Queen Elizabeth delivers the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in 2017.CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images, Monika Skolimowska/picture alliance via Getty Images
- Members of the royal family can't express political opinions publicly, but people speculate that they send subtle messages with their outfits.
- Queen Elizabeth could have been making a subtle statement about opposing Brexit with a hat reminiscent of the European Union flag.
- The Queen may have trolled President Donald Trump by wearing a brooch given to her by the Obamas.
- Meghan Markle wore a charm necklace purported to protect from "negative vibes."
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Royals' outfits are often newsworthy in and of themselves — anything Meghan Markle wears sells out instantly in a phenomenon known as the "Markle Effect." Princess Diana was also known for sending messages through her clothing with iconic outfits such as the "revenge dress."
So it makes sense that they would harness the power of the world's attention on their clothes and let people draw their own conclusions.
Here are seven times royals seem to have made subtle statements with their clothes.
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Princess Beatrice carried a bag decorated with the slogan "Be Cool Be Nice" from an anti-bullying campaign she contributed to.
Princess Beatrice at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2018.
Ricky Vigil/GC Images/Getty Images
Kate Middleton didn't wear black in support of Time's Up at the 2018 BAFTAs, but some people thought her dress's black sash was a subtle nod to the movement.
Kate Middleton at the 2018 BAFTA Awards.
Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Chris Jackson/Getty Images
At the 2018 BAFTA Awards, celebrities wore black in support of the Time's Up movement, but Kate Middleton opted for a dark green dress, likely because members of the royal family are supposed to remain politically neutral. Some thought that the black sash was her subtle way of showing solidarity with the anti-sexism and anti-harassment movement.
She wore a white dress to an International Women's Day panel that could have been intentionally chosen as "Suffragette white."
Meghan Markle on International Women's Day in 2019.
Daniel Leal_olivas/ WPA Pool/ Getty Images
Meghan Markle spoke on an International Women's Day panel with Adwoa Aboah, Annie Lennox, and other feminist activists in 2019. She wore a white printed dress for the occasion which Elle speculated was a deliberate choice to don "Suffragette white," a symbol dating back to British women's rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst in 1908.
Meghan Markle wore a necklace purported to bring good fortune and protect from "negative vibes" on a call with a woman preparing for a job interview through Smart Works.
Meghan Markle's "Visionary Charm Necklace" is sold by Edge of Ember.
@SmartWorksHQ/Twitter, Edge of Ember
Smart Works, one of Markle's patronages before she stepped back from royal life, provides professional clothing to unemployed women to help them succeed in job interviews. On March 27, Markle spoke with a woman working with the organization to offer words of encouragement before her interview.
"You seem incredibly confident and prepared," she said.
Smart Works shared a clip of the conversation on their Twitter page. In the video, Markle can be seen wearing a $175 "Visionary Charm Necklace" from Edge of Ember that guarantees the wearer, "It's got your back."
The Queen could have been making a subtle statement about opposing Brexit with her hat reminiscent of the European Union flag.
Queen Elizabeth delivers the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in 2017.
CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images, Monika Skolimowska/picture alliance via Getty Images
The first time Trump visited in 2018, people noticed the Queen's choice of brooches may have been sending him a message.
Queen Elizabeth meets Donald and Melania Trump in 2018.
Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images
On the first day of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump's visit to the UK in 2018, Queen Elizabeth wore a brooch given to her by Barack and Michelle Obama.
When she actually met with Trump, she wore a brooch that her mother wore to her father's funeral, which some people thought could be a subtle sign of the Queen's opinion of the president.
People speculated that Queen Elizabeth shaded President Donald Trump with her tiara that guards against "evil" on his most recent visit to the UK.
Queen Elizabeth with Donald Trump during a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2019.
DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images