Princess Kate, Princess Charlotte and Princess Eugenie have all been known to bypass a few royal beauty protocols in their time.
Beauty aside, some rules are there for safety purposes, such as heirs not travelling together or royals not being allowed to eat certain foods (oysters, to be precise). But when it comes to nail polish or the colour of lipstick - does it really matter?
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Recently, there's been a buzz around royals not being allowed to wear bright nail polish when Princess Charlotte turned up to Wimbledon with pink nails. While it doesn't sound like a big deal, it is unusual for royals to step out with bright manicures or heavy makeup, leading to the theory that there must be some sort of beauty code in place.
So yes, it's 'customary' for the royals to wear nude nails, toned-down makeup and neat, tidy hair, but it doesn't mean it always happens.
From past and present, here are the royal ladies who made their own beauty choices...
1/10

Messy bun - Princess Kate
Ever just wanted to swoop your hair up into a messy bun the morning before work? Well, Princess Kate was just like us back in 2023 when she rocked a messy bun. Usually, royal hair protocol is to keep it neat, so when she appeared in public with her casual updo, it caused a stir. She's a busy woman, though, and I think from time to time she should be let off the fancy hairstyle hook.
HELLO's Fashion and Beauty News Editor, Laura Sutcliffe, said: "The Princess of Wales' flowing hair has become her trademark, ever since she sported the now famous 'Chelsea Blow-dry' created by Richard Ward in 2010. When Kate wears her hair up, there's never a hair out of place - a glamorous yet neat updo is always on the menu. But this messy bun is what I personally would call relatable. Why? Because all women, everywhere, wear their hair like this when they have a busy day. As Kate is an active mother-of-three, you can be sure that she too teases her hair into a 'mum bun' - and more often than you think.''
2/10

Lipstick retouch moment - Queen Elizabeth
While she wasn't necessarily 'breaking' a rule, it is rather endearing to see photos of Queen Elizabeth II throughout the years sneakily reapplying her lipstick on royal duties. She typically carried a small handbag from which she was often seen plucking a pink lipstick. I think reapplying makeup quickly and still looking poised is a beauty hack rather than a rule break.
3/10

Berry gloss - Meghan Markle
Meghan has been called out many a time for her rule-breaking beauty moments. But one that caught my eye was back in 2020 when she wore a sparkly, berry lip gloss as part of her first public appearance in the UK with Prince Harry. Usually, it's customary for royals to wear nude or subtle lip colours, but Meghan's new shade stood out for sure, and she made her mark.
HELLO's royal style editor, Laura Sutcliffe said: "Meghan was 36-years-old when she became a royal, so she had had a long time of presenting herself in her own unique way, with no regulations. It may have been challenging for her to alter her makeup. Seeing Meghan rocking a berry lip shows how fashion-forward the wife of Prince Harry is. This plum tone, with a high shine finish is modern and suits her wonderful complexion. Although it goes against the subtle lip look royals are expected to sport, it's still relatively abstruse and still looks polished.''
4/10

Nail art - Princess Eugenie
If there's one royal taking nails to the next level, then it's Princess Eugenie with her fancy nail art. My personal favourite of hers was her 2012 patriotic Union Jack nails to mark the Jubilee. In 2025, this design may be a bit 'out there', but over ten years ago, nail art was having its moment, and the royal was enjoying it!

1. Wedding vows
When Diana married Prince Charles in 1981, she removed the word ''obey'' from her wedding vows.'' It was a longstanding tradition for royal brides to include this word.
2. Marrying a divorcee
Prince Harry was granted permission by Queen Elizabeth II to marry Meghan Markle, despite her being a divorcee. Meghan was previously married to American film producer Trevor Engelson between 2011 until 2014.
3. Oysters
In 2013, Prince Charles ate oysters, which might seem harmless but the royals have a long list of foods they avoid with seafood off the menu due to its attendant higher risk of food poisoning.
4. Private attendance
Princess Kate paid her respects to Sarah Everard – a young woman murdered by a police officer – in a vigil on Clapham Common in March 2021 without making an official royal announcement.
5. The Queen's autograph
The Queen signed a football back in 1998 for Malaysian Manchester United supporters. Typically, royals do not sign items to avoid the risk of forgery.
5/10

Electric blue eyeliner - Princess Diana
It wouldn't be a rulebreaker list without including Princess Diana and her bright blue eyeliner back in the 80s. One of her signature makeup looks was electric blue kohl. While on some people it may appear too bold, it somehow made her overall look even more natural. If it were 2025, then self-expression through makeup would certainly be in, and Princess Diana would be causing beauty trend storms.
6/10

Scruffy beard - Prince Harry
In 2017, Prince Harry sported a full beard with his British Army uniform at the Remembrance Sunday service. Known for his slightly rebellious streak, it wasn't a surprise that he didn't follow the normal protocol. Usually, a full beard isn't an 'acceptable' look for official duty, and the British Army even has rules forbidding facial hair. The one exception for Prince Harry was that the beard was at least well-groomed...
7/10

Pink nails - Princess Charlotte
The recent rule breaker conversation starter was Princess Charlotte sporting candy pink nails at Wimbledon 2025. The manicure was a girly touch but slightly out of line with royal rules. However, when I was 10, I was probably using the most sparkliest, glittery colours, so who can blame her? She's just a girl who loves pink!
HELLO's Fashion and Beauty News Editor, Laura Sutcliffe said Princess Charlotte's nails immediately caught her eye.
"Although there's an unofficial rule that royal ladies should keep their nails bare, Charlotte's bubblegum pink shade shows her age and it's so cute," she explains.
"Little girls love playing with makeup and the young royal is so girly; she loves her jewellery and even sported a Pandora bracelet that day. Adorable.''
8/10

All black outfit - Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie wore an all black outfit in 2024 to the Duke of Westminster's Cheshire wedding's evening celebrations. The floral embroidered dress was a risky choice, as usually black is considered an unorthodox colour for a wedding. Yet, she styled the dress appropriately with glamorous gold accessories and a matching clutch, turning the outfit into a style statement.
9/10

Long black trousers - Prince George
One of the stricter royal dress code rules is that boys under the age of eight have to wear shorts, even in the winter time. However, for Prince Harry's wedding, Prince George was the exception and was allowed to wear long black trousers in public. He was a very smart pageboy wearing his custom-made Dege & Skinner pants for one of his first major fashion statements.
10/10

Bright lipstick - Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice has always been experimental with her beauty looks and has been seen on many occasions wearing bright lipstick. While standard royal makeup is more toned down, Beatrice has not shied away from wearing bright red lipstick at events. Usually, it has been on high-profile occasions, adding a touch of glamour to her look.
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