The Most Outdated Outfits Queen Camilla Has Ever Worn

On January 17, 1993, Camilla Parker-Bowles was thrust into the spotlight. Her name dominated tabloid headlines as the world discovered that she was having an affair with King Charles III, who was Prince Charles at the time. At the time, the British papers blamed Camilla for the disintegration of Charles' relationship with the ever-popular Princess Diana — thus, the public could not resist comparing the two women. Unfortunately, Diana — then known as the People's Princess — always came out on top. Considering that Camilla had been, up until that point, a relatively anonymous member of the elite countryside set, she wasn't exactly known for her sartorial moves. Meanwhile, Diana was a fashion icon who loved showing off her killer legs. There are even a number of Princess Diana-approved trends that made a comeback in the last decade.  

The contrast between the two women's style was so striking that The New York Times brought it up in 2005, more than a decade after the news of Charles and Camilla's romance first broke. Calling Charles' second wife "defenseless" fashion-wise, the paper went on to describe Camilla as, "a woman who usually looks as if she would be more comfortable walking through fields in mud-spattered Wellington boots than trussed into an evening gown or bejeweled stiletto heels." Ouch! Whether or not Queen Camilla is super passionate about clothes, we do know she has sported plenty of out-of-date outfits over the years — ranging from her oversized '80s blazers to her '30s throwback frocks.

Back in 1992, the future Queen Camilla was hardly the household name she is today. Although she was having an affair with King Charles III — then the Prince of Wales — she was able to maintain a low profile. Thus, when she attended that year's Queen's Cup polo match, Camilla didn't feel much pressure to dress up. Like other gals from the country set, Camilla was expected to focus more on the horses than her outfit. She settled on a gray skirt and matching blazer with giant shoulder pads — which hadn't been popular since the '80s.

By the time 1995 came rolling around, however, Camilla Parker-Bowles' public profile was on the rise, for better or worse. She was persona non grata in the eyes of the British public but still needed to be photo-ready at any given point. When she attended a party at the Ritz Hotel in London that year, she turned up in a red shawl, a black dress, and a pearl necklace. While this ensemble may be more elegant than her typical tweed and breeches, it was terribly outdated — no thanks to a shawl that felt like something out of the 1870s.

In 1996, the future Queen Camilla attended another party at the Ritz Hotel in London. This time, she embraced the timeless look once pioneered by Coco Chanel — a little black dress, a string of white pearls, and a little black handbag to match. The only problem? Camilla's black frock and peal choker were all too similar to Princess Diana's iconic revenge dress look. Considering that the People's Princess had sported a black dress and tiered necklace of her own in 1994, Camilla was a bit late to the party.

That wasn't the only time that Camilla Parker-Bowles accidentally stumbled on an outfit that channeled Princess Diana. In 1998, she attended a garden party in a beige frock, butter yellow clutch, and checkered blazer. This was a terrible outfit — not just in terms of the obvious lack of color coordination but also in terms of '90s trends. Although Camilla's country peers frequently wore checkered blazers, the piece was only made popular by Diana a decade earlier. Diana started a major trend in the '80s with her Princess of Wales checkered suit.

Velvet coats were stylish in the Middle Ages, though they have come back in style since then. Most recently, the Hollywood stars of the 1930s wore this luxurious attire as a symbol of their success. Folks associated with the British royal family, of course, aren't supposed to wear gimmicky clothes that are too closely tied to the past. Despite this, Camilla Parker-Bowles wore an excessively dramatic burgundy coat dress while on an opera date with the future king of England in 2004. She accessorized the outfit with what appears to be an opulent diamond necklace.

If the former Duchess of Cornwall's burgundy velvet coat dress was a bit old-fashioned in 2004, nobody told her. The following week, Camilla attended a rendition of William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" wearing a strikingly similar ensemble. This time, however, the future queen opted for a dark navy velvet coat dress, resulting in an even more dramatic red carpet entrance. Once again, Camilla looked more like a 1930s Hollywood star than a member of the royal family. This did little to paint her as a potential future queen.

Queen Camilla's theater wear was obviously outdated, but it's worth mentioning that 2004 was a tricky year for the future queen. At the time, she and the future King Charles III were working up to a future engagement, so Camilla needed to undergo a major transformation. Thus, she attended the Mey Highland Games in Scotland, wearing a traditional skirt and blazer combo that Queen Elizabeth II was known to adore. The problem, though, was that this style had been popularized in the 1940s, and Camilla's ensemble didn't exactly put a fresh spin on the look. 

By the time the 2005 Mey Highland Games came around, the deed had been done. The then-Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were finally wed. Now a full-blown duchess, Camilla should have been able to explore style choices beyond Queen Elizabeth II's favorite outfits. Instead, Camilla wore a version of the same blazer and skirt combo — this time adding leather driving gloves to her look. Unfortunately, driving gloves haven't been trendy since the 1960s, making Camilla's outfit even more passé.

When Queen Camilla emulated Queen Elizabeth II's 1940s suits, she seemed out of touch. But there was an even older royal whose fashion choices Camilla copied time and time again. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was known for her ruffled ensembles and pearls. Queen Elizabeth II's mother drew her inspo from the 1920s fashion of her youth. On a trip to Philadelphia, Camilla donned a blue ruffled blouse and string of pearls that seemed like a nod to both The Queen Mother and generations past.

In 2009, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall wore an out-of-date outfit on a visit to Headley Court Rehab Center. Dressed in a black blazer and black skirt, she once again emulated Queen Elizabeth II's fashion choices. This particular ensemble, however, stood out due to its pleated skirt. The piece was all the rage in the 1950s when Dior made it the must-have wardrobe item of its day. By the time Camilla wore her pleated skirt, though, it seemed like a historical costume — not a modern outfit. 

Although the future Queen Camilla did her best to up her style as the Duchess of Cornwall, things didn't always pan out for her. In 2010, she attended the Pride of Britain awards with the then-Prince Charles. While he had the privilege of wearing a suit (as always), Camilla took a risk and donned a brown jacket with a golden bubble skirt. Unfortunately, the combo looked awkward and the skirt outdated. Indeed, this style of skirt peaked in the 1950s, and as revealed by Camilla's outfit, it needn't make a comeback.

During her tenure as Duchess of Cornwall, the future Queen Camilla may not have had the best style team. The proof? In 2011, she attended Trooping the Colour in the same carriage as Princess Catherine, then styled the Duchess of Cambridge. Both women wore white blazers. However, only Camilla's contained the type of oversized shoulder pads that most fashionistas associate with the 1980s. Once again Camilla managed to look outdated — even when matching her clothes to one of Kate Middleton's killer outfits!

As a member of the elite country set, Queen Camilla, who was known as the Duchess of Cornwall at the time, should have known exactly what to wear at the 2012 Cheltenham Horse Festival. However, she opted for a royal blue blazer and fur-lined hat that seemed to belong to two different eras. While the blazer belonged to the 1940s, the hat would have been popular in the Davy Crockett era — or at least sometime between the dates of 1500 and 1800. While this is quite a long range, Camilla was nonetheless a few hundred years late to the trend.

Before she had any sort of titles, Camilla Parker-Bowles gave birth to a son called Tom Parker-Bowles. When he wrote a book titled "Let's Eat Meat" in 2014, Camilla attended the book presentation event not as a duchess but as a mother. She wore a crisp black coat dress, which she accessorized with a blue hand scarf. Interestingly, photos of the evening show Camilla clutching said hand scarf all night. This style choice was very 1930s Hollywood — and probably not especially fitting for the woman who was bound to become Queen Camilla.

If the British monarchy doesn't always seem stylish, that's because many of its most beloved members have embraced fashion from another era. This much was clear in 2015 when Camilla, the then-Duchess of Cornwall, went to Malta with the then-Prince Charles, Prince Philip, and Queen Elizabeth II. In a photo of the trip, none of the royals appear particularly trendy. On this occasion, Camilla donned a green floral print dress that recalled the groovy prints of the 1960s and 1970s. Elizabeth also wore a floral dress, although hers was very 1930s.

In 2017, the future Queen Camilla was photographed looking like a corporate woman from the 1980s. Beside the fact that she was literally holding a landline in the shot, Camilla also wore a cream top covered in white polka-dots and a sheer polka-dotted scarf. The dots that Camilla embraced in this photo were a total throwback to the trends of the 1980s. Bizarrely, they also called to mind the late Princess Diana, who helped popularize the print through her dotted frocks decades earlier.

When Camilla, queen-to-be attended a Brooke, Action for Working Horses and Donkeys charity event in 2018, her outfit may have seemed apropros. After all, she sported a pink riding dress that combined marvelously with the equestrian theme. However, true equestrians would know that riding dresses are extremely outdated. Not only do they represent a time when women weren't allowed to wear breeches but they are also unsafe to wear on horseback, as they give riders less room to communicate with their steeds.

In 1905, "Peter Pan" debuted on Broadway, ushering in the era of the peter pan collar. Well over a century later, Camilla, the then-Duchess of Cornwall, hosted the 2019 Queen's Commonwealth Essay competition and wore the exact same style. Dressed in a green frock with a large white collar, Camilla could have been a cast member of the old Broadway show. Even the pointed toes of her knee-high black boots contributed to the feeling that her outfit came from an era past.

2020 was not an easy year for the British royal family, as the COVID-19 pandemic posed a challenge to its members' typical duties. As the then-Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla stepped up to the plate. Accompanied by then-Prince Charles, she visited a vaccination site in Gloucestershire. She wore a plaid jacket that married vibrant shades of blue, maroon, and scarlet. While plaid is in many ways timeless, it was extremely popular among Princess Diana's fans in the 1990s. Camilla, it seems, cannot escape the iconic trends once set by Lady Di.

In 2021, the future Queen Camilla and King Charles III headed off to Jordan for an official visit. During her time abroad, Camilla was photographed in a green patterned dress that looked like it might belong to a 1950s housewife. While the piece was certainly cute, it was also outdated. The busy floral patterns, modest neckline, and functional collar all looked like something that belonged on "Leave it to Beaver" — and not a British royal. Charles looked similarly out-of-date in a striped tie that screamed "19th century university student."

When Camilla attended the Royal Ascot 2022, she was no longer the Duchess of Cornwall but rather the Queen of England. She dressed the part in a pale blue tunic, which she paired with a dramatic robin's egg hat and an Edwardian-cut necklace. Once again, however, Camilla resembled the anachronistic Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Referred to as the "last great Edwardian lady" by royal expert Ingrid Seward the queen mother loved loose blue clothing, wide-brimmed hats, and pearls. Here, Camilla looked like Elizabeth — or rather, a woman from the past.

On May 6, 2023, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned in an elaborate coronation ceremony. The pair wore elaborate regalia for the occasion. While Charles donned the imperial crown, Camilla sported the heavy, jewel-clad piece known as Queen Mary's crown. Interestingly, though, these coronation outfits are thought to be out-of-date. Rumor has it that Prince William will not incorporate similar pieces in his coronation ceremony one day. A friend of his even told The Times that the coronation crown is a "ridiculous thing that looks like it's out of Disney."

As Queen Camilla grew more comfortable on the throne, she began to appear more confident in her throwback outfits. In 2025, she was photographed looking totally laid-back in a pink and blue patterned floral dress. The piece — which Camilla accessorized with her famous Edwardian-cut pearl necklace — looked like a 1930s tea dress. The large flowers, soft colors, and brimmed hat all recalled the time when Queen Elizabeth II was growing up. In that sense, this ensemble, while certainly outdated, seemed like a sweet nod to the late queen.

If Queen Camilla has been critiqued for wearing clothing inspired by Princess Diana, she does not seem to care. In September 2025, she named an ambulatory helicopter for her patronage of Cornwall Air Ambulance — and wore a black and white polka-dotted frock to the event. The 1980s-style dress is strikingly similar to one worn by Princess Diana for a Kensington Palace photoshoot. Both women wore dark dresses with white dots and peter pan collars. Camilla's only stood out for being navy, not black.

Queen Camilla has long been known as a doting grandmother, and in 2025, her fans got to see that side of her. Indeed, she headed to Dulwich Village Infants' School to inaugurate a new playground and sculpture garden. On this occasion, she wore a long black and white patterned dress with a collared neckline. The frock would have fallen within the dress code standards for 1930s schoolteachers, who were required to wear lengthy skirts and modest necklines. These standards place the outfit almost 100 years in the past.