The Most Inappropriate Outfits Camilla Parker Bowles Has Worn

If you're royalty, all eyes are on you, but if you're royalty with a status as sensational as Camilla, Queen Consort's, you better believe the public gaze will never leave you. Camilla, by virtue of her inclusion in the British royal family through her marriage to King Charles III, is forever under scrutiny for her choices — one of them being her wardrobe. Camilla is considered a standout figure of individual style in a sea of traditional royal attire. As The New York Times noted in 2005, Camilla "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." 

Through princely events and public appearances, Camilla has held onto her statement fashion, which is typically comprised of attractive headdresses and pastel prints. She isn't averse to going big and bold on occasion, either. In 2008, the nonconformist royal opted for a Vivienne Westwood piece, risking it by wearing a designer with a notorious rep for all things punk. Together with frequent collaborators and design moguls Anna Valentine, Fiona Clare, and Philip Treacy, Camilla has curated a signature brand of style for herself over her years as a royal, which led Tatler to once describe her as the "Queen of Style." 

Of course, high praise hasn't immunized Camilla from being checked once in a while for outfits that don't necessarily fit the frame of royal convention. Here are some memorable ones. 

The people's princess despised Camilla, Queen Consort, and the truth about Princess Diana's iconic revenge dress was that she wore it to prove that Camilla hadn't ruined her life. Describing the relationship between Diana and Camilla, royal expert, Christopher Andersen, told Fox News Digital, "The two women were fierce arch rivals, and Camilla famously broke up the marriage of Charles and Diana." Obviously, Camilla's relationship with King Charles III prevailed, while Diana's ended in divorce.

Thus, when Diana stepped out in her revenge dress the evening after Charles' 1994 cheating confession, she wanted to show the world that she was doing great. Wearing a little black dress with sheer black tights and a pearl choker, Diana looked like she had leapt straight off the runway. Her ensemble was quickly applauded by the media for showing Charles that he was missing out. Diana's attire also proved that her husband's affair wouldn't impede her happiness.

Oddly, though, Camilla sported a strikingly similar ensemble when she went to a party at The Ritz London in 1995 in her first public appearance with Charles. At the event, Camilla looked like a Diana copycat in an off-the-shoulder black dress, black tights, and a pearl choker. The outfit — which the press quickly dubbed "Camilla's revenge dress" — was interpreted by many royal pundits as something of a victory lap. Camilla had been bullied by the press and called the "most hated woman in Britain," but here she was after landing the Prince of Wales. However, Diana was the victim in Charles and Camilla's affair, thus her revenge dress was justifiable. Camilla's on the other hand, created an awkward moment for royal watchers.

The royal wedding of Camilla, Queen Consort, and King Charles III in 2005 remains notable for more reasons than one. Spectators worldwide were tuned into this high-profile event at Windsor, which marked the second marriage of Charles following the death of his first wife, the universally popular Princess Diana. Consequently, attention surrounding his bride was pronounced, with exclusive scrutiny reserved for her wardrobe that day. A standout feature in her ensemble was the missing traditional wedding tiara. 

Camilla dressed in all-white for the civil ceremony, pairing her outfit with a hat by frequent collaborator, Irish milliner Philip Treacy. Her second outfit, which she wore to the blessing ceremony, included a more unconventional detail in a diamond-tipped gold leaf fascinator, also designed by Treacy, that complimented her blond locks. However, a tiara was nowhere in sight with either wedding-day look — a strange decision for a royal wedding.

A report by Hello! postulates that since it was Camilla's second marriage — the first being to army man Andrew Parker Bowles from 1973 to 1995 — her wedding tiara didn't make an appearance. Another possible reason for forgoing the tiara could be that since Charles and Camilla's wedding ceremony wasn't held in a church, the bride ditched the staple jeweled headpiece. She did, however, wear the Cubitt-Shand Tiara to her first wedding. It was also later worn by her daughter Laura Lopes when she got married in 2006.

If there's one thing that Camilla, Queen Consort, seems to consistently swear by when it comes to fashion, it's that repeating outfits shouldn't be taboo, even if you're royalty — and even if the outfit in question is your wedding dress.

In a move that no other woman in the British monarchy would have dared, Camilla recycled the white midi gown she wore to her wedding to King Charles III at the opening session of the 2007 National Assembly of Wales. The then-Duchess of Cornwall was pictured sporting the silk chiffon piece with Swiss-style detailing around the hem. Though she tweaked the more recent look with different jewelry, footwear, and hat, she rocked the memorable Robinson Valentine dress with equal aplomb the second time over.

The panache with which she carried her repeat outfit wasn't surprising, since Camilla is the undisputed queen of wardrobe recycling. In fact, in 2018, she re-wore a mint green ensemble exactly down to its last detail within a span of one month — first at Charles' 70th birthday celebration in May and then at the Royal Ascot in June. We're all for recycling outfits, but re-wearing your wedding dress to a uneventful work function seems somewhat inappropriate.

On account of being King Charles III's second wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, has forever been at the unfortunate disadvantage of constant comparison to his first wife, the late Princess Diana. A longstanding point of observation for royal watchers and royalists alike has thus been the seeming commonalities between the two women's wardrobes. Camilla has, on several occasions, been accused of imitating Princess Diana's style. 

Memorably, when Camilla visited the Vatican to meet Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, she went for a black ensemble including a lace veil and pearls. This look of hers was likened to that of Princess Diana's when she donned a similar black dress and veil to meet Pope John Paul II in 1985. Despite what detractors claim about Camilla's copycat attire, it's actually protocol for the pope's non-Catholic audience to wear black, and women customarily wear a modest black dress and veil when meeting the pope. However, Camilla's choice to wear drop-down pearl earrings and a matching necklace mirrored the late Princess of Wales way too much.

Camilla, Queen Consort, isn't averse to experimenting with big and bold fashion when the occasion calls for it. But given that she is exposed to unending scrutiny, her sartorial choices don't always go down well in the court of public opinion. A Russian-style hat she sported in 2010 at the royal family's Sandringham Christmas church service is a case in point.

According to the Daily Mail, the accessory worn by the queen was allegedly made of real fur, which led to a massive outcry. The publication's own Liz Jones lambasted the duchess, noting, "The wearing by our royal family of a product that's deemed too cruel to be produced in this country — fur farms were banned here in 2000 — is simply unacceptable." Camilla still appears to love the look, though. In 2022, she was spotted at Southend-on-Sea wearing a smart black fuzzy-trimmed hat. However, it was reportedly by Hello! to be the faux kind this time.

Queen Elizabeth II, on the other hand, only relatively recently disavowed fur. Her senior dresser, Angela Kelly, wrote in "The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe," "If Her Majesty is due to attend an engagement in particularly cold weather, from 2019 onwards fake fur will be used to make sure she stays warm."

Purple is a color fit for royalty and Camilla, Queen Consort, has certainly established her regal status by sporting the shade on several occasions. Camilla has opted for an eye-catching purple hat and matching coat on Commonwealth Day many times over. Her purple set is a tradition she has managed to keep up for years together, not shying away from reportedly indulging in a bit of recycling, given that her statement feathered purple hat was a trusty companion in 2012, 2017, and 2022. 

Nevertheless, Express reported that Camilla is in an alleged breach of royal protocol every time she dons purple for the Commonwealth Day Service. According to the outlet, royals are typically expected to go for shades of either white, red, or blue for this particular occasion, which marks a celebration and commemoration of fraternity between the Commonwealth countries. On Commonwealth Day in 2022, Camilla stood out in purple again by wearing a Fiona Clare design, while Princess Catherine picked out a safe sapphire-blue ensemble that included a Catherine Walker coat dress.

However, there have been other royals besides Camilla who have dared to toe this supposed line in the past. For what was her final royal event at the 2020 Commonwealth Day Service, Meghan Markle chose an emerald green outfit that echoed a dress her late mother-in-law Princess Diana wore in 1982.

Since becoming a working member of British royalty, Camilla, Queen Consort, has added numerous feathers to her cap — quite literally. The queen has a luxurious collection of headwear, from pretty fascinators to flamboyant hats, that never fail to make a statement. 

In 2018, she made heads not turn but swivel when she stepped out for a church service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields with an ostentatious, cream feathered hat. In 2021, she wore a similar distracting ostrich feather hat in black while attending the annual Remembrance Day Service.

Hats have been a longstanding custom in royal circles, and per protocol, the ladies of the British monarchy are seldom spotted without ornamental toppers. Etiquette expert Diana Mather told the BBC that the tradition links back to the custom of women not showing their hair in public. However, she said that "hats are now reserved for more formal occasions." Of Camilla's taste in headwear, milliner Philip Treacy told Love, "I first met her many years ago when she came to buy a hat. I expected her to want something very conservative but she wanted something beautiful. I respected that; I like her attitude." 

Queen Camilla's wardrobe isn't all bows and frills. The cool royal can often be spotted decompressing in casual denims and switching out her ceremonious attire on days of relaxation — one of the few top members of the British monarchy to do so. Camilla's 70th birthday was one such occasion. Portraits from July 17, 2017, shared on Clarence House's Instagram page show a suave Camilla lounging in her garden in skinny jeans. She was seen rocking denim multiple times in 2020 too, with pictures on her 15th wedding anniversary with King Charles III and the couple's official Christmas card featuring Camilla in laid-back style.

Camilla appears to be a self-professed denim aficionado. Appearing on BBC Radio 5 in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she disclosed to host Emma Barnett, "I've been very, very happy with my jeans. It will be very hard to get out of them again. I think you get into a sort of way of life, don't you?" (via Town & Country). But there's a reason we don't see many British royals out and about in denim trousers. Diana Mather, an etiquette expert, told the BBC, "Many places will not allow jeans as they are still seen as very casual wear, so it is better to play safe for both sexes." They're more suitable for activities like "walking the dogs," Mather explained.

It's no secret that Camilla, Queen Consort, was dubbed "the most hated woman in Britain" by the U.K. media and public for being the third person in King Charles III's marriage to Princess Diana. But Camilla has worked hard to shed that reputation over the years, and her lengthy marriage to Charles has afforded her a decent amount of respect. However, she still remains a sore spot for royal pundits when it comes to Diana.

For example, a wave of criticism came Camilla's way in 2019 when she sported a brooch redesigned from a diamond-emerald necklace that was in Diana's ownership before her death. Camilla wore the pin with an emerald green ensemble to celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Charles' investiture. The original ornament was a family heirloom passed down by The Queen Mother and Diana was photographed with it around her neck at the Vienna Burgh Theatre in 1986. After Princess Diana's death, several pieces of her jewelry were returned to royal coffers and have since been redistributed. Notwithstanding the fury that erupted after Camilla's brooch broached online debates, it's actually not that uncommon for royals to have precious pieces redesigned. Alterations were famously made to Princess Catherine's stunning 12-carat engagement ring that once belonged to Princess Diana. Meanwhile, the late princess' own iconic sapphire and pearl choker was actually originally a brooch.

As for why Camilla has been sporting brooches, in particular, Daena Borrowman, marketing manager at JewelleryBox, told Express, "Brooches can often be associated with age and maturity. So it could be assumed that Camilla is trying to emphasize this new stage of life she is entering as a more senior royal and mature woman and mirror that of the queen."

The forever tastefully dressed Camilla, Queen Consort, had a peculiar fashion moment when she was spotted wearing a pair of fuzzy slippers during a public appearance. The internet collectively did a double take when pictures surfaced of Camilla's odd choice of footwear beneath a sober monochrome outfit when she visited the Wightman Road Mosque in London in 2021.

Camilla was there to look over social service activities at the mosque in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. But what left many scratching their heads was her apparently mismatched wardrobe — the contrast between her cheetah-print face mask and soft slippers seemed far too wild to be true.

The mystery of the black slip-ons was soon unraveled when it came to light that they weren't part of Camilla's original ensemble. People reported that Camilla visited in heeled shoes, and in adherence to mosque rules, swapped them out for the cozy footwear. The Diamante Trim Slippers by British brand Pour Moi retailed for about $34. According to Hello!, worshippers at the mosque gave them to the queen. During her visit, Camilla heaped praises on the mosque's relief work, saying, "You are a shining example and I wish there were more places like this in the country bringing the community and all faiths together." 

During Queen Elizabeth II's successful reign, there were a number of fashion rules that dominated Buckingham Palace — rules that Camilla, Queen Consort, has not always been willing to follow. Under Elizabeth's watchful eye, the royal family dress code prohibited women from wearing bright nail polish, overly revealing clothing, and trousers. Yes, you read that correctly. In fact, Elizabeth herself was rarely photographed in trousers, as she thought dresses and skirts were much more appropriate for public engagements. The only time she was captured in pants was in 1970 when a Canadian fashion expert encouraged her to wear a suit. Elizabeth didn't like the look and steered clear of it for the remainder of her reign.

In June 2023, less than a year after Elizabeth died, Camilla attended the Queen's Reading Room Literary Festival wearing a royal-blue pantsuit. Because of the trouser element of this ensemble, it was not exactly something that the queen would have liked. If anything, it represented a major breach of protocol and an affront to the standards Elizabeth had spent her whole life protecting. Making matters worse, at the time of the literary event, Camilla had just been crowned the next Queen of England. This meant that she was, by then, expected to uphold royal rules rather than break them. Unfortunately, Camilla's pantsuit became a symbol of the many rules that royals had broken since Queen Elizabeth died.

Camilla, Queen Consort, stands as the colonel-in-chief of the Royal Lancers Regiment, and there's a reason why. The queen actually has a special connection to this regiment, as her father, Major Bruce Shand, served with them during World War II. Because of this, it is only logical for one of her honorary military titles to recognize her unique relationship with the Royal Lancers. Less logical, however, was the outfit she wore on a 2024 visit to the regiment in Catterick, England, and again in 2025 during the 97th Field of Remembrance.

When Queen Elizabeth II was the honorary colonel-in-chief of the Royal Lancers Regiment during her reign, she often wore civilian attire. This was perhaps her way of noting that she never served in the armed forces — although she was a member of the women's Auxiliary Territorial Service section of the military during World War II. Camilla, in contrast, has never dedicated her time to the military in any capacity. Because of this, when she wore a specially tailored military-themed suit to both military events, her outfits came under fire.

Criticizing Camilla on TikTok, royal commentator, Amanda Matta, said, "This is just a costume. It is purely cosplay. [Camilla] had her couturier make this outfit for her and riff off of the Royal Lancers' uniform." In Matta's view, this outfit was a way of appropriating military valor that was completely unearned. Instead, the queen could have worn beautifully tailored civilian clothes to the meeting in Catterick and the Field of Remembrance.

While not all rumored royal fashion rules really hold true, there is one that has stood at the center of palace life. The queen gets to choose to wear whatever color she likes. This has applied to Camilla, Queen Consort, who's been known to favor royal blue since taking the crown.

In January 2025, the queen wore a royal-blue dress coat with detailed designs on the bodice and arms to a Holocaust Memorial Day reception in London. In May, at the 80th Anniversary of V-E Day, she sported a button-up jacket and matching hat, both in her favorite shade of blue. In November, while hosting the English National Ballet Reception at Bucking ham Palace, she wore a royal-blue collared coat dress.

Although Camilla certainly suits blue, she has stepped on a few toes in order to wear it. As reported by Express, royal blue is also one of Princess Catherine's wardrobe staples. The fact that Camilla outranks Catherine has meant that the Princess of Wales has not been able to wear her color of preference. While Camilla does have the right to choose her top shade, the frequency with which she wears it borders on inappropriate. Given that Catherine is also a beloved member of the royal family, it would probably be nice for Camilla to allow Catherine to indulge in a royal-blue dress from time to time.

When Camilla, Queen Consort, met Pope Leo XIV in 2025, she dressed according to protocol — mostly. Like other non-Catholic queens, Camilla was expected to wear black in the pope's presence, whereas Catholic royalty, like Princess Charlene of Monaco or Queen Letizia of Spain, are expected to wear white. In terms of color, Camilla followed the rules perfectly, opting for a calf-length black dress with a matching black veil. Upon her head, she also sported a gorgeous cloth wreath — adding a royal touch to an otherwise somber outfit.

That being said, there were two areas where Camilla did depart from protocol. Although royal women are not supposed to wear particularly flashy jewelry to an audience with the pope, the queen wore a multi-strand necklace and matching earrings. Women are also discouraged from wearing a lot of makeup to the Vatican, and Camilla — who usually goes out with very neutral eyes and lips — took advantage of this particular occasion to rock a bold pink lip and quite a bit of eyebrow pencil. 

Interestingly, Camilla was hardly the first Queen of England to go rogue at the Vatican. In 2014, Queen Elizabeth II threw protocol to the wind by wearing a lilac outfit to meet Pope Francis. Rather than covering her head with a veil, Elizabeth opted for one of her signature purple hats. In that sense, Camilla was continuing a long tradition of queens wearing inappropriate garb in Rome.