Kate, Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla are the two most senior women in the Royal Family, and incidentally, the most glamorous when it comes to makeup.
Though their looks are polar opposites, both royals are lesser-spotted without some form of cosmetics on in public – whether it be mascara, blusher, or lipstick.
Princess Kate in particular is renowned for her “radiant beauty”, as put by Miranda Holder (@theMirandaHolder), a celebrity stylist and royal fashion expert.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, she claimed that while it may seem like the 41-year-old is always beautified in line with royal protocol, it’s more of an expectation.
Miranda said: “There is no strict rulebook when it comes to Royal makeup, but there is certainly an unspoken etiquette which has existed over the years, encouraging a ‘less is more’ approach.”
She continued: “The late Queen enjoyed a dash of bright lipstick to complement her colourful outfits and latterly a pop of blusher to bring life into her paler complexion, but the majority of British royals, such as Princess Anne, Beatrice and Eugenie, and Zara Tindall tend to prefer a minimal makeup look and frequently do without.
“This is partly due to the Royal country-sport-loving lifestyle (who needs lashings of mascara for hunting and horse riding) and partly due to tradition – as even in the rest of the UK today, too much makeup is still considered by some as looking ‘cheap’ – certainly not looking upper class or aristocratic.”
Of course, Kate’s high-profile position in the monarchy is partly to credit for her consistently gorgeous makeup looks, but it is also in -part due to her personality.
The royal fashion expert opined: “All that said, there have always been Windsor women who break the traditional mould, both sartorially speaking and in terms of the rest of their image.
“These women are not afraid to stand out a little from the rest of the Royal crowd, rendering them tastemakers and indeed style icons.
“The first was obviously Princess Diana, her heavily-mascaraed eyelashes adding a dramatic effect to her famous coquettish downward glances, and the second is the current Princess of Wales.
“Thanks in part to her radiant beauty, her charm and of course because of her future position as the Queen of England, Kate is always in the media spotlight, and as one of the most photographed women in the world, quite sensibly turns to a dash of makeup or two to help her present her best self to the millions of onlookers around the globe.”
Unlike her peers, such as Zara Tindall and Princess Anne who were recently spotted entirely bare-faced at a racing event, Kate “relies on her trusty makeup at all times”, according to Miranda.
This applies even to sporting events like when she played tennis with Roger Federer earlier this year, and perhaps most famously, on the three occasions when she appeared on the steps of the Lindo wing having just given birth.
Miranda added: “And why not?! Just like a great outfit, good makeup and great hair can give us the confidence we need to face even the most difficult of situations, and Kate wears it all so well.
“After receiving professional makeup lessons prior to her wedding day, the Princess is known to prefer applying her own makeup – no matter what the occasion.
“She sticks to the same palette of warm browns to give a subtle smoky eye, warms up her cheeks with peachy pinks and always errs on the side of a dewy foundation – the result is glowing skin and a pretty – but not overdone – look.”
