Princess Diana And Meghan Markle Are Royal Fashion Rebels

Both Meghan Markle and Princess Diana are known to have quite the amount of similarities such as their childhood and humanitarian work, but there is one that seems to go unnoticed. One major thing about these two royals are their love for fashion.

Throughout their status as royals, both Meghan and the late Princess Diana made headlines for their style choices. Both Diana and Meghan loved expressing themselves through the clothes they wear, and both seem to have the rebellious spirit too.

Being part of the British royal family means following a set of rules. When it comes to royal style, no explicit rules really exist, but the Queen does have pieces she particularly doesn’t like to wear or see other members of the family in. Princess Diana and Meghan certainly weren't very keen on following these rules, though.

Unlike Kate Middleton, who has been seen wearing basically Princess Diana’s conservative-type outfits, Meghan took after her late mother-in-law's style defiance. Here is a list of the times the two have broken royal fashion rules.

1. Meghan does not frequently wear tights

There are more important “rules” than others, like wearing tights with dresses. It’s long been reported that women of the royal family are “required” to wear tights, and Meghan has been skipping this on the regular.

However, the Duchess of Sussex might get a pass on this one. “There are no rules for royal women regarding pantyhose,” royal expert Marlene Koenig revealed to Harper’s Bazaar. “While most women (royal or commoner) wear pantyhose with suits or gowns for a good slim line, it is not required by any decree from the Queen,” she explained.

2. Diana picked her own engagement ring

Traditionally, engagement rings are special to the royal family. They’re either designed by the husband-to-be or selected from precious family heirlooms. Prince Harry designed Meghan’s ring. Prince Charles proposed to Camilla Parker-Bowles with an engagement ring that belonged to the Queen herself.

Diana, after Charles proposed, got a ring with a 12-carat oval blue sapphire surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds. However, it was not a custom ring. The late Princess picked it herself from a Garrard jewelry collection catalog. This exact ring was what Prince William used to propose to Kate. The Duchess of Cambridge still wears it to this day.

3. Meghan wore dark nail polish

The Duchess of Sussex broke this blink-and-you-miss-it fashion rule at the British Fashion Awards in December 2018. The Queen reportedly considers “vulgar” anything but bare or nude-polished nails. Fake nails or bright and dark colors on royal women are not favored.

4. Diana wore a necklace as a headband

One of the most memorable style moments from the princess was when she wore a necklace as a headpiece. The necklace was originally owned by the Queen’s grandmother and was then given to Diana as a wedding gift. Diana wore her necklace headband to her and Charles’ Australia trip back in 1985.

5. Meghan wore trousers many times

Other royal women have been seen wearing trousers, but they make sure they only do so when off-duty. Meghan, however, has worn trousers multiple times at official engagements to the point that it has been bothering royal aides. Even Harry himself apparently advised her about wearing the tuxedo she planned to wear for a formal evening event.

6. Diana wore her famous “revenge dress”

After being separated from Charles in 1991, Diana still embodied elegance in this daring little black dress. The famously dubbed “revenge dress” was worn by Diana on the day of a fundraising event hosted by Vanity Fair in 1994, three years after her divorce. Coincidentally, that same day, Charles’ tell-all documentary about their breakup was airing on national television as well.

“We called that ‘The Revenge Dress’ [because] she wore that the same evening Prince Charles confessed to his adultery with Camilla,” Kerry Taylor, whose company auctioned off ten of the most recognizable Diana dresses in 2013, told Woman Magazine. “While some would have been like, ‘I can’t face it this evening,’ Diana went out in that dress looking drop dead gorgeous. She made a big statement right there,” she added.

7. Meghan wears a cross-body bag

It’s not much of a rule, but typically royal women opt for clutches or short-strapped bags for a specific reason. When doing their meet and greets, the royals can hold the bag with both hands to politely signal they don’t want to shake hands.