Queen Elizabeth II would wear an array of bright, vibrant colours so she could be seen by members of the crowd, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh once said.
Queen Camilla, on the other hand, seems to wear only a handful of colours, the most reoccurring being blue for important occasions.
Although she wore white to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation, the day after, at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, she stepped out in a blue dress and matching cape.
The shade of blue is said to be no coincidence; as far back as October, not long after the royal mourning period and its accompanying black dress code ended, Camilla has been wearing this particular colour.
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Occasions Queen Camilla has worn blue:
British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse – October 15
Ceremonial Welcome for South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa – November 22
State banquet at Buckingham Palace – November 22
Christmas Day walk at Sandringham – December 25
Commonwealth Day service – March 13
Royal Maundy Service – April 6
Easter Sunday service – April 9
Coronation Concert – May 7
Royal fashion expert Eloise Moran said: “I’ve definitely noticed a specific shade of blue—what is known as royal blue.
“It’s actually a very traditional colour in the UK, and, when I think of the monarchy, one of the key colours, of course, is royal blue. Blue definitely keeps popping up—there definitely seems to be a correlation.”
Queen Camilla’s role also impacts the colours she wears, Eloise added, stating how the King’s role is “to stand front and centre” as the “figurehead” whereas Camilla is “his wife” and “plays a supporting role”.
“With the [late] Queen, [however], she was a unifier, this figure who brought the colours of her wardrobe to bring a bit of joy. People really enjoyed her outfits and loved to see what she was wearing. Now, with Camilla, it’ll be interesting to see how her outfits play out.”
The fashion expert said Camilla has “always been very dutiful and respectful” towards her husband and his role but said “it gets boring when you only dress in one colour—it does feel very uniform with not much self-expression in there”.
She suggested, “it’s almost like no one is trying to distract or take away [from the King], and is trying to give Charles his limelight”.
Blue, is one-third of the Union Jack so is therefore known as a quintessentially British colour, and the colour royal blue is related to royalty; the term was first used in the 1800s when the colour is said to have been created for a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte.
As for the psychology behind royal blue, Sarah Seung-McFarland, PhD “blue has a lot of advantages” for the Royal Family.
Blue is often “associated with trust, duty, authority, competence, and reflection”, which Sarah said are “traits that would be meaningful to those with royal status”.
“And as a cool colour, blues have a calming, tranquil effect, perfect for royals who want to be connected with the public through the feeling of safety and reliability that peace brings. Blue has also been long associated with regalness,” she told Marie Claire.
