear smart casual attire for non formal events, such as chinos and with a blazer or a collared shirt.

For events such as Royal Ascot, while women can get away with a dress, men have to wear suits, and not just any suits. They have to be navy, grey or black morning suits, to include a waistcoat and tie, as well as a top hat and black shoes with socks.

For weddings, the rules are even stricter. If you are a member of the monarchy, you must wear your ceremonial uniform, which Prince William and Prince Harry both did when they got married, while other royal men wore morning suits.

For evening events such as state banquets, they are expected to wear black tie attire, which usually involves a black morning suit with coat tails, a white shirt and white tie, and sometimes adorned with military medals.

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.