Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle might often make all the headlines for their style, but in her choice of bold colours their grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth is ahead of the pack.
Despite following unofficial royal style rules which include wearing weighted hemlines and nude tights, the Queen has managed to make a formal royal dress code her own by splashing out on vibrant shades.
According to Sali Hughes, the author of book Our Rainbow Queen, there's a reason ER favours a bright look.
“[Queen Elizabeth] wears bright colours because she believes it’s her duty to be seen by the people who’ve waited, wet and cold, behind barriers for hours at a time” Hughes writes.
She adds that Queen Elizabeth’s colour-blocked outfits are “born from practicality”, continuing, “She understands her job is to be seen and, standing at just 5’3…[she] needs all the help she can get."
"It’s not until you see her many thousands of outfits laid out side by side, as I did when editing the pictures for the book, that you see how bold she’s often been in her choices. And she balances those choices with an innate sense of duty - the bright colour blocking is purely so that members of the public, who’ve waited patiently to see her, know exactly who and where she is, however far back in the crowd. The three quarter length sleeves are for easy handshaking. The matronly Annello and Davide block heels (which she calls her ‘work shoes’) are designed to be comfy enough for lengthy walkabouts, meeting as many people as possible," Hughes told us.
Yesterday evening, the Queen turned to yet another colourful look for her address to the nation - opting for a calming green.
Wearing an emerald dress with Queen Mary's turquoise and diamond brooch, she gave a moving televised speech: in which she thanked frontline workers including NHS staff, called for people to "remain united and resolute" and finished, "We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."
It’s fitting that Queen Elizabeth’s birthday is celebrated in one of the most vibrant ways: Trooping the Colour. The parade sees fighter jets streak across the sky, leaving colourful trails, as on the ground a gigantic parade takes place in honour of the monarch, who stands on the Buckingham Palace balcony with her family.
"The Queen says that if she wore beige, 'No one would know who I am'. Bold colour blocking makes her small frame stand out and lets everyone know exactly where she is. It’s become her signature look," Hughes explained.
In celebration of the Queen's official birthday celebrations, we've gathered some of Elizabeth's most colourful looks with input from Hughes.
Red
While you’re more likely to see Queen Elizabeth wearing a co-ordinated hat and coat combo, she also wears royal vestments for special occasions. During her Diamond Jubilee, the Queen and Prince Philip attended a service for the Order of the British Empire dressed in matching ruby red robes.
She was also seen wearing one of her most beloved royal tiaras: Queen Mary’s Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. It has an unusual history as it was one of Queen Mary’s wedding gifts, paid for by women across Great Britain and Ireland who raised money to commission the tiara from Garrard.
Hughes says, "Red has been a constant throughout her life, and I had thousands of photographs to choose from".
Yellow
Queen Elizabeth’s pastel yellow outfit (above) reflected a very happy day: the 2011 wedding of her grandson Prince William to Kate Middleton. Paired with strings of pearls and a matching hat, the Queen was photographed smiling from ear to ear throughout the event as she watched the pair say ‘I do’.
She also chose to wear the aptly named True Lovers’ Knot brooch, which she previously wore to the wedding of her sister Princess Margaret.
"The Queen’s yellow silk skirt and harlequin checked sequinned top, worn to the Royal Variety Performance in 1999, also sticks in my mind because it was just so unexpected and brilliantly camp" Hughes added.
Pink
Never one to steer clear of a bold print, Queen Elizabeth chose this vibrant pink and yellow number on a visit to Canada in 2010. Paired with one of her quintessential Launer handbags, she stepped up her accessory game with an adventurous hat with feather details.
In other photographs, she can also be seen wearing a yellow coat on top of the dress.
"There are fewer prints and less pink, which is a shame, because she looks great in it" Hughes says about how her style has evolved.
Green
At Trooping the Colour in 2016, Queen Elizabeth became a viral sensation when she stepped out in a neon green outfit. Given that it was the prime shade for some green screen photoshopping, the Internet's best meme makers went to town.
Besides the glorious photoshop battles, Sali Hughes also writes that the Queen's bright outfit had an impact on people’s shopping habits. Besides launching a popular Twitter hashtag #Neonat90, Hughes wrote, “It is claimed that in the days that followed, sales of neon-coloured clothing and accessories rose sharply by 137%.”
Purple
Queen Elizabeth is known to make outfit choices that pay a little nod to her host country, whether she’s wearing a brooch loaded with meaning or a colour in reference to their flag. In the case of her 1986 state visit to China, Queen Elizabeth chose to wear purple - a colour which has significance in Chinese culture.
According to China Sage, purple is associated with royalty in China and was also “used in the robes of high officials”. Hughes elaborated further, explaining, “She wore purple, which represents divinity in Chinese culture.”
It’s a thoughtful approach to fashion that appears to have trickled down to other members of the Royal Family. Most notably, Meghan Markle wore a cerulean blue dress to a state banquet during her and Prince Harry’s royal tour of Fiji, a reference to the country’s flag.
Orange
The Queen donned her Sunday best for a Christmas church service in 2017. ER famously spends her Christmases in Sandringham and attends mass on Christmas Day, accompanied by members of the Royal Family including her son Prince Charles and grandchildren Prince William and Prince Harry.
Her hat was the true breakout star of this outfit, as it was covered in realistic florals matched to the hue of her dress.
Blue
In 2017, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech at the State Opening of Parliament in the wake of the UK’s vote to leave the EU. While the Queen traditionally wears a crown and robes to address parliament, she arrived in a more low-key outfit: a blue jacquard print coat and matching hat.
Blue has always been a mainstay in her closet. "The Queen wore a lot of blue in her youth - teals, navy, pastel and so on, but less regularly now", Hughes says.
The Queen’s hat instantly became a social media sensation as many pointed out its similarities to the EU flag. The yellow dress that she wore underneath the coat also appeared to allude to the flag’s colours.
The royals aren’t technically allowed to comment on political matters, so some speculated the look was a statement. And if her EU stan outfit is anything to go by, it appears that she’s a remainer through and through.
Hughes agrees that her looks are always meaningful. "The one thing the researching of this book taught me, loud and clear, is that there truly is a reason for everything worn by The Queen. There is no accident, no coincidence, no stone unturned in the planning of her outfits. Colour is considered very carefully and chosen according to where the royal duty is to be performed (no green against a lawn, for example - how will people see her?), who will be present (for example, no dominant flag colours at a Commonwealth Nations event where she mustn’t appear to have favourites), local culture (in India, white is the colour of mourning worn by widows, so would be avoided, while red is revered and pink is celebratory). Everything is considered and meticulously planned".
Our Rainbow Queen by Sali Hughes is published by Penguin Books, £9.99
