Princess Beatrice's Style Transformation From Worst Dressed To Best Dressed

Princess Beatrice hasn't exactly had the smoothest ride as a fashion icon. She's been toeing the line between experimental and eccentric ever since she came into the spotlight as a key member of the British royal household, her journey on loud and proud display for the world to see. It can't have been easy and, as the York princess herself has testified, being a public figure has brought with it scrutiny over the most personal aspects of her life. 

"My experience was about growing up and living a very public life and living in an overexposed environment," she said during a House of Lords event in 2017 (via British Vogue). "So that's from being 18 and struggling with your weight to what fashion choices you are wearing." But the princess turned it into something positive. Even when she was infamously hauled over the coals for a harmlessly bizarre hat she wore to a royal wedding in 2011, Beatrice used the moment as an opportunity for charity and put her ridiculed accessory up for auction.

While her taste in fashion hasn't convinced some who have considered her to be among the worst-dressed royals, Beatrice has quite a few fashion authorities on her side. "I think Beatrice has a good eye; she's been wearing some fabulous pieces over the last few years," Beatrice's former stylist Charlie Anderson told People. Further cementing her place as a fashionista was topping Tatler's best-dressed list in 2024. Scroll on to see Princess Beatrice's full style transformation.

Like everyone else who got swept up in the zeitgeist of the 2000s, Princess Beatrice really leaned into the kind of over-the-top wardrobe that defined the era. She was entering her teens just as the new millennium started; the timing couldn't have been more perfect to experiment with all kinds of rebellion. A pair of boots she wore to the royal family's Christmas service at Sandringham in 2003 summed up her sensibilities best — bejeweled, floral, knee-high, and a complete mismatch with the rest of her outfit. It was peak Y2K fashion. From ruffled dresses to chunky belts and strappy heels, Beatrice indulged in every notorious trend of the early aughts.

As teen years usually do, the period also brought significant unease into Beatrice's life. In a 2008 incident that was infamously nicknamed "Bikinigate," Beatrice was photographed holidaying in St. Barts in a swimsuit that resplendently showed off her curves, leading to intense public scrutiny over her weight. "She was young, and I don't know any 18-year-old who has not had a bad photograph taken of them," her trainer Nadya Fairweather told Express, disclosing that the incident stirred Beatrice to undergo a transformation, given the fact that she would always be a media figure. Princess Beatrice's weight loss journey became most apparent when she stepped out in form-fitting dresses with cinched waistlines and short hems — the ultimate party girl uniform of the 2000s. 

Princess Beatrice was a mad hatter all through the aughts. Her penchant for campy headdresses was evident as an early feature of her fashion tastes as a teen royal, offering audiences a glimpse into the exciting hat-heaped future that awaited her. Beatrice is not the first and certainly not the last member of the monarchy to indulge in eye-catching headpieces. The British royal women — from Queen Elizabeth II to Princess Diana — are known to have served hat looks that have gone down in the pages of fashion history. Come to think of it, Beatrice has, in a way, only been prolonging her family's hat-wearing legacy by giving it the due it deserves — albeit in ways that may have been a bit too quirky at times. 

Flowers and feathers and other natural elements remained steady trademarks of some of Beatrice's earliest headpieces, which made audiences sit up and take note. The butterfly headdress she wore to her cousin Peter Phillips' wedding in 2008 is an all-time iconic piece and captured well the extravagance that symbolized Beatrice's style. Other royal events like Trooping the Colour and the Royal Ascot gave viewers some more gold moments. Notwithstanding the fun royal women have with them, these accessories are more than just showpieces. They are a time-honored tradition. As fashion journalist Hilary Alexander told ABC News, "There has to be a hat, it's part of the social fabric." 

The year 2011 was a turning point in Princess Beatrice's life. Up until then, she had been a relatively inconsequential player in the royal fashion game. Prince William and Princess Catherine's wedding turned her into an overnight celebrity — though not to the most flattering effect. Beatrice showed up to the royal ceremony, which was watched online by a record 72 million viewers, in a headpiece that can only be described as outlandish. For those who need a memory refresh — although that would hardly be necessary, considering it was an unforgettably weird royal fashion moment was impossible to forget — it was a beige, bow-shaped squiggle that rested most peculiarly on Beatrice's forehead.

Memes and trolls swooped down on the princess almost immediately, and her fascinator became a viral internet joke. Her sister Princess Eugenie and her feathered hat were not spared either. "There was a moment where I thought I would find myself with my head on a spike outside the Tower of London," Philip Treacy, the royal milliner behind Beatrice's pretzel hat, said on BBC Radio 4 following the mass disapproval. Beatrice herself seemed to be more easygoing about it all, unafraid to voice her appreciation for the headdress, and put it up for a charity auction. Notwithstanding her benevolent reaction, it was evident that Beatrice's public image was in dire need of a revamp and, according to People, celebrity stylist Charlie Anderson was brought on for the task.

The 2011 fashion gaffe may have prompted a wardrobe refresh for Princess Beatrice, but it hardly deterred the royal from indulging in her trademark quirky style sensibilities. Bold prints and vibrant accessories continued to dominate her lookbook, making the princess impossible to ignore at any event she attended. Consider, for instance, her appearance at the Epsom Derby races in 2013. Beatrice stood out from the rest of her family — most of whom had opted for muted colors for the daytime gathering — in an eye-catching black and white dress with huge graphic prints. This she paired with a maroon hat that, though not comparable to her 2011 headpiece, was a dramatic statement in itself. 

Next year, she showed up for a summer party at the Kensington Gardens in yet another striking dress covered in 3D flower detailing that, true to theme, gave her the look of a flowerbed. Clearly, she had a thing for florals. As her ex-stylist Charlie Anderson would come to tell People later, Beatrice's style transformation only "got more daring" with time, especially considering that she grew into her own as a woman with independent sartorial choices. She was no longer the 22-year-old with the funny pretzel hat. Audiences may or may not always have loved the flashy patterns and loud prints that Beatrice evidently developed an even stronger taste for, but her unwavering dedication to her personal style sure did invite praise for her self-confidence. 

It seems that having a personal style instructor by her side to navigate the crosshairs of public opinion on fashion did Princess Beatrice quite a bit of good. In the years after Prince William's wedding put her in the spotlight and got her style greater coverage than ever before, the York royal's wardrobe underwent an evident upgrade. Flattering silhouettes and sophisticated prints replaced boxy dresses and overbearing patterns, taking Beatrice's score of fashion hits to a new high. 

A dress she wore to the Royal Ascot in 2015, which featured soothing greens, blues, and color-accented graphics, was a fine example of the transformation she was trying out. The memorable dress made a delightful return nearly a decade later when Beatrice, ever the prudent princess, recycled it for a Wimbledon after-party. She also leaned into more contemporary classics during this era, such as a tux-style black gown she had worn to an Alexander McQueen gala, which stood out in her increasingly experimental lookbook. 

Around this time, the general sentiment around Beatrice's style also softened, with opinions in the media defending the princess from harsh criticism. A piece The Independent published in 2016 praised Beatrice's fearless fashion sense. "It's time there was some life injected into the royal wardrobe," the article mentioned, noting with some certainty that Beatrice and her sister Princess Eugenie were "the fashion messiahs we've been waiting for." 

Princess Beatrice was having a good run with her fashion looks in the court of public opinion when, in 2017, she did something inconceivable. She stepped out in a semi-sheer dress held together only by a tan-colored slip. Summer parties over the years have seen far more sensational dresses than this one, but the stir Beatrice's dress caused can be pinned to her status as a royal. The British monarchy isn't exactly known for skin-baring dressing traditions, and many social media users found Beatrice's outfit to be a serious transgression of that. It's safe to say that the world, at least some of it, was not ready for the fabulousness Beatrice had unleashed on it.

The princess is no stranger to rocking an outrageous outfit, despite the criticism that comes with it, but might have heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that at least some people were rooting for her. "This look kicked off the start of a real style evolution for Beatrice, now working with a stylist, she has truly found her sartorial elegance," fashion commentator Danielle Rogers-Clark told Express, noting that Beatrice had prompted the risqué Self-Portrait dress to sell out and even spawn dupes. Here was a royal family member unafraid to stray from traditions her other relatives wouldn't dare challenge and, if Rogers-Clark is to be believed, doing it all under the watchful eye of her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. 

Anna Wintour must have considered Princess Beatrice's fashion sensibilities to be worth something because in 2018, she scored an invite to the Met Gala — only the second British royal ever, after Princess Diana, to be given that opportunity. For Beatrice to be classified in the league of her style icon aunt was no small feat, and the young princess made sure to live up to that honor with a smashing debut at fashion's biggest night. The theme that year was "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," and her billowy gown, with its high-neck ruffles and ornamental detailing, more or less fit the bill. 

Otherwise known for her over-the-top style that would have blended right in with the Met Gala's disposition for outrageous fashion, Beatrice kept her ensemble ironically understated. But the simple-looking Alberta Ferretti gown supposedly held deep symbolism. History has shown that royals are deeply conscious of the power certain colors wield and seldom choose random shades to wear to important public events. The most obviously striking feature about Beatrice's gown was the color that dominated it — a regal purple commonly associated with royalty and widely interpreted as a nod to her blue-blooded heritage. The high-neck collar was also reminiscent of vintage royal fashion popularized by her ancestors, like Queen Elizabeth I.

The trajectory of Princess Beatrice's fashion game can effectively be traced from Prince William's 2011 wedding to Prince Harry's 2018 wedding. While her outfit at one made her the target of mass ridicule, her turnout at the other earned her considerable praise, if not yet the best-dressed title. For Harry's nuptials, Beatrice went — first and foremost — easy on the headpiece, switching out squiggly designs for a simple headband-style accessory. It matched with her turquoise Roksanda Viola dress that, consistent with the festive mood of the occasion, was festooned with net and pearls. 

A year later, at the wedding of her cousin Lady Gabriella, Beatrice diverged surprisingly far from the conservative royal stylebook and opted for a lace and bandage dress that was sheer in parts around her chest, midriff, and arms. While it didn't particularly qualify as one of Princess Beatrice's best looks, it sure proved one thing: She's a princess with spunk. She was also in peak form at the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein in Jordan, where she impressed in a blush-hued gown and an heirloom York tiara belonging to her mother. 

At her own wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020, Beatrice wore a widely talked-about vintage gown borrowed from Queen Elizabeth II's wardrobe. Never one to shy away from a recycled outfit, Beatrice's judiciousness made for a fashion moment that was not just sentimental but also iconic.

Few in the royal family can pull off a bold print like Princess Beatrice. While she still continues to reign over that particular corner of fashion, she's also simultaneously been leaning into a soberer color palette in recent times. Some of Beatrice's best looks in the years after her marriage have comprised monotone dresses, pastel hues, understated headdresses — fashion symbols not previously associated with her. A striking case in point was the elegant powder blue dress she paired with a matching fascinator for the Thanksgiving service during Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. Or the monochrome pink dress with billowing sleeves she wore to King Charles III's coronation a year later.

This inclination toward neutrality hardly means that Beatrice has discarded her printed outfits. If anything, that pile seems to be growing just as her newer fashion sensibilities are. But under the tutelage of her stylist Olivia Buckingham, she has been pulling those designs off with panache. A printed miniskirt she wore during an outing for Student Mental Health Week 2024, for instance, aligned wonderfully with the floral theme dominating 2024 fashion trends. It has not been easy, as Beatrice previously told British Vogue, to explore the world of beauty as a new-generation royal balancing her life both inside and outside the palace. "It's hard to navigate situations like these because there is no precedent, there is no protocol."

Who knew that beyond all those years of fashion gaffes and public criticism, there awaited a top spot for Princess Beatrice on Tatler's best-dressed list of people in Britain. Calling her the "Princess of Perfection" in its September 2024 issue, Tatler described her as "a beacon of sartorial elegance, pairing vintage-inspired cuts with fresh-from-the-catwalk glamour." True enough, Beatrice has not limited herself to a single signature style, constantly mixing styles to see what flies and what doesn't. Her unabashedly playful approach to fashion was evident most recently when she attended the 2024 Wimbledon matches in a color-specked shirt dress adorned with lace and florals that, despite its traditional cut and hem, exuded a blend of fun and sophistication that was perfect for the sporting event.

Such high praise for a public figure whose fashion journey has been an obstacle course of hits and misses was a welcome break from the narrative around her. But that very reason also led to questions over whether or not the York princess really deserved to be called "the pinnacle of contemporary splendor." As public opinion raged on social media and television panels over the list — which also included the likes of Cruz Beckham — Tatler's style editor Chandler Tregaskes came out in Beatrice's defense, saying, "The true test of great taste is experimenting, learning from our mistakes à la mode, and coming back more fabulous than ever" (via Women's Wear Daily). We couldn't agree more!

Princess Diana was widely credited with revolutionizing royal style and playing an instrumental role in the good fashion rep the British monarchy enjoys today. Traces of that are visible in Princess Beatrice's dressing sensibility, as they are in the wardrobe choices of many other royal women of note. At the Royal Ascot in 2025, Beatrice memorably channeled that timeless vintage glam in a pink gingham set comprising a midi skirt and a modest button-down top. The outfit was perfect for the daytime summer event, which doubles as an annual royal fashion ramp. 

Originating in Asia, gingham textiles entered the English consciousness during the 17th and 18th centuries. From the 1900s onward, the print went mainstream and, despite its humble appearance and pastoral connotations, was enthusiastically embraced by fashion stewards in Hollywood and in British royal circles. Owing to her frequent return to the design, Diana authenticated the fashion quotient of gingham in a big way, paving the way for other royals like Princess Catherine to find inspiration in it.

Beatrice's pink gingham look was, in fact, deeply reminiscent of a similar set Diana wore in 1989. But while the late Princess of Wales' outfit featured a more traditional hat and coat silhouette, Beatrice's exuded her signature whimsy with dramatic bishop sleeves and a matching pastel pink fascinator. Much like her aunt, though, Beatrice completed the look with a white bag stylishly tucked under her arm. 

Though every once in a while Princess Beatrice goes back to her older, bolder style of dress-up, her fashion preferences have been visibly inclined toward a more muted palette in recent years. Classic prints and time-tested designs were a recurring theme throughout the royal's 2025 lookbook, all the way from her busy summer calendar to the end-of-year holiday season. Wimbledon marked one such exhibit, with Beatrice showing up to day one of the tennis tournament in a striking striped set from French luxury label Sandro. Priced to the tune of about $600, Beatrice's airy attire oozed sophistication — and just a tad of whimsy, courtesy of the dramatic cutout flowers that punctuated the outfit's blue and white canvas.

Later that year, she stepped out for the royals' annual Christmas service at St. Mary Magdalene Church wearing a smart houndstooth coat from the house of Cara Cara and paired it with a red pillbox hat. The black knee-high boots she wore to complete the look made headlines of their own for the slightly ruched silhouette they featured. Beatrice's participation in the Sandringham festivities was eye-catching for more than just her dapper outfit; just a few weeks prior, her father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, former Prince of York, was stripped of his royal titles following uproar around his controversial involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. In his absence, Beatrice, along with her sister Princess Eugenie, were the only royal members from their family in attendance for Christmas.

In recent times, any public appearance Princess Beatrice has made has captured widespread attention. And while interest in her rare outings stems primarily from the subject of her father's fall from grace, the fashion statement Beatrice has made during such moments has been almost impossible to ignore. Her cousin Peter Phillips' wedding in June 2026 was an exhibit. Beatrice made a headline-grabbing arrival at the royal wedding in a stunning green dress. Featuring floral motifs all over and long sleeves, the ankle-grazing piece was by luxury designer Emilia Wickstead and wasworth nearly $3,000. 

Given that the colors royals wear carry heavy symbolism, it wouldn't be a complete stretch to say that Beatrice's green dress fit right in with the occasion's inherent theme of new beginnings. She kept the remainder of her palette consistently earthy, with a beige hat, purse, and heels to complete the look. Interestingly enough, her cousin's wedding wasn't the first time Beatrice rocked this fit. Back in the summer of 2024, she wore the same green dress to the Royal Ascot, coordinating it then with a yellow fascinator and accessories. Across publications that year, Beatrice's wardrobe for the annual horse-racing event earned praise, reaffirming her evolution into one of the best-dressed members of the British royal family.