Hello, Royal Clubbers, it’s Millie here. If there’s three things I love, it’s royals, fashion and weddings. To have them all combined is simply a dream! So you can imagine how intrigued I was to hear your thoughts on a rather unorthodox royal wedding dress: Queen Camilla’s, which she wore to her 2005 nuptials with King Charles.
In this month’s edition of The Royal Wardrobe, we asked you if you liked Camilla’s dress, and the results are in – 76 per cent of you said yes, while 24 per cent of you said no.
As you will have read, Camilla wore two dresses for her special day. The first was the more bridal of the two: a cream-coloured dress, coat and white hat for the actual wedding at the Guildhall.
The second was worn for the Service of Prayer and Dedication at St George’s Chapel, attended by the Queen and presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The future Queen wore a porcelain blue silk Robinson Valentine dress hand-embroidered with gold threadwork, and in true Camilla style topped it off with an eccentric headpiece of golden feathers.
Now, I know this look is somewhat unusual for a bride, but I have to say that I side with the majority in this case. The detailing on the gown and the choice of fabric is just exquisite, and I think light blue is such a good colour choice.
Of course, colours are very important on any occasion, but the symbolism of colour for a royal wedding is paramount. The blue is a nod to this being her second marriage, but the colour itself represents peace and tranquility, while the gold adds a certain regality to the occasion. You can really see her personal style coming through, and I think Camilla looks more herself here than she did in the dress she wore to her first wedding.
The Royal Wardrobe’s Danielle Stacey is also a fan of the dress: “I think it was an appropriate choice at the time. In 2005, a lot of second-time brides in high society would probably not wear white.
“Nowadays, and we saw it with Meghan Markle for her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018, this belief is somewhat outdated, and brides wear whatever they wish. In fact, a lot of brides, whether it’s their first marriage or not, may choose not to wear white at all.
“I think Camilla’s bridalwear choice was also mindful of the narrative around them as a couple at the time. She was blamed for the breakdown of Charles and Camilla’s marriage, and her relationship with Charles in the 1990s and early 2000s was widely scrutinised. If she had worn a more conventional, white wedding dress at the time, it may have been seen as a tactless move. She reserved her cream wedding outfit for the civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall when it was just the two of them. In recent years, Camilla’s public image has shifted significantly and has improved through her commitment to her duties and the causes she cares about.”
This got me thinking about other royal wedding dresses that broke the mould, so I’ve collated a round-up of the most unconventional ones…