The Real Reason Princess Charlotte Wore Black And Prince George Wore Navy To The Queen's Funeral

As Britain and the royal family said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II during her state funeral on Monday, September 19, many were struck by seeing the monarch's great-grandchildren, Prince George of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales, follow her coffin into Westminster Abbey. Standing beside their parents William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, it was the first time since the death of their great-grandmother that they'd been seen in public (via Now To Love).

Out of the queen's 12 great-grandchildren, they were the only two in attendance, according to ABC News. While her eldest great-grandaughters, Savannah and Isla Phillips did not attend the service, they did attend the Vigil of the Princes at Westminster Hall with their father Peter Phillips, son of Anne, Princess Royal (via Hello!).

Like their cousins at this event, Prince George and Princess Charlotte followed the traditional royal mourning dress for their appearance at the queen's state funeral by wearing navy and blue. But what stood out most was a number of firsts for Charlotte in particular.

For the women of the royal family, protocol and tradition dictate that they must wear black knee-length dresses to a funeral (via Metro), in addition to a black hat or face veil. However, as seen at the service, some of the most senior royals like Queen consort Camilla and Catherine, Princess of Wales, opted for birdcage veils as opposed to the long, black veils that Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, and the Queen Mother wore for the funeral of King George VI in 1952.

According to Business of Fashion, King Charles III opted against "the more antiquated accessory," leading to the more subtle use of the birdcage veil. Unlike her mother, Princess Charlotte of Wales wore a wide-brimmed black hat with a bow on the back. Hello! reported it's believed to have been designed by Jane Taylor, the brand that is often worn by Kate Middleton (via Kate Middleton Style Blog). Charlotte paired the tights with the Girls Black Wool Coat by Ancar, Hello! noted, with black tights and Mary Janes.

Charlotte also wore jewelry for the first time in the form of a diamond horseshoe brooch. This small, delicate brooch is believed to have been given to her by the queen (per People).

In contrast, there's a little less choice for male members of the royal family. Senior-most royals like King Charles III and William, Prince of Wales, continued to wear their commemorative military uniform as they had done for previous events in the mourning period. Royals who aren't in military attire are instructed to wear black morning coats, according to Good Morning America. This includes Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, as they are now non-working royals. However, they did get to wear their military uniform when taking part in the Vigil of the Princes at Westminster Hall (via People).

Unlike his uncles and great-uncles, Prince George of Wales wasn't wearing black. Instead, he wore a navy blue suit and tie rather than a morning coat. As 9Honey reported, navy or dark blue are suitable colors for male members of the royal family to wear on such an occasion, while women can only wear black.

Prince William had opted to wear navy suits while meeting members of the public during the mourning period, as he did with Catherine, Princess of Wales, when they viewed the flowers and other tributes left at Sandringham (per Vogue). Despite wearing a military uniform to the state funeral, he and his son somewhat matched as the uniform he'd worn to the Golden, Diamond, and Platinum Jubilees was navy (via 9Honey).