The one royal fashion protocol Kate Middleton repeatedly flouts

Rule may have more to do with personal style rather than tradition

The royal fashion protocol Kate Middleton repeatedly breaks (Getty)

As a royal, protocol dictates strict rules must be followed for everything from public greetings to food choices.

The same is true when it comes to wardrobe, with the royal family expected to abide by guidelines such as wearing light nail polish, and avoiding black during daytime royal engagements.

However, Kate Middleton is the latest royal to apparently break protocol during her recent appearance in Norfolk to open the Nook Children’s Hospice as part of her role as patron of the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.

For the outing, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a magenta skirt suit by Oscar de la Renta, black suede Gianvito Rossi heels and an Aspinal of London clutch.

She completed the look with black opaque tights - which reportedly go against the unspoken rule that members of the royal family should only wear skin-coloured tights or pantyhose.

Kate Middleton wore black tights for an outing to Norfolk (Getty)

The duchess paired the black tights with a magenta skirt suit (Getty)

But this isn’t the first time the duchess has worn the darker-coloured tights, as she regularly steps out in black tights for royal engagements.

Middleton regularly wears black tights (Getty)

The duchess may be breaking protocol (Getty)

Although the rule has never been confirmed by the palace, CNN royal expert Victoria Arbiter previously told Insider that you “never see a royal without their nude stockings,” after Meghan Markle didn’t wear stockings for her engagement photo shoot with Prince Harry in 2017.

At the time, Arbiter explained that nude stockings are “really the only hard, steadfast rule in terms of what the Queen requires”.

But, just because the Queen prefers to wear nude stockings does not mean she requires it of all members of the family.

According to Alexandra Messervy, chief executive of The English Manner, who spoke to InStyle, the royals are “at liberty to choose whatever colour tights they wish, and indeed often opaque colours work well with outfits”.

“I think the only reason they have chosen ‘nude’ in recent years is because they have become so much more fashionable, and the ‘bare legs’ look became the craze,” she added.