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The Duchess of Sussex chose Hollywood glamour over royal protocol as she flashed her slender legs in a £330 black tuxedo-style mini-dress at a charity performance of the musical Hamilton on Wednesday.
But former Suits actress Meghan, 37, in her black cocktail dress from Canadian brand Judith and Charles, is by no means the only member of the Royal Family to push the boundaries with racy hemlines.
It is customary for female royals to wear skirts and dresses that are at least knee-length, but a growing crop of younger members, invested in their own personal image, are doing their best to shrug off some of The Firm’s stuffier rules.
Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, who recently featured in their own fashion shoot for the September issue of Vogue, are only too aware of how much they are watched.
Showing off their legs is perhaps just a small way for them to carve out their own fashion identities in a lifestyle that is largely dictated. And the young ones aren’t the only royals known for their leg-baring looks.
Everyone from Zara Tindall to Sarah Ferguson have been pictured at one time or another sharing a little more than they should.
But rite of passage or not, Meghan, who is soon to head off on her first royal tour with Prince Harry, would do well to take notes from her sister-in-law Kate.
The Duchess of Cambridge used to be partial to a thigh-skimming hemline, but a rumoured intervention from the Queen in 2014 swiftly ushered in a rather more demure makeover.
Burka designed for Diana’s Saudi trip
Sketches have emerged of outfits – including a burka – designed for Princess Diana’s trip to Saudi Arabia in 1986.
Five designs were produced by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the duo who also made her wedding dress.
The outfits had to “conform to local customs”, with the burka covering her from head to toe, with a gap for her eyes.
Diana, who died 21 years ago today, never wore the burka for the trip 32 years ago, but it was considered a reserve outfit.
The silk garments used were demure and long-sleeved.
In a letter from the princess’s lady-in-waiting, she wrote: “In all cases modesty is the order of the day.”
The sketches and fabric samples for the outfits are expected to fetch £24,000 at RR Auctions in the US next month.
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