There’s more to the royal family’s favorite colors than meets the eye.
Prince William and his children posed for a sweet Father’s Day photo over the weekend, with the four Waleses coordinating in shades of blue.
The hue’s a longtime go-to for the family — and as Rosie Harte writes in her new book “The Royal Wardrobe,” out Sept. 19, that’s by design.
“Blue is a more palatable alternative to the colors traditionally associated with royalty, being far less aggressive than red and significantly more conservative than purple,” Harte writes, per the Daily Mail.
“It has associations with peace and also modernity, making it a perfect representation of the Waleses’ quest to appeal to both traditional and progressive values in society.”
The Princess of Wales’ fondness for the shade is nothing new; her engagement ring, once owned by Princess Diana, features a 12-carat sapphire, and she memorably wore a blue Issa wrap dress after becoming betrothed to Prince William in 2010.
In the years since, she’s leaned heavily on the hue for Buckingham Palace parties, royal tours abroad, Commonwealth Day outings, gala dinners and more.
Often, her whole family gets in on the action as well, with Princes George and Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince William all matching her in azure shades for Easter service in April.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, meanwhile, “seem to have picked a color to call their own” as well, Harte writes.
“Green seems to be a common theme in their wardrobes and has made appearances at many of the key moments in their marriage.”
The Duchess of Sussex, for instance, picked an emerald-hued P.A.R.O.S.H. sheath dress for her engagement photocall in 2017, and later gravitated toward green for speaking engagements, polo matches and palace-related outings alike.
Perhaps most memorably, she stood out in a bright green Emilia Wickstead cape dress for Commonwealth Day service in 2020 — her final appearance as a working royal.
And in 2021, she and Prince Harry posed for Time magazine in coordinating all-green ensembles.
“What meaning does the colour green serve the Sussexes? Practically, it fits very nicely with the other symbolic aspects they’ve chosen to align themselves with,” Harte writes.
“The Duke and Duchess like to pose for official portraits outside: it’s far less alienating than a grand palace interior might be and neatly complements their personal interests in environmental causes.”
Harte adds that the shade “features heavily in the scenery” the Sussexes seem to love, so by wearing green, they better “complement their surroundings.”
