Whether you love them or hate them, there's no denying the fact that the Royal Family knows how to put together an outfit. Duchess Kate and Meghan Markle are constantly celebrated for their fashion choices and their prim and proper outfits, and they always look perfectly put together. But it's impossible to be perfect all the time, and it seems as though the Royal Family aren't immune to the odd fashion faux-pas either. Check out these fashion fails the royals don't want you to see below!
When Kate's Heel Got Caught
If we're being totally honest, the royals deserve a huge amount of credit for wearing heels all the time. You'll never see them in flats, and they never seem to complain about the pain that comes with wearing high heels. But while they're very used to wearing these heels, they're not immune to a fashion faux pas every now and then. And in 2013, Duchess Kate got her heel stuck in a grate.
While attending a St. Patrick’s Day event, the then-pregnant Kate almost fell over as her heel got stuck to the floor. Thankfully, Prince William was by her side to lend a hand.
When Eugenie and Beatrice Wore These Hats
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice may not be as famous as the likes of Duchess Kate and Meghan Markle, but there's no denying the fact that they're still very popular. And while some people love their style, they caused a media storm in 2011 when they attended Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. As per royal custom, the royal sisters wore hats to the event - and they were certainly very unique.
Although they stood out from the crowd, most critics agreed that their hats stood out for all of the wrong reasons. In fact, they were ruthlessly trolled online and instantly made into memes for their fashion faux pas.
When Camilla Wore the Same Color as the Queen
Although Camilla Parker-Bowles is now queen herself, there was once a time when she looked up to the late Queen Elizabeth II as the most senior member of the Royal Family. But Camilla made one of the biggest fashion faux pases in 2019 when she turned up at the same event wearing the exact same color as the Queen. Of course, both women looked absolutely stunning in their rich purple outfits and hats - but it didn't go down well with the Queen.
It didn't take long for the British press to tear Camilla down, dubbing the awkward moment as 'Purplegate.' As you can probably imagine, Camilla didn't ever wear the same color as the queen ever again.
When Meghan's Shirt Came Unbuttoned
One of the biggest fashion rules every member of the Royal Family has to abide by is the rule of modesty. They can't show off too much skin, they can't wear anything too short, and they can't wear anything that shows their underwear. And while Meghan Markle never intended for the world to see her bra in 2018, she ultimately suffered a fashion fail that showed off her lace undergarments.
Yes, as she attended a wedding ceremony with Prince Harry by her side, her shirt came unbuttoned. Unluckily for her, the cameras caught everything before she realized what had happened.
When Princess Beatrice Wore a Sheer Dress
It's believed that most of the fashion rules within the Royal Family were introduced by Queen Elizabeth II. And while she enforced these rules on the likes of Duchess Kate and Meghan Markle, it seems as though she allowed her blood relatives the chance to experiment a bit more. This was the case in 2017 when Princess Beatrice wore this sheer black dress to an event. At first, the press dubbed it a royal fashion scandal.
However, it was later noted that Queen Elizabeth II had actually encouraged Beatrice to wear the dress and wanted her to experiment with her style more than what she was doing.
When Kate Wore Wedge Heels
Over the course of her impressive rein, Queen Elizabeth II made a name for herself as one of the best-dressed women in the public eye. Fans loved her modest yet fashionable clothing choices, and they appreciated the fashion rules that she put in place for the rest of the Royal Family. Unfortunately, Kate Middleton broke one of these big rules in 2011 when she wore wedge heels to a royal event.
The Queen famously despised wedge heels and forbade any member of the Royal Family to wear them. And what's so interesting is that this was the first and last time Kate wore such shoes.
When Meghan Left the Tag on Her Dress
Have you ever accidentally left the tag on a new item of clothing? This is a fashion faux pas that many of us have experienced before, but it's not something that you'd expect from a member of the Royal Family. However, Meghan Markle proved that it's possible for royals to overlook these small details, as she left the tag on her dress in 2018. Not only that, but the tag poked out the bottom of the dress!
Many critics joked that Meghan obviously wanted to return the dress after she wore it, but the likelihood is that she just didn't even know it was there. It happens to the best of us!
When Kate Had Unpolished Toenails
While many of the royal fashion fails on this list focus on clothes, Duchess Kate angered fans in 2016 when she attended an event without unpolished toenails. Of course, most people wouldn't normally care about a lack of toenail polish if she had been wearing shoes, but she chose to go polish-less for an event that required her to take her shoes off. So, some people just can't forgive her.
This happened when Duchess Kate and Prince William visited India’s Mahatma Gandhi Museum, and removing your shoes is a sign of respect. Kate would have known this ahead of time, so why didn't she paint her toenails?
When the Queen's Hat Flew off
While many of the royal fashion fails on this list were self-inflicted, others were the result of Mother Nature. And that was the case in 1979 when the wind ruined Queen Elizabeth II's outfit. At the time, she was visiting Sultan Qaboos in Oman and wore a beautiful skirt suit and matching hat. What she hadn't anticipated was just how strong the winds would be, and her hat just couldn't hold on.
On multiple occasions, the hat completely flew off her head. She was able to pop it back on, but not before royal photographers had captured the whole thing on camera for us all to see.
When the Queen Spilled Food Down Herself
Have you ever spilt food or drink down your outfit? While you might assume that royals wouldn't find themselves in such a predicament, these pictures prove that even the late Queen of England wasn't immune to such fashion disasters. When she attended the birthday part of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece back in 2010, these photographs of the event shocked the world. After all, the food stains on her clothing were very obvious.
Of course, we've all done it, but when we spill food down our best outfit, we don't have photographers sharing photos of it with the whole world. So, this must have been pretty embarrassing.
When Princess Michael of Kent Wore an Inappropriate Brooch
If you're not familiar with Princess Michael of Kent, she is married to Prince Michael of Kent, who is the cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II. And while she's rarely seen in public, she made headlines in 2017 when she was pictured on her way to the Queen's Christmas lunch. It wasn't her clothing that caused a stir, though. Instead, it was the brooch that she had pinned to her coat.
Princess Michael was wearing the Blackamoor brooch, which is infamous for depicting people with dark skin as servants and slaves. In fact, most historians believe this brooch to be incredibly racist.
When Kate Wore Gucci Backwards
It's not uncommon to see members of the Royal Family wear designer clothing that the average Joe can't afford, and Duchess Kate is particularly fond of wearing these designer brands. But that doesn't mean that she knows how to wear them properly. This was proven in 2020 when Kate Middleton wore a purple Gucci blouse backwards - not once, but twice! Of course, we can understand where the confusion stemmed from.
Many blouses have tie-up bows on the front of the shirt, but this Gucci bow was designed to hang down her back instead. So, it was an easy mistake to make.
When Diana Turned a Choker Into a Headband
The late Princess Diana was no stranger to causing controversy. And while she rubbed the Royal Family up the wrong way on many occasions, most people don't realize just how much of a stir this fashion faux pas caused among the royals. After all, it's not every day a rebellious royal chooses to turn an heirloom choker into a headband - especially when it was a gift from Queen Elizabeth II herself. But that's exactly what Diana did in 1985.
Although it's safe to say that the emerald jewelry looked fabulous both as a headband and a choker, sources close to the Royal Family claim that Diana's decision to go rogue didn't go down with the Queen.
When Diana Wore Her Black Sheep Sweater
You probably don't need us to tell you why Princess Diana felt like an outsider when she married into the Royal Family. The divide between Diana and the royals has been widely reported - including by Diana herself in her tell-all interview in 1995. But it seems as though Diana made not-so-subtle hints to the public years before this interview. In 1983, for example, she caused a stir when she wore this black sheep sweater.
Many people believe that she wore this sweater to show the world that she felt like the black sheep in the family, and some are even saying that this was one of Diana's very first cries for help.
When Meghan Markle Showed off Her Bra
To be a member of the Royal Family, you need to abide by strict fashion rules. This generally means wearing modest clothing that doesn't show off too much skin or reveal too much about what's going on underneath. Unfortunately for Meghan Markle, she came under fire in 2018 when she wore this grey dress. At first glance, it looks very modest and very royal-like. But a second glance will explain why it proved to be so controversial.
Although you can't see her bra, you can see the outline of the bra, which is a big no-no in the royals' book. Fans were particularly outraged, as Meghan was meeting the President of Ireland when she wore this outfit.
When Diana Wore Her 'Revenge Dress'
Princess Diana's 'revenge dress' will forever go down in history as one of the most iconic fashion moments of all time. After her divorce from then-Prince Charles, Diana seemed to throw all of the royal fashion rules out of the window and wear a figure-hugging little black dress that drove the world wild. In fact, she wore this dress in 1994 and people still talk about it to this day.
But while a huge portion of the world saw this as a major fashion win, it's believed that the Royal Family saw this as a major fashion fail. They would never have let her have that much skin on show.
When the Wind Blew Up Kate's Skirt
Did you know that royal women aren't allowed to have bare legs? If they ever wear dresses or skirts, they have to wear tights or pantyhose, as enforced by the late Queen Elizabeth II. But if you've always wondered why the late monarch was so strict about this rule, take a look at this fashion fail! This picture was taken over a decade ago, when Duchess Kate wore a tweed jacket and matching skirt to a royal event.
Without warning, the wind blew up Kate's skirt and almost exposed her to the world! If she hadn't been wearing tights at the time, this would have been a royal fashion disaster.
When Diana Wore Body Armor
Although Princess Diana struggled to find her place within the Royal Family, it was easy for her to find her place in the hearts of her fans. The general public loved how caring and charitable she was, and this was proven in 1997 when she traveled to Angola to protest land mines in collaboration with the Halo Trust. And when this picture was released, the press - and the royals - went wild.
Although this photo made fans fall even further in love with the People's Princess, her wearing body armor and posing for such a photo seemed to suggest that she was taking a political stance - something the royals aren't allowed to do.
When Kate May Have Worn Real Fur Gloves
One thing you might not know about Duchess Kate and Prince William is that they both love skiing. Yes, on the rare occasion that they get time to take a family vacation, they head into the mountains and enjoy fresh powder on the slopes. And while these vacations normally go down without a hitch, Kate found herself in hot water in 2016 when PETA questioned the gloves that she was wearing.
Although it was never confirmed whether they were real fur or not, PETA was outraged at the idea that the Duchess would wear such a thing. However, the Royal Family didn't comment on the matter.
When Harry Showed off the Holes in His Shoes
Although Prince Harry has stepped away from the Royal Family and is no longer a working royal, he's still incredibly rich. That means that he has more than enough money to buy a new pair of shoes when his old ones wear thin. But this fashion faux pas proves that even a royal prince can't bear to part with his favorite pair of shoes, as he was spotted wearing holey shoes back in 2018.
To make matters even worse, he decided to wear these worn-out shoes to a wedding when he had Meghan Markle by his side. Let's hope he threw them out the next day.
When Kate Had to Stop Her Dress Blowing up
Although female members of the Royal Family can wear pants if they want to, you'll very rarely see Duchess Kate wearing pants. Instead, she tends to opt for dresses and skirts, which offer a more feminine look. But while she always pulls off this fashion choice, sometimes the wind can work against her. This was proven in 2016 when Duchess Kate experienced a close shave and had to stop her dress from blowing up in the wind.
Kate had her very own Marilyn Monroe moment and had to bend down to stop the whole thing blowing up - and you'll be happy to know that she managed to catch the fabric before the wind exposed her to the world.
When Meghan Didn't Wear Pantyhose
You probably don't need us to tell you that Meghan Markle isn't the most-loved member of the Royal Family. She has been constantly criticized over the years, and this began way before she married Prince Harry. In fact, she was even criticized when they announced their engagement to the world. And while some fans loved her monochromatic fashion choices for this announcement, others were quick to notice that she had already broken royal rules.
The late Queen Elizabeth II wanted every member of the Royal Family to wear pantyhose when they wore dresses, and these pantyhose were noticeably absent when she wore this dress.
When Princess Diana Wrinkled Her Wedding Dress
While it's not as stylish today, there was once a time when Princess Diana's wedding dress was all the rage. The 1980s-esque puffed sleeves and volumous material took the world by storm, and brides everywhere wanted to replicate the princess and her $115,000 gown. But have you ever noticed that the dress was incredibly wrinkled? This wasn't a design feature, but instead was the result of her sitting down for too long in her carriage.
According to reports, the designer of her dress felt "faint" when she saw how wrinkled her dress had become, and she was "horrified" to see it looking completely different to how they had intended.
When Kate's Midriff Was Exposed
Duchess Kate has often been praised for being so well put together. In fact, you just need to look at her post-birth photos to see that she never misses a moment to look stylish! But there have been rare occasions when she has slipped from her pedestal, and that happened in 2013 when she played volleyball against her husband for a press opportunity. Although fans were impressed with her sports skills, they weren't as impressed when her shirt rode up.
Of course, most people understand that such a movement would result in such a fashion faux pas, but the press were quick to vilify the Duchess for showing off too much skin.
When Meghan's Skirt Became See-Through
When you try clothes on in the fitting rooms, you have no idea how they're going to look in real life and under real sunlight. And while some clothes look just as stylish and modest, Meghan Markle found herself in an unfortunate situation in 2023 when she bared all for a photo opportunity. Although Meghan was wearing a pleated Givenchy skirt that looked modest when she put it on, what she didn't account for was how the sun would affect it.
Unfortunately, the sun made the whole thing see-through, which meant that the world was able to see her bare legs and her underwear underneath. As you can imagine, this didn't go down well with the conservative Royal Family.
When Kate's Underwear Shone Through Her Dress
Although a dress can look stunning and modest in natural lighting, it can be a whole different ball game when the flashing lights of cameras are involved. Duchess Kate found this out the hard way when she wore this black dress over a decade ago. And when the bright lights of the paparazzi shone on Kate, they also shone through her dress and showed off the sheer undergarments that she was wearing underneath.
When these photos made their way into the newspapers, some fans were outraged to see the new Duchess wear something so risque. However, it had never been her intention to wear something like that.
When Kate Wore a Green Dress
We know what you're thinking: Duchess Kate's dress looks modest, stylish, and stunning, right? Well, we happen to agree. But while this dress would have been acceptable for any other occasion, she had a serious fashion disaster when she wore this dress to the 2018 BAFTA Awards. That's because those who attended this event all wore black in solidarity with the #MeToo movement. When Kate turned up in green, fans weren't happy.
Of course, this probably had something to do with the fact that royals have to remain politically neutral, but fans did spy the black belt that went with the green dress.
When Camilla's Dress Blew up in the Wind
Kate Middleton is no stranger to having a Marilyn Monroe moment, but she's not the only member of the Royal Family to have a fight with the wind. Camilla Parker-Bowles also experienced the same thing back in 2018 when she attended Princess Charlotte's christening. And while her sky blue dress was praised by fashion experts, having the wind blow it up was an unfortunate turn of events that she hadn't anticipated.
To make matters worse, Camilla was also wearing a large hat and a purse at the same time. This meant that she just didn't have enough hands to keep everything in place.
When Meghan Didn't Remove Her Tailor's Stitch
Are you familiar with a tailor's stitch? You'll normally find these stitches on coats and in pockets, and the aim of this stitch is to temporarily attach pieces of fabric together while it's on the hanger and waiting to be sold. Then, when you wear the item of clothing for the first time, you remove the stitch and ultimately allow the pieces of fabric to become separate from each other.
But fans were quick to call out Meghan Markle when they noticed that she hadn't removed the tailor's stitch on her coat in 2018. Of course, it's not a big fashion faux pas, but it still annoyed many fans.
When Prince Philip Wore a Kilt
Over the years, the Royal Family has made no secret of the fact that they love Scotland. The Queen loved spending her free time at Balmoral, and Prince William even went to university in Scotland. Prince Philip was also fond of Scotland, and proved as such in 2012 when he wore a kilt to the Highland Games. However, it seems as though he forgot that he was wearing the kilt when he sat down next to his wife.
In an eye-watering turn of events, Prince Philip spread his legs and allowed the world to see up his kilt. Thankfully, the late Queen quickly realized what he was doing and told him to rearrange his legs.
When Queen Elizabeth II Broke Her Purse
No outfit would be complete without some accessories to go with it, and the late Queen Elizabeth II was known for carrying a purse with her wherever she went. And while she was often praised for choosing beautiful purses, beauty doesn't always mix with practicality. The former monarch realized that for herself in 2010, and she had to deal with the aftermath of her purse strap breaking at a high-profile event.
In true queenlike form, she tried to style the whole thing off and make it seem like nothing had happened. But the cameras spotted the whole thing and shared the pictures worldwide.
When Princess Mary Got Her Shoe Stuck
It's not just the British Royal Family that has fashion disasters. It seems as though royals across the border suffer from the same wardrobe malfunctions, and this was the case in 2017 when Princess Mary of Denmark struggled with her shoes. Although she wore beautiful high heels for a public event, she quickly found herself standing barefoot on the dirty sidewalk when her heel got caught in a crack in the pavement.
Princess Mary had to bend down and scoop her shoe out from the crack, and we have to admire the fact that she did this dirty work herself - rather than getting a royal helper to do it!
When Kate's Dress Came Unwrapped
One thing you may know about Duchess Kate is that she loves to wear wrap dresses. Over the years, she has sparked a wrap dress revolution, with more and more of her fans choosing to buy similar styles. But in 2013, she proved to everyone that wearing such a dress is dangerous - especially if you're one of the most famous women in the world. And when her dress came unwrapped, the whole world saw it.
Meghan was attending an Action on Addiction event when this fashion faux pas happened, and she had to quickly tie herself back up again to avoid a major fashion disaster.
When Meghan Wore a Creased Wedding Dress
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding day was certainly a day to remember. It was the day that she became the Duchess of Sussex and the day that she became an official member of the Royal Family. But some fans also remember this day for the fashion faux pas that occurred. To be more specific, they tore the new duchess down when they saw that her wedding dress was wrinkled.
Although Meghan didn't seem to care about the wrinkles, it was later discovered that the dress had to be altered before the wedding to allow her to breathe. This could have resulted in the wrinkling.
When Camilla's Slip Was Exposed by the Wind
As we've seen, royal women often fall victim to the natural world. And in an effort to eliminate the embarrassment of the wind blowing up their dresses, many royal women wear slips underneath their dresses and skirts to protect their modesty. But even so, it's still embarrassing when the public catches a glimpse of that slip - and that's what happened to Camilla in 2018 when she attended the NHS Heroes Awards.
Although Camilla wore a beautiful dress to the event, the wind caused havoc to her hair and her outfit. To make matters worse, one particular gust of wind exposed the slip under her dress.
When Princess Anne Wore This Pantsuit
Let's be honest; Princess Anne isn't known for being a beacon in the world of fashion. While her clothing choices have rarely ever been bad, they have also rarely been groundbreaking. But there's no denying that she caused a stir when she wore this pantsuit back in 1973. In fact, her decision to wear a blue linen pantsuit shocked so many people that she donned headlines across the world for her fashion choices.
While many women wear pantsuits today, this wasn't the norm back in the 1970s - especially not for a member of the Royal Family. Some people just didn't think it was an appropriate outfit.
When Prince William Wore Holey Shoes
As the current heir to the throne, all eyes are on Prince William every time he leaves the house. Everything from his body language to his clothing choices are dissected by the press and the public, which is why the world was so surprised when he turned up to the World Economic Forum in 2019 with holes in his shoes. In fact, he seemed to show these off while he was being interviewed by David Attenborough.
Although fans wanted to listen to what they both had to say, most people were distracted by the large hole in the sole of William's shoes. How had he been allowed to leave the palace like that?
When Diana Wore a Low-Cut Dress
All eyes were on Princess Diana in 1981. That was the year she married then-Prince Charles, and that was the year that she really made her way into the public eye. Because of this, all eyes were on Diana - with many press members and paparazzi waiting for her to slip up and cause a scene. Unfortunately for Diana, that happened when she wore a strapless gown to a royal event.
Although this dress was fairly modest while she was standing upright, she inadvertently showed cleavage as she was getting out of the car. As these pictures circulated, fans were outraged.
When Kate Wrinkled Her Dress
Before any member of the Royal Family steps out into the public eye, you can bet your bottom dollar that their cloths are meticulously ironed and steamed. But that doesn't mean that they'll stay wrinkle-free for the rest of the day - and that was proven in 2023 when Duchess Kate attended Center Court at Wimbledon. After hours of sitting down and watching tennis, her once-ironed dress was incredibly wrinkled.
While this is hard to avoid, many fans questioned why the duchess would wear fabric that would wrinkle so easily at an event that required a lot of sitting down.
When Diana Wore a See-Through Skirt
While many members of the Royal Family do everything they can to avoid fashion disasters, sometimes there's just no planning for when this might occur. Princess Diana realized that for herself in 1980 when she was photographed volunteering at a nursery. During the event, she was snapped wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a knitted vest, and a long knee-length skirt. At first glance, it was extremely modest and suitable for a soon-to-be royal.
But when the sun shone on Diana, it turned her whole skirt see-through, exposing her legs underneath. As you can imagine, the press had a field day with these photos.