The Royals

The Royals have a unique way of dressing that is a law unto itself, barely changing from generation to generation. HRH Queen Elizabeth II is the inevitable figurehead for the country style. The vagaries of fashion don't impinge on her wardrobe and her style is practical and suited to the outdoors, where she is most at home. Her unchanging, regal style is emulated by younger royals and is set to continue, representing a lifeline of security in an uncertain world. Princes William and Harry have followed the same dresscode conventions as their father, with Kate Middleton dressing the part in floral, understated elegance.

However, in spite of their continuing nods to tradition there have been some blue-blooded renegades. Edward VIII, Queen Elizabeth’s uncle who abdicated following a reign of just 325 days, was a controversial figure in all respects, not least in his choice of royal attire. He was a country rebel and contemporary male style icon who wore the wrong clothes in the right places, taking tweed from the country to the city and making it accessible and desirable to the many. Under his tenure as king and later as the Duke of Windsor, Edward also popularised many new American fashion trends in Britain, such as more relaxed tuxedos and sports coats in place of formal white tie and tails, perhaps under the influence of the Duchess of Windsor, American divorcée Wallis Simpson.