US Edition
The Queen upheld the royal tradition of clever diplomatic dressing during a visit to Belfast on Thursday, donning two outfits which paid tribute to her hosts in both subtle and unmissable ways.
For the first part of her day in Northern Ireland, the Queen debuted an elegant new coat dress by one of her most trusted couturiers, Bruce Oldfield – the designer of last year’s Coronation gown. Significantly, Camilla had commissioned a new outfit for the visit rather than wearing any of the many other “Emerald Isle green” items in her wardrobe. Oldfield gave the coat a special twist, adding leaf-like velvet appliqué patches.
“This outfit was originally intended for Christmas Day, but it was a bit too dressy for that family gathering so it came out for the St Patrick’s visit instead,” Oldfield tells the Telegraph. The appliqué details are, he explains, “a stylised modern interpretation of a classic Rococo leaf motif that I offered Her Majesty in a variety of placements. I’m pleased she wore it.”
Camilla accessorised her new coat with a diamond and turquoise clover brooch, a nod to the shamrock symbol which unites Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The brooch was given to the Queen by the late Queen Elizabeth, who received it as a wedding gift in 1947. She also added a silk scarf in pale green, another accessory loved by Queen Elizabeth.
Later, Camilla changed into a second diplomatically sensitive ensemble. For a World Poetry Day event attended by politicians including Michelle O’Neill, the First Minister, she wore a bottle-green dress by Anna Valentine, another of her favoured designers, with an Art Deco-style emerald brooch which was a gift from the King.
“Aside from the obvious Irish green connection and her alignment to the Irish people, I would say that green is giving Camilla strength in her role as she is carrying out her commitments alone,” says author and colour expert Jules Standish. “It is a supportive colour, helping her to stay feeling calm and balanced. It’s a colour that projects an image of friendliness and approachability, and a sense that she is truly coming from the heart. It could also echo Charles’s love of the environment and nature.”
Bruce Oldfield was a natural choice for Camilla to turn to for her new coat and may have been responsible for coaxing her into a slightly more daring design than usual. “I design in quite a classical way. I design to flatter the body,” Oldfield told The Telegraph in an interview after the Coronation. “The great thing about this particular commission was that we do have a great knowledge of her figure and her body. And also I can tell when she doesn’t like something.”
By wearing two looks in the same hue, along with carefully chosen jewellery, the Queen emphasised her commitment to the diplomatic dressing custom which has been made into a fine art by the modern members of the Royal family.
Queen Elizabeth used the custom of deploying fashion to make a bold gesture of solidarity and respect numerous times in visits to both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland during her reign.
Pictures from a 1977 visit to Northern Ireland show her in an elegant emerald green silk outfit. And for a historic tour of the Republic of Ireland in 2011, she wore a gown adorned with more than 1,000 silk shamrocks and a diamond harp brooch, both symbols which carry meaning across the entire island of Ireland.
The Princess of Wales reserved her most boldly Ireland-themed looks for a visit to the Republic in 2020 when she débuted two new vivid green outfits which were a playful take on diplomatic dressing: a swirl-printed Alessandra Rich dress was teamed with a tailored Catherine Walker coat for her arrival, while the tinsel-green Vampire’s Wife dress she wore to visit the Guinness Storehouse that evening is still considered one of her most stylish looks in history. She also wore a coat by Galway-based Dubarry for a more casual moment of the tour.
In Northern Ireland, the Princess’s past choices have been more understated. An all-blue look she wore in Belfast in 2022 was thought to have been chosen to pay tribute to the city’s flag, while a sparkly Missoni dress in pale mint referenced the traditional Irish shade in a more modern way.
Even the Duchess of Sussex got the “green in Ireland” memo, wearing a bottle-green pencil skirt by Canadian label Greta Constantine for a visit to Belfast in 2018.
Of course, Ireland isn’t the only place to have enjoyed the members of the Royal family’s diplomatic fashion statements. From cherry blossom dresses in Japan to red and white “flag dressing” in Canada and yellow in Australia, there are dozens of examples of the practice in play. In November last year, the Queen and the Princess of Wales co-ordinated the colours of their outfits to honour the South Korean president’s state visit.
At a time when the members of the Royal family are making headlines for so many other reasons, it’s reassuring to see this style continuity in action.