While many of us have to follow a policy of appropriate dress in the workplace, the royal
dress code establishes a whole new meaning to the word "appropriate."
From young Prince George who is always required to wear shorts, no matter the weather, to
the royal ladies having to don hats during formal occasions, there's no shortage of rules
that must be followed.
Nevertheless, they have been known to choose some inappropriate outfits from time to time.
From eyebrow-raising costumes to clothing we probably all have in our own closets, here
are some of the most inappropriate outfits ever worn by the British royal family.
Island mix-up
About a year and a half after Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot, they visited
the Solomon Islands, a group of islands not far from Papua New Guinea.
While there, the duke and duchess attended a party, and that's when it happened.
Middleton accidentally wore the wrong dress, a sundress from the Cook Islands.
If you're wondering what the big deal is, here's the situation: The couple was supposed
to wear a handmade shirt and traditional Solomon Islands dress, but the wrong outfits were
laid out by a member of the welcoming committee, according to The Telegraph.
So, imagine wearing a costume to what you think is a costume party only to find out
it's formal, that's essentially how it went.
Only, it was worse because they ended up dressing pretty disrespectfully.
Korps mistake
Prince Harry wasn't always the debonair prince we see before us today.
In the early aughts, he was quite the royal rebel.
That's all fine and good, but he made a fashion blunder in 2005 that went far beyond just
testing the boundaries.
After a friend's birthday party, a picture of Prince Harry surfaced on the cover of the
British tabloid The Sun.
He was wearing a khaki-colored shirt that more than resembled a Nazi uniform, swastika
armband and all.
"A scandal erupted last week over photos of Prince Harry, third in line to the British
throne, wearing a nazi outfit at a costume party."
Apparently, his costume was supposed to represent the Nazi's Afrika Korps, but, as The Telegraph
explained, that's a wildly misguided choice for a birthday party with a, quote, "native
and colonial" theme.
Harry later apologized in a statement calling the costume a "poor choice."
Surely a poor choice for anyone, but especially for a British prince.
That Monroe moment
When you're a member of the royal family, photographers are pretty much everywhere waiting
to capture your every move.
Unfortunately for Kate Middleton, that has meant having pictures taken of her various
wardrobe malfunctions.
When visiting Australia with William in 2014, a gust of wind blew up Middleton's skirt creating
an unintentional Marilyn Monroe moment.
Although Middleton's appropriate outfit transformed into an inappropriate outfit by way of wind,
the same has never happened to the Queen.
How come?
According to Express, Queen Elizabeth II has her skirts hemmed below the knee and small
lead curtain weights are added to avoid experiencing a Monroe moment.
Perhaps it's time to add this tip to the royal dress code.
Ripped jeans
While you may never see the Queen wearing a pair of jeans, you will occasionally see
members of the royal family sporting denim.
Although the royals are much more a khaki-wearing family, jeans are sometimes appropriate.
But what about ripped jeans?
Although there's no addendum to the royal denim rule declaring ripped jeans a no-no,
if plain old denim is considered "very casual," you can only imagine how they view the torn
variety.
When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made their first public appearance together at the Invictus
Games in Toronto, many royal watchers disapproved of Markle's highly "distressed" outfit.
Caught red handed
It's no secret that wearing fur these days is controversial.
If you're a public figure, the controversy only intensifies.
PETA was less than happy when they saw what Kate Middleton was wearing on a family ski
trip.
When photos of the trip surfaced, the duchess appeared to be wearing a pair of possum fur-lined
gloves.
Uh-oh.
The director of PETA U.K. said in a statement to E! News: "If the gloves are indeed made
of real fur, we'll be contacting Kate.
Since so many humane, warm and fashionable fabrics are readily available, there's no
need to wear fur - possum or otherwise."
Middleton is not the first one in the royal family to wear fur, but she may very well
be the last given the controversy.
Too much skin
When Harry and Meghan announced their engagement to the world, many people were looking forward
to getting a glimpse of her amazing rock.
Nevertheless, some people had a hard time looking past her legs.
When Meghan stepped outside with Harry and began waving to well-wishers and cameras,
it became apparent that she wasn't wearing tights or pantyhose.
The horror!
You may not even be able to remember the last time you put on a pair of pantyhose under
one of your dresses, but they're basically a requirement for the royal ladies.
Meghan may not have known the totally odd royal rule at the time.
Nevertheless, she probably has some regrets.
Hello knees
The Queen is not a fan of inappropriate outfits.
So what happens when a member of the royal family steps out in a shorter than knee-length
skirt?
Princess Eugenie did just that when attending the Commonwealth Youth Forum in April 2018.
According to Harper's Bazaar, never wearing skirts that are too short is "practically
a no-brainer" for the royal family.
Whether William and Harry's cousin simply missed the memo or just felt like taking a
fashion risk that day, she attended the event wearing a long-sleeve short floral dress with
knee-high black suede boots.
The Queen may not be pleased but Eugenie still looked great.
Cold shoulder
Princess Eugenie wasn't the only member of the royal family turning heads for her fashion
choices at the Commonwealth Youth Forum.
Meghan Markle made an "inappropriate" style decision as well.
While mingling with people outside, Meghan was spotted wearing a black blazer over a
black-and-white sleeveless pinstriped dress.
Once she stepped inside, however, Markle decided to take off the blazer, which exposed her
shoulders.
Even if Meghan hadn't chosen to forgo sleeves, it's possible she still would've done something
inappropriate, as far as the royal family is concerned.
According to Harper's Bazaar, Kate Middleton never takes her coat off in public - even
when she transitions indoors.
Taking off a coat is supposedly considered an "unladylike" action and one that would,
quote, "disrupt her outfit choice."
And we simply can't have that!
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