9 Times Queen Camilla's Fashion Faux Pas Shattered The Royals' Tidy Image

Given her high-profile status, Queen Camilla endeavors to look her polished best when she's conducting royal business. What's even more remarkable is that the queen doesn't have a natural inclination toward being a fashionista so she has to work at it. In her youth, Camilla gravitated toward casual looks and didn't stress too much over outfits. "On coming home, she would just drop her clothes on the floor and leave them. Camilla's bedroom always looked like a bomb had hit it," Camilla's old roommate Virginia Carrington explained in "The Duchess Of Cornwall: Camilla's Story and Secrets" (via My London).

Since she officially joined the royal family in 2005, Camilla has slayed with plenty of iconic fashion moments. Even so, the queen has been known to commit a fashion misstep occasionally. For instance, in January 2024, Camilla arrived at a royal appearance with two markedly different earrings. The queen paired one of her pearl wedding earrings with a dangling gold earring. However, since Camilla didn't comment on her choice, it's uncertain whether she made an error or if she was making a deliberate style statement.

One mismatched error that definitely wasn't in the name of fashion occurred when Camilla married King Charles. After she inadvertently grabbed shoes from two different pairs, a disparity between the heels made it challenging to walk gracefully. While Queen Elizabeth noticed, the mistake occurred out of the public eye. In other instances, however, Camilla's fashion slip-ups have ended up in the spotlight.

In May 2024, Queen Camilla joined King Charles III at the Order of the British Empire ceremony. As part of the pomp and circumstance of the prestigious event, Camilla and Charles wore brilliant crimson satin robes. However, one royal watcher didn't think Camilla wore the robe with the same panache as the same Queen Elizabeth. This fan posted a pic of Elizabeth looking demure with her arms peeking out from the robe's sides. This image was contrasted by an action shot of Camilla walking with the front of the robe billowing to the side, revealing a boldly patterned floral dress underneath. While Fiona Clare designed the dress, some critics thought it looked more like nightwear. Others disparaged the robe itself, including its wrinkles. "Why didn't she go in for a fitting?!? It looks like a lazy Halloween costume," one wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Another hypothesized the real issue was that it was askew and slipping, leading to a sloppy look.

However, one fan leaped to Camilla's defense, noting that it's a challenge to walk outdoors and look immaculate in a voluminous robe. Some individuals also incorrectly surmised that the robes were specially made for each woman. Instead, the robes are actually hand-me-downs. Even so, they supposedly get a makeover for each new user, lending some credence to the fans who questioned the fit and positioning of Camilla's robe.

Imitation doesn't always equal flattery, especially in the eyes of royal fans. Back in March 2019, Queen Camilla arrived at a Commonwealth Day event only to discover that she and Queen Elizabeth were both wearing purple coat dresses and purple hats. Camilla even accessorized like her mother-in-law with black gloves and a black purse. To be fair, Camilla's outfit was a deeper shade of purple, while Elizabeth's was bright purple. In addition, Camilla's hat was domed-shaped with a feathery decoration, while Elizabeth's had a brim and a flowery accent with a ribbon band. 

Some individuals saw this slip-up as Camilla impinging on the queen's role. Others were annoyed because they'd seen Camilla twinning with her mother-in-law in the past. However, while this may have denoted a communication oversight between senior royals, it could also indicate that Queen Elizabeth didn't mind when Camilla color coordinated with her.

Although she got flak for wearing purple in 2019, dressing like Elizabeth earned Camilla praise at the same event in 2022. At that time, Elizabeth was experiencing health difficulties, and she was unable to attend the service. In what was viewed as a sign of respect for her mother-in-law, Camilla wore a purple dress and matching coat that was different from her 2019 ensemble. Her purple hat was also different, with a jaunty brim and Camilla's signature feathery-style embellishment.

In June 2023, Queen Camilla attended Royal Ascot wearing an elegant white dress and coat. She topped it off with a wide-brimmed matching hat worn at a slight angle. While Camilla looked fabulous in her attire, some people questioned her choice of wearing Dior. At the time, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, had made news that she had unsuccessfully tried to work with the brand. 

In September 2023, Camilla also wore the French designer during a state visit to France. While the outfit was markedly different — a floor-length navy dress and cape — it became used as another example of rumored friction between the Sussexes and the queen. 

However, it's also possible that the supposed dispute never existed in the first place. The royals' connection to Dior stretches back to the 1950s, and Camilla was wearing the brand as far back as 2013. In addition, there were conflicting reports regarding whether or not a potential partnership was ever a consideration. Some individuals asserted that the Sussexes did have their aspirations thwarted by the royal family. However, in June 2023, sources connected to both the Sussexes and Dior asserted that the whole thing was a rumor.

Also in June 2023, Queen Camilla wore a vibrant blue jumpsuit during her appearance at her Queen's Reading Room Literary Festival. The color definitely followed in Queen Elizabeth's footsteps of rocking vivid shades, and some individuals believed Camilla was elevating her signature style. However, the outfit also had its share of detractors. One fashion critic thought the biggest issue was the combo of voluminous cut and intense hue. "There's no hiding place, and a dress-cum-jumpsuit becomes instantly less flattering and silhouette-narrowing," Shane Watson wrote in the Daily Mail. When it came to jumpsuits, Watson thought Camilla was better off sticking with navy.

Interestingly, Camilla had previously worn the same jumpsuit a month earlier at the Coronation Concert. However, in that instance, photos of the event didn't show off the bottom of the outfit and didn't elicit any criticism at the time. Perhaps the issue was mainly with the pants portion of the outfit. After the Literary Festival re-wear, some commented that the Anna Valentine jumpsuit was a poor choice due to its dramatic, oversized legs. In addition, while the material seemed to swallow up Camilla's footwear as she walked, others felt her boots didn't fit the ensemble.

In May 2018, Queen Camilla attended the National Health Service Heroes Awards. Judging by the photos of the event, it was a blustery day, with the wind blowing Camilla's hair away from her face. The queen's dress for the event featured white piping down the front, an embellished bodice, and a front slit at the hem. This little detail caused a literal slip-up when the wind revealed the queen's undergarment as she walked.  Unfortunately, Camilla may not have been aware of some royal hacks for dealing with the situation. After dealing with a wayward dress of her own, Queen Elizabeth wore outfits that included miniature weights to defend against unwelcome breezes. While incorporating weights when sewing the garment is a great option, an easier defense for items already sewn is to wear static-inducing shapewear and use the power of physics to keep skirts in place. 

Camilla also experienced another slip-related fashion faux pas in 2015. During hot weather, Camilla wore a gauzy white skirt during an outdoor appearance. Unfortunately, even though the hem was knee-length, Camilla's upper legs were visible through the too-sheer material. Again, Camilla wasn't the first royal to make this error, although in this case, a slip underneath would have solved the problem.