Red, white, green, and blue? What statements does the royal family actually make when they wear these colors?
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00:00Red, white, green, and blue?
00:03What statements does the royal family actually make when they wear these colors?
00:07If the Windsor clan is wearing black, it most likely means they're in mourning.
00:11For hundreds of years, Europeans have worn certain apparel to signify grief.
00:15But after the death of Queen Victoria's husband, the monarch's black mourning apparel became
00:19the norm for all royal functions following a death, not just the funeral.
00:23And royals still follow it today.
00:25Royal curator Matthew Storey told The Telegraph of the tradition's origins,
00:29When her beloved husband died in 1861, she abandoned the colorful clothes of her married
00:34life and, with the rest of the royal court, adopted black clothing as an outward sign
00:38of grief.
00:39Her subjects duly followed suit, causing a rush on suppliers of mourning fabric up and
00:43down the country.
00:44This tradition is so important to the royal family that members now travel with mourning
00:48clothes in case someone they know dies while they're away.
00:51This practice began in 1952 after Queen Elizabeth II's father, George VI, died while she was
00:57on a trip to Kenya.
00:58When her plane landed in the UK, Elizabeth, who had just become queen, had to wait while
01:02royal handlers brought her a black ensemble to wear as she didn't have anything packed
01:06in that color.
01:07Not every royal has reserved black only for mourning, though.
01:10In 1981, Princess Diana wore a black dress to a concert at the Royal Opera House, her
01:15first public appearance after becoming engaged to King Charles III.
01:19According to Diana, Charles was not pleased with her outfit choice, as she wasn't actively
01:23in mourning.
01:25Prince William and Princess Catherine have long opted to wear blue for both important
01:28events and in everyday life.
01:30Not only does Princess Catherine's engagement ring include a blue sapphire center stone,
01:35but after Prince George's birth, both William and Catherine stepped out in blue to introduce
01:39the new royal to the world.
01:40Well, he's got a good pair of lungs on him, that's for sure.
01:43According to Rosie Hart, author of The Royal Wardrobe, the young royal couple chose to
01:48wear the color because,
01:49"...blue is a more palatable alternative to the colors traditionally associated with royalty,
01:53being far less aggressive than red and significantly more conservative than purple."
01:57William and Catherine aren't the only members of their family who don the color.
02:01Now, their children are often seen wearing blue on formal occasions such as Easter service
02:05in 2023 and more casual events like a military air show in July that same year.
02:10Hart wrote,
02:11"...the Wales blue marks the five young royals out as a distinct unit within a wider familial
02:15network, emphasizing their unity and suggesting a commonality of values."
02:20While Prince William and Princess Catherine have become known for wearing blue, Prince
02:24Harry and Meghan Markle have taken a different sartorial route.
02:27The Sussex couple is known for their verdant shades, with Meghan Markle wearing notable
02:31outfits such as an emerald green dress on Commonwealth Day in 2020 and a viridian blouse
02:36and pine green leather skirt she wore during a public appearance in 2018.
02:41According to Rosie Hart, Harry and Meghan's color of choice reflects a cause that's important
02:45to them, with Hart writing in the royal wardrobe,
02:47"...practically, it fits very nicely with the other symbolic aspects they've chosen
02:51to align themselves with.
02:52The Duke and Duchess like to pose for official portraits outside.
02:56It's far less alienating than a grand palace interior might be and neatly complements their
03:00personal interests in environmental causes, something that both Prince Harry and Prince
03:04William take incredibly seriously."
03:06Harry and Meghan have been dedicated to environmental causes for much of their marriage, and in November
03:112021, they announced that their company, the Archwell Foundation, aims to become net
03:15zero in carbon emissions by 2030.
03:19The year 2024 did not get off to an auspicious start for the royal family.
03:23King Charles shared that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and Princess Catherine was part
03:27of a massive media frenzy with conspiracy theories of her whereabouts until she, too,
03:31shared that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
03:33For now, I must focus on making a full recovery."
03:36On Easter that year, Camilla, Queen Consort, Princess Anne, and Sarah, Duchess of York,
03:41all attended an Easter Sunday church service wearing green, and onlookers wondered if the
03:45royal family was making a statement with the color.
03:48Personal stylist Francesca Cairns told Express of the royal's sartorial selection,
03:52"...it evokes feelings of hopefulness.
03:54Green is also associated with renewal and hope.
03:57I have noticed that the royals do match colors at certain events when they come together
04:00and want to make a statement."
04:02On a special occasion, it's almost guaranteed that the family is using their fashion choices
04:07to subtly communicate a message.
04:09At King Charles' coronation in May 2023, many of the women in the royal family, namely Camilla,
04:14Queen Consort, Princess Catherine, and Princess Charlotte, wore white.
04:18As royal fashion expert Miranda Holder told Hello!, the choice was steeped in tradition,
04:22explaining,
04:23"...the Queen and her Maids of Honor would wear white court dresses to symbolize the
04:27purity and divinity of the monarch, who was, after all, believed to be appointed by God."
04:32Coronation onlookers also noticed that most non-royal guests weren't wearing white, but
04:36as Holder said, it likely was coincidental.
04:39We know from various leaks in the build-up to the big day that the invitations specified
04:43day dress or national dress, with no reference to specific colors.
04:47Princess Catherine has donned red on many occasions, such as at a dinner reception in
04:51Canada in 2016 and during a ceremonial welcome of the South Korean president in 2023.
04:57Color psychologist Leigh Chambers told Yahoo!,
05:00"...while opting for red aligns behaviorally with royal standards, Kate uses the color
05:04to express character in a way not dissimilar to how Princess Diana used fashion in an iconic
05:09way.
05:10It gives an intense energy and promotes social behavior, while giving an internal feeling
05:13of power, health, and courage."
05:15The royal family has worn red at interesting times in recent history.
05:19In 2023, just after Prince Harry's memoir, Spare, was published, Princess Catherine and
05:24Camilla, Queen Consort, were both seen in red ensembles.
05:28Royal expert Amanda Masser told the New York Post at the time,
05:30"...Kate and Camilla sporting red this week was not only a clever indication that they
05:34want us to view the royal family as being on solid ground, but also a fabulous way to
05:38make their royal work a topic of conversation."