The royal family isn’t known for being particularly fashionable — the whole point of royalty is that it’s unchanging and immutable. Kate Middleton may have worn Alexander McQueen to get married, but since then it’s been a steady slide into sensible skirts and small hats. There’s something to be said, however, for having a look and sticking to it, as evidenced by the Queen. It’s sort of chic to wear almost the same thing every day, as she has done seemingly forever, the only variation being the color. Imagine never having to worry about trends, you’d have so much more time to consider loftier things, like what cocktail to have at lunch. Here are some of the things that the royals got done right, if only fashion-wise.
The Queen’s handbags, and everything else.
As Her Royal Highness once observed, “I have to be seen to be believed,” which is either an incredibly meta statement or something worthy of RuPaul. Central to the Queen’s wardrobe are her incredible array of searingly bright skirt-suits, many made by her couturier Norman Hartnell. Almost every aspect of the Queen’s wardrobe is functional, from her two hundred Lautner purses, which have a longer handle to facilitate handshaking, to the brims of her hats, which must always show her face, and not to so tall that she can’t easily exit her car. The hem of her skirt is weighted to avoid any incidents, and her sleeves are ¾ length to avoid dipping in her soup. More fabulously, she only wears Hermès scarves, and has a crown. Quite a lot of them in fact. The Queen is a perfect example of how chic it is to stick to one style, forever.
Continuous drinking.
The royals really like alcohol. The Queen Mother led the way, starting the day with a potent mix of Dubonnet (fortified wine) and gin at midday, then getting through red wine, claret, martinis, and then pink champagne. I mean, why not. Princess Margaret started at 12.30pm, and as it’s been noted, the Queen has four cocktails a day. And Harry definitely likes a drink.
Princess Margaret on vacay.
Anyone who’s watched The Crown knows that Margot (as her family called her) was really scandalous, essentially because she liked having a good time — a total no-no. In between having an affair with a commoner and marrying a fashion photographer (Lord Snowdon, see below), she decamped to the Caribbean island of Mustique, where she owned 10 acres of land. While there, she wore an incredible wardrobe of floral muumuu’s that wouldn’t look out of place on the current runways of Milan. She also got very, very tan, and hung out with Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and her alleged toyboy. Having had her family attempt to crush her spirit in just her teens, Margaret spent the rest of her life intent on having as much fun as possible. And she wore a crown in the bathtub. According to Craig Darling’s Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, she had breakfast in bed, listened to the radio for two hours, and chain smoked every morning. Then she had the aforementioned vodka tonic.
Princess Diana’s Nikes.
Obviously, Princess Diana was one of the most photographed women ever to live, which in fact killed her, poor woman. Diana didn’t in fact get really stylish, like, cover-of- Vogue-stylish, until she divorced Charles and got the hell out of those knee-length pastel suits the royals love to wear (this look only really works on the Queen herself). The team responsible for her look, fashion editor Anna Harvey, makeup artist Mary Greenwell, and hair stylist Sam McKnight, helped turn Diana into a fashion icon (one of the rare instances the phrase applies) by dressing her in minimal, monochrome fashion and making sure there wasn’t any of that big, 90s mom hair going on. Our favorite Diana moments, however, were her jeans and Nikes looks.
Lord Snowdon.
Princess Margaret’s husband, photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones, became the famed portraitist and fashion photographer Lord Snowdon. The marriage wasn’t exactly ideal, as Margaret really liked partying, while he, allegedly, really liked having sex with other people (“If it moves, he’ll have it” is the great quote on him from their inner circle). He was also thought to be bisexual, saying “I didn’t fall in love with boys — but a few men have been in love with me,” which is the sort of line you drop while wreathed in smoke in a bar. Essentially, totally fabulous. His photographs were rather good too.
Wallis Simpson.
We’d be remiss not to mention the last American divorcée who married into The Firm (what the family call themselves), thus causing a constitutional crisis and forcing her husband, Edward VIII, to abdicate and spend the rest of his days in France. Wallis may not have been very nice, but she was very chic, probably more so than any of the royals themselves. As noted by writer Dominick Dunne, however, perhaps a statue should be erected in her memory in every English village — he was alleged to have sympathized with the fascists, so having him get off the throne was probably for the best.