The Most Inappropriate Outfits Princess Eugenie Has Ever Worn

The royal family always has the spotlight on them. They attend public events and are frequently photographed, meaning that many people often see their outfits. Furthermore, royal rules mean that royal ensembles are under a particular kind of scrutiny. While Catherine, Princess of Wales and Meghan Markle are likely the first people that come to mind when we think of royals being picked apart for their ensembles, they are far from the only ones. As Prince Andrew's daughters and King Charles III's nieces, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice may not be as high ranking as their cousins, but they still spend plenty of time in the public eye. Beatrice has certainly worn her fair share of inappropriate outfits over the years. And, while she and her sister, Eugenie, have been known to sport coordinating looks, Eugenie has also had her fair share of fashion flops all by herself. 

Throughout her life in the royal spotlight, Eugenie has always appeared to have an appreciation for fashion. She takes risks with her style and makes bold choices. More often than not, these choices have earned her scrutiny for one reason or another. Sometimes the public doesn't feel that her look is appropriate for a royal family member. Other times, they think it's wrong for the occasion, and plenty of times, they've thought it was just wrong altogether. There are many outfits that Eugenie has received flak for over the years, but there are a few that really take the cake. 

Royals are certainly held to different standards when it comes to their ensembles than the rest of us are. While some looks are perfect for the average person to sport, a princess might have to think twice. In April 2018, Princess Eugenie headed to the Commonwealth Youth Forum wearing a Whistles floral dress and knee-high boots. The dress was covered up on top with long sleeves and a mock neck, but it showed off some leg, as its ruffled hem landed above the knee. For most 28-year-olds on a springy day in 2018, this look would have worked. Unfortunately, in Eugenie's case, it got the internet talking.

"Oh my. Much too short and with boots?? No, girl. Just no," one person commented on X, formerly known as Twitter. Meghan Markle, who is a constant magnet for outfit criticism from the public, attended the same event and also got negative attention since some considered her exposed shoulders were considered unseemly. One fan compared her and Eugenie, posting a photo of the princess walking up a set of stairs and exposing the back of her upper thighs. The caption read, "I like Eugenie — I really do, but with all the talk of [Meghan's] outfit not being appropriate at the commonwealth event today, is anybody going to comment on the inappropriateness here???!" Another X user used this as an example of the princess' consistent fashion flops, stating, "Eugenie is so reliably inappropriate in her sartorial choices." 

A royal wedding is one of the biggest and happiest events in the world of the monarchy. Consequently, what you choose to wear to one is of the utmost importance. Let's just say that when it came time for the wedding of William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011, Princess Eugenie chose wrong. Unlike some of Eugenie's ensembles over the years that the public has deemed inappropriate, her look at Prince William and Kate's wedding wasn't just a poor choice by royal standards; it was just plain bad for any guest at virtually any wedding. Unfortunately, this was far from just any wedding. It was widely televised, reported on, and talked about. With all those people talking, more folks had something to say about Eugenie and Princess Beatrice than basically ever before. 

Eugenie wore a Vivienne Westwood outfit in a bright blue hue. The print, volume, and strange silhouette overwhelmed her. The coordinating feathery Philip Treacy hat was the unfortunate cherry on top of the already bizarre ensemble. Eugenie's look was bad enough on its own, but she was often seen and photographed at the wedding alongside Beatrice, who wore head-to-toe beige and a somehow even weirder sculptural hat. Together, the pair earned plenty of comparisons to Cinderella's wicked stepsisters and stole the show for all the wrong reasons.

"Some princesses like to go clubbing, too" isn't just the title of our dream "Princess Diaries" sequel — it's also a simple fact. Finding the perfect crossover of royal attire and club wear is unarguably a major challenge, so we'll cut Princess Eugenie a little bit of slack for the wild outfit she sported on a night out in 2008. Nevertheless, this is one truly baffling look, and it's no surprise that it caught the public's attention. 

Eugenie was photographed leaving Kitt's Nightclub in Sloane Square wearing as many statement pieces as she could get her hands on. She paired a shiny pink babydoll top with a sparkly, boldly printed black and highlighter yellow mini skirt. This alone created an unusual silhouette, but it was only the beginning of the eye-catching elements making up this look. She paired her opaque black tights with hot pink shoes and added a silver metallic moto jacket and a big bag covered in fringe. She also piled on gold necklaces, star-shaped earrings, and a thick, hot pink headband. 

Surely Eugenie didn't need to top this already exceedingly busy look with statement makeup, but she chose to pop on some massive hot pink false eyelashes. This outfit was clearly one of Eugenie's more out-there looks over the years, but it's hard not to support a look that someone clearly had this much fun putting together for a night out. As a royal, though, this took things a bit too far.

Over a decade after Prince William wed Kate Middleton's wedding, another historic event rolled around: King Charles III's coronation. Princess Eugenie had, at least partially, learned her lesson by this point and opted to go with a more subdued look. She didn't get nearly as much negative attention for this event as she did at her cousins' famous nuptials years prior, but that doesn't mean that her look didn't have critics. Eugenie looked elegant and refined in head-to-toe navy. Unfortunately, it was the "toe" component of the head-to-toe look that raised eyebrows. 

Eugenie sported a bespoke navy Fendi dress, a navy Fendi coat, a navy Fendi bag, and navy Fendi shoes. The shoes, however, were particularly special; they set her back nearly $1,600. Unfortunately, many royal watchers didn't think these heels were worth the hefty price tag. The open-toed shoes had a unique heel: a metal, sculptural wedge shape. Royal fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, were divided. One commenter called them "ghastly" while others called her "brave" for attempting to walk in them while so far along in her pregnancy. Another commenter called them "fabulous." These shoes were certainly a bit on the edgy side for this occasion, but by styling them with such a formal and modest ensemble, there was at least enough balance to avoid drawing too much attention. 

Over time, Princess Eugenie has made progress with her personal style and learned to put together looks that have earned the public's approval. Still, as a royal, Eugenie has events and meetings to attend all over the world, and it's important to always wear something that isn't just a good choice for a princess, but also appropriate for every specific occasion. In April 2024, Eugenie and Princess Beatrice traveled to Saudi Arabia to attend the World Economy Forum. Eugenie wore the brand, Erdem's, "Roisin" Floral-Print Pleated Midi Dress, but the way she styled it had some fans shaking their heads.

The dress, itself, was sleeveless, but Eugenie knew that this wasn't an option for the occasion. The expectations for how tourists are expected to dress in Saudi Arabia have become more lenient over time — exposing your shoulders, however, is still a major no-no. So, Eugenie chose to layer a black long-sleeve t-shirt under the black dress. While she did have the foresight to cover her arms, fans were still perplexed about the layering choice from a fashion standpoint. On an Instagram post showing her outfit, one commenter wrote, "The dress is lovely, I think for this kind of forum, it would be more stylish if she pair[ed] it with [a] black blazer." Another said, "Being Middle Eastern myself, I love the fact that she showed respect for the culture with the sleeves ... but I believe a dress with long sleeves would've looked better."