Sophie, Duchess Of Edinburgh's Outdated Outfits Had Everyone Looking Away

We'll be the first to say that Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, generally has excellent fashion sense. Prince Edward's wife, whose style transformed after joining the royal family, is known for her polished ensembles, though there have been a few inappropriate blips on her style radar. Like Kate Middleton, who Sophie has a good relationship with, Sophie tends to stay on the positive side of public opinion.

She eschews most scandals, and that extends to her clothing choices as well. In recent years, the duchess of Edinburgh's pieces are what we'd call classic and refined, encompassing beautifully tailored dresses, coats in lush fabrics, and well-coordinated accessories. However, there have been a few stumbles by way of outdated outfits – pieces that made Sophie look like she was channeling a bygone era. In the grand scheme of royal scandals, the duchess of Edinburgh's outdated outfits don't deserve to rank highly, but they are something we hope not to see any more of. At least she's in decent company: Kate Middleton has also been caught in outdated looks on more than one occasion.

It's hard to believe this is Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. But yes, she did indeed wear this jumbled colorful monstrosity back in 2001 to the Royal Ascot horse races, alongside husband Prince Edward. (It happened to be the couple's second wedding anniversary.) Color blocking, the fashion of wearing chunks of loud, often contrasting, shades, came to mainstream prominence in the 1960s, after Yves Saint Laurent sampled the look in the late '50s. Though fringe detailing has been prevalent in women's fashion since the 1920s, it didn't add anything modern or fresh to the jacket. Rather, it further muddled the chaos of the piece. Also adding to the mess was the oversized hat. Sure, we appreciate that it's customary to wear a festive headpiece to the races, but this one only served to add to the whimsical Dr. Seuss-iness of the look, and not in a positive way.

Where she did succeed was in her footwear. Neutral nude pumps were the only thing that could have anchored this look. Thankfully she didn't try to match one of the shades in her dated color block jacket.

The then-Earl and Countess of Wessex attended the Windsor Horse Show in 2003 in their coordinated earth tones. Unfortunately this look didn't do Sophie any favors. For starters, it reeks of the '70s. The "me decade" was characterized by brown, mustard, and burnt orange hues, and fabrics like suede and corduroy. The duchess channeled those elements to a tee. Then there is the cut of her trousers, with the wider leg and button detailing at the waist, both of which harken to a bygone era. One element by itself would be acceptable if mixed with something that had a more modern feel; but wearing the brown ill-fitting jacket with the brown pants made it OTT '70s.

The duchess of Edinburgh has been called a fashion icon on more than one occasion. This, however, was not one of those moments that helped solidify her standing as a stylish royal figure. Thankfully, her fashion evolved and for future Windsor Horse Shows, she wore fresher looks like fitted jackets over long skirts and stylish dresses.

The Duke and Duchess celebrated 25 years of marriage in 2024, coming through the quarter-century as some of the most unscathed royals, to their credit. The nuptials, held at Windsor Castle, were said to be a toned-down event, with the couple requesting there be no state wedding. As royal wedding dresses go, Sophie's was typical in that it was long-sleeved and traditional. She wore a matching coat over the dress, both by Samantha Shaw, and topped the look with a stunning tiara, which was made with royal jewels. 

Where the ensemble felt let down was with the footwear. They're so blah. Princess Diana wore low satin and lace pumps with a C and D on them for her nuptials. Princess Beatrice wore sparkly Valentino with an ankle strap. Even Queen Elizabeth II wore a snazzy pair of asymmetrical satin sandals with pearl detailing. But Sophie? She opted for a pair of dated looking white pumps that could have been plucked from the "Working Girl" props department. Though plain white pumps had a comeback in the 2010s, back in '99, they were looking dated. Her royal counterparts found much more stylish footwear options for their weddings; we wish the duchess had too.

At the 2022 National Service of Remembrance, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, wore what is considered completely appropriate for the occasion: A dark shade of navy, a small hat, and a pearl necklace. According to the Court Jeweler, "white" stones, such as small diamonds and pearls, are appropriate to be worn for this day of mourning and remembrance. While Sophie's ensemble was on-point for what was expected of her, it unfortunately had a few elements that made the look feel outdated.

For starters, the pillbox hat. We see a pillbox and we immediately think of Jackie Kennedy in the 1950s and '60s. Then there were the oversized fabric buttons on her jacket. Those feel very '50s and '60s as well, again channeling the late Jackie O. But then you add to that the housewife-staple-of-the-'50s, a string of pearls, and the whole thing gets awash with a vibe that's far from modern. It's hard to pull off this combination without looking retro.

Back before she became a member of the royal family, Sophie Rhys Jones worked in public relations. But no amount of positive PR spin could put these orthotic shoes in a positive light. In June 2020 the then-countess of Wessex was doing volunteer work in Surrey where she was photographed in a pretty shade of teal and — gasp — orthotic-looking sandals. We understand that certain people may need to wear these functional shoes for medical reasons, but unless Sophie was recovering from foot surgery, we don't see why these would even be in her wardrobe.

This kind of footwear, beloved by the elderly everywhere, has been in circulation for decades, so it's not that the look is dated, but rather that they're dating her. She was 55 when this photo was taken, far from the octogenarian that would typically opt for such footwear. As Sophie is no stranger to chic shoes, we will excuse this aberration and hope that we never see this, or any of the above, fashion fails again.