null
The beauty rule upheld by Queen Elizabeth that royal women (including Princess Diana, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle) can’t help but break
It is a truth universally acknowledged that royal women must abide by a long list of rules and protocols when it comes to their appearance.
Coats must stay on in public, skirts should not ride above the knee and hats should always be worn to formal events unless it’s after 6pm, at which point tiaras are required.
But when Meghan Markle arrived at the British Fashion Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in 2018 and Catherine, Princess of Wales, attended an Easter Sunday Service at St George’s Chapel in 2023, both women threw out the royal rule book.
Instead of sticking with the time-honoured tradition of wearing nude-coloured polish to official appearances, they opted to paint their nails with stand-out hues. While this didn’t break any royal rule as such, it has been reported the late Queen Elizabeth II found bold polish to be ‘vulgar’.
As etiquette expert William Hanson told The Sun: ‘It needs to be skin coloured, so hot red and bright pink, for example, are not correct, especially for official occasions and particularly during mourning.’
More acceptable colours such as ‘translucent or dusky pink’ were favoured by the Queen who regularly reached for her favourite brand Essie in the pale pink shade Ballet Slippers, reportedly ‘the only colour Her Majesty would wear’.
As such, the rest of the family were expected to follow suit, with ever-loyal Catherine opting to use the Queen’s go-to brand Essie in their sheer white colour Allure on her wedding day.
But from time to time, royal women preferred to buck the beauty trend. Here, MailOnline takes a look at the times they chose to wear unconventional colours on their nails.
+28
View gallery
It is believed Queen Elizabeth II found brightly-coloured nails to be ‘vulgar’. Her go-to varnish was Ballet Slippers from Essie
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex
In a surprise appearance, the Duchess of Sussex went to the Royal Albert Hall to attend the 2018 British Fashion Awards in a custom asymmetrical Givenchy gown.
Although the designer number was made to show off her blossoming baby bump, it was her nails, painted in a dark burgundy hue, that caught the attention of keen royal watchers.
While people accused Meghan of ‘breaking royal protocol’, royal correspondent Omid Scobie defended her, telling Harper’s Bazaar: ‘There’s no actual protocol about dark nail polish.
‘It’s simply about being appropriate – we’d never see this at a royal engagement.
‘[The British Fashion Awards ceremony] is a celebration of fashion and there’s a lot more flexibility on what one can wear.’
Indeed, Meghan adhered to the Queen’s nail polish preferences when the world focused in on her hand during her engagement announcement on November 27, 2017.
While showcasing the stunning ring designed by Prince Harry himself with one stone from Botswana and two diamonds from Princess Diana‘s personal collection, Meghan’s nails were painted a nude pink.
+28
View gallery
The Duchess of Sussex attends the Fashion Awards with her nails painted in a dark burgundy hue on December 10, 2018
+28
View gallery
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce their engagement in The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017
+28
View gallery
While showcasing the stunning ring designed by Prince Harry, Meghan’s nails were painted a nude pink
null
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tender moments during engagement
+28
View gallery
Meghan opted for a chic, understated manicure when she married Prince Harry at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018
Should the royal beauty rule be upheld?
Sticking with a chic, understated manicure, the Duchess wore CND Shellac to marry her Prince at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.
Salon DryByLondon revealed they were behind her neutral nails and mixed the shades Unmasked and Negligee together to create the opalescent look, according to British Vogue.
Catherine, Princess of Wales
Joining her young family for Easter mass at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2023, Catherine made a striking departure from royal beauty convention with her red nails.
The manicure stood out against her electric blue ensemble from London-based designer Catherine Walker as she held a nervous looking Prince Louis’s hand. It was his debut at the Easter service.
Royal fans took to social media to discuss whether the princess had ‘broken royal protocol’, with one claiming that it was the ‘first time we’ve see her wear coloured nail varnish’.
Others pointed out Catherine was not one to stray away from the standards set by the Queen.
For her fairy tale wedding day at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, a younger Kate had her nails painted nude.
+28
View gallery
Catherine, Princess of Wales, arrives for the traditional Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel on April 9, 2023
+28
View gallery
Holding a cobalt blue clutch, Catherine opted for a red manicure
Kate’s mini me! Princess Charlotte waves to crowd alongside mother
+28
View gallery
On her wedding day on April 29, 2011, Kate Middleton has her nails painted nude
Manicurist Marina Sandoval from the Jo Hansford hair salon in exclusive Mayfair drove to Clarence House to paint both Kate and her mother-in-law Camilla’s nails for the big day, the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English reported at the time.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Marina revealed she blended together a special mixture of colours to apply to Kate’s nails including Bourjois no 28 Rose Lounge and Essie 423 Allure.
‘Catherine wanted something very natural-looking and I felt these matched her skin colour beautifully,’ she explained.
‘She wanted something off-white and bridal, so these were absolutely perfect.’
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh
Thought to be Queen Elizabeth’s ‘favourite’ daughter-in-law, it is surprising Sophie would opt for bold-coloured nails when Her Majesty found them to be ‘vulgar’.
But during a visit to Shooting Star Children’s Hospices in Hampton on February 12, 2020, the Duchess sported a chocolate brown manicure as she decorated biscuits with blue icing.
In the past, the Duchess of Edinburgh has previously worn a fun candy pink varnish to match a floral coat dress from Erdem and a plum colour to tie in with her deep purple jumper.
+28
View gallery
The Duchess of Edinburgh during a visit to the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice on February 12, 2020
+28
View gallery
Sophie decorates a biscuit with blue icing as she wears chocolate brown nail polish
+28
View gallery
Duchess Sophie visits the Picton Barracks in Wiltshire with nails painted a candy pink to match her floral coat dress from Erdem on October 4, 2024
+28
View gallery
The Duchess of Edinburgh wears a plum varnish on her nails during a visit to The Company Shop in London on January 15, 2025
For her 60th birthday portrait, Sophie opted for a ‘dark, brown nail colour’ to ‘complement both her blackberry-purple turtleneck and the more earthy tones of her green trousers and brown top pairing’, according to the Woman and Home’s digital beauty writer Naomi Jamieson.
She added: ‘In doing so, it creates a sense of cohesion and timelessness, whilst remaining very subtle.’
Diana, Princess of Wales
To attend a performance of the English National Ballet, of which she was the patron, at the Opera House in Budapest, Hungary, in 1992, Princess Diana looked radiant in a the Spencer Family’s tiara, an off-shoulder red dress and matching scarlet nails.
Earlier photos of Princess Diana show that the royal did not often sport nail polish and this may have been down to her tendency to bite her nails.
After kicking the habit, she slowly regained the confidence to paint her nails in bold colours.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Diana’s hairstylist Sam McKnight talked abut her cover shoot for Vogue in 1991.
McKnight said: ‘She had just stopped biting her nails and was so proud of how they looked!’
+28
View gallery
Princess Diana attends a performance of the English National Ballet in Budapest, Hungary, on March 23, 1992
null
+28
View gallery
Diana steps out in the ‘revenge dress’ at the Serpentine Gallery, pairing the off-shoulder Christina Stambolian design with red nails on June 29, 1994
Princess Diana dons the famous ‘revenge dress’ at Serpentine Gallery
+28
View gallery
The Princess during a visit to the Mortimer Market Centre – a service for HIV/AIDS sufferers – in Euston, north London on December 1, 1994
+28
View gallery
Diana sported the striking red manicure once again while attending a gala evening in aid of Cancer Research at Bridgewater House in London on November 20, 1995
Most memorably, Diana, Princess of Wales, stepped out in the ‘revenge dress’ at the Serpentine Gallery on June 29, 1994, pairing the off-the-shoulder Christina Stambolian design with red nails.
As Stambolian would later write: ‘She was clearly angry… She wore bright red nail enamel, which we had never seen her do before. She was saying: “Let’s be wicked tonight.”‘
Diana repeated the striking red manicure during a visit to the Mortimer Market Centre – a service for HIV/AIDS sufferers London on December 1, 1994.
And once again while attending a gala evening in aid of Cancer Research at Bridgewater House in London in 1995.
Princess Eugenie
Shaking up royal beauty trends, Princess Eugenie is a fan of quirky nail art.
During her grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 5, 2022, the royal was spotted holding her son August Brooksbank in the royal box.
With her hands clasped around his sweet Union Jack jumper, her perfectly manicured nails featured a red French tip.
+28
View gallery
Eugenie holds her son August Brooksbank while watching the Platinum Jubilee Pageant from the Royal Box on June 5, 2022
+28
View gallery
Eugenie wears red polish during Trooping the Colour in 2017
+28
View gallery
A young Eugenie wears Union Jack nails to mark the London Olympics in 2012
Even before she was a mother, Eugenie wore bold red polish to Trooping the Colour in 2017 as she rode in a carriage alongside her sister Beatrice and father Prince Andrew.
And she commanded attention with her unmissable Union Jack painted nails at the Investec Derby Festival back in 2012.
The patriotic manicure was a nod to the London Summer Olympics which were taking place at the time.
Zara (and Mike) Tindall
As the daughter of strong-willed Princess Anne, Zara Tindall is unafraid to push the boundaries of royal style.
The former Olympian turned heads in an all-black ensemble at a film premiere in 2015 with heavy black eyeliner and a vampy dark manicure to match. She opted for the same dark colour when attending the Cheltenham Festival on December 13, 2019.
But the state of her nails was the last thing on Zara’s mind when she competed in the Festival of British Eventing on August 5, 2023.
The mother-of-three was seen participating in one of the jumping competitions which takes place on the Princess Royal’s estate in Gloucester but her teal blue manicure looked worse for wear.
+28
View gallery
Zara Tindall attends the premiere of Being AP in an all-black ensemble with a matching vampy manicure on November 23, 2015
+28
View gallery
The former Olympian opted for the same dark colour when attending the Cheltenham Festival on December 13, 2019
+28
View gallery
A picture of Zara’s nails after she competed in the Festival of British Eventing on August 5, 2023
+28
View gallery
Mike Tindall brandishes bright Tiffany blue painted nails – the perfect shade to match his tie – at Cheltenham on December 9, 2022
+28
View gallery
The former rugby player posted on Instagram that he and Mia had enjoyed a ‘dad daughter day’ of ‘sushi and nails’ together
+28
View gallery
Zara is clearly a fan of a darkly painted nail as she arrives to Cheltenham with Eugenie wearing a deep burgundy varnish on March 12, 2025
But it is not just Zara who experiments with nail polish in the Tindall family.
After returning from Australia on his stint on I’m A Celeb in 2022, her husband Mike Tindall spent some quality time with his eldest daughter Mia.
The former rugby player posted on Instagram that they had enjoyed a ‘dad daughter day’ of ‘sushi and nails’ together.
While Mia’s varnish was a darker metallic blue, Mike brandished bright Tiffany blue painted nails.
Like the good sport he is, Mike wore his newly painted nails to Cheltenham on December 9, 2022, and posed for the camera as a loved up Zara laughed next to her husband, looking effortlessly elegant in a velvet Guinea coat with silver buttons.
Zara is clearly a fan of a darkly painted nail as she arrived to Cheltenham on Wednesday with Princess Eugenie wearing a deep burgundy varnish.
