Considering she gets photographed every time
she goes outside, it makes sense that Kate Middleton is caught in a dress code slip-up
every once in a while. From wearing the same dress more than once
to rocking short shorts for charity, here are some of the inappropriate outfits Kate
Middleton has worn. Almost every princess has an iconic dress
— and Kate Middleton has her lilac. There's nothing inappropriate about the dress
itself with its demure hemline, flattering gathered fabric, and romantic hue. However, the fact that Middleton has worn
it at several public events does break an unspoken rule of fashion for both royals and
celebrities. According to Elle, the duchess first wore
her lilac dress at an event in California in 2011, and then again at the UK's Creative
Industries Reception in 2012. She even wore the same dress in a chic beige
color during her trip to Australia in 2014. Has Middleton's obsession with the dress had
an effect on its sales? “Great question. I don’t think that you could go wrong with
the Duchess of Cambridge who always looks impeccable.” Back in 2012, Kate Middleton and her husband
paid a visit to the Solomon Islands. And during the visit, Middleton wore a dress
that made headlines for all the wrong reasons. What was wrong with it? It wasn't too short, too revealing, or even
unflattering. It was just a simple sundress that was made
in a different country. The duke and duchess were supposed to wear
handmade, traditional Solomon Islands clothing for the event, but, according to the Daily
Mail, an aid accidentally laid out a dress made in the Cook Islands instead. The mistake, which became known as one of
the most inappropriate royal outfits, created quite a ruckus with the Solomon Islands, leading
the small country's government to write a strongly worded statement expressing its distaste. In response, a spokesperson of the British
government said, "The Duchess wore the dress because she believed
it to be from the Solomon Islands government and thought it would be an appropriate gesture. Had she known it were from the Cook Islands
it would not have been worn and she feels bad about the confusion." How can anyone avoid breaking the rules if
the rules keep changing? Kate Middleton fell victim to ever-changing
rules at an event in 2016. She wore a custom Catherine Walker dress to
the queen's 90th birthday service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. The dress in question was powder blue with
ivory lace on its front. Though it was flattering, modest with long
sleeves and a high neckline, and paired with a white hat, the dress exposed Middleton's
knees. Gasp! Why are knees so terrible to behold? The queen herself reportedly enacted a new
longer hemline rule in the winter of 2014. According to the Daily Mail, the queen ordered
Middleton to pack day dresses with lower hemlines and carefully selected jewels from Her Majesty's
personal collection for her trip to Australia that summer. Apparently, the longer hemline order stuck
around, but hopefully, for Kate's sake, so did the royal family jewels. As any dress-wearing human can attest, sometimes
the wind is not a friend. Unfortunately for Kate Middleton, a photographer
was on the scene when the wind took her dress for a ride. Middleton and her husband visited Australia
in 2014 for a royal tour, stopping off at the lovely Blue Mountains for a photo op. It was then that, according to News.com.au,
a gust of wind from an ascending helicopter blew up Middleton's dress and exposed her,
um, royal backside. Luckily, British and Australian news agencies
refused to publish the pictures of Kate and her embarrassing moment. Unluckily, the photos made it overseas to
Germany where a German tabloid published them with the caption, "Photos show our favourite Duchess Kate, 32,
in the Australian Blue Mountains. The rotor blades of the royal helicopter swirl
the air so that Kate's summer dress blew up — giving a clear view of her beautiful bum!" Not cool, Germany. Not cool. Though it might feel like Kate Middleton has
always been a royal, there was a time before she was the Duchess of Cambridge. Back in 2002, Middleton walked in the Don't
Walk charity fashion show, rocking a see-through designer dress by Charlotte Todd. The body-hugging, nylon-like dress revealed
only a black bra and underwear set — definitely not palace-approved. Her future husband Prince William didn't seem
to mind. He was sitting front row during the fashion
show. Discussing their relationship in 2010, he
told ABC News, "When I first met Kate I knew there was something
very special about her. I knew there was possibly something that I
wanted to explore there." Did her bare-all dress have something to do
with the prince's infatuation? Who knows for sure... but it certainly didn't
hurt. Luckily for us average people, forgetting
a little toe nail polish isn't the end of the world-- but Kate Middleton is not a normal
person. She visited India with Prince William in April
of 2016. As reported by the Daily Mail, Middleton took
off her shoes as per local custom to reveal un-pedicured feet. The duchess' feet caused quite a stir as the
royals are known for never having a hair, or nail, out of place. The incident also called Middleton's foot
health was into question. A podiatrist at Carnation Footcare told the
Daily Mail, "There looks like there may be some rubbing
or even the start of a corn on the little toe. You can also see the fourth and fifth toes
deviate towards the centre of the foot." He went on to explain that the issue is common
in women who frequently wear high heels, like Middleton. According to royal dress code, as noted by
BBC News, the queen wears bright colors to make sure she stands out, even in a crowd. But what happens when another member of the
royal family also shows up in a bold hue? Kate Middleton found out firsthand after she
wore a bright red dress to the queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. “I think too the hat makes it hers, and
it makes it like who else could pull off wearing this hat with this dress except for her?” Though Middleton looked gorgeous, especially
since she completed the look with a red hat and a tartan scarf, people were not pleased
that she stole the show. The Daily Mail called her outfit "inappropriate,"
and they just might have a point. It doesn't seem like a good idea to outshine
the queen. She is, after all, the queen. It's hard to imagine a time before skinny
jeans. But, for Kate Middleton, skintight pants might
be forever in the past. The Duchess of Cambridge does have a penchant
for skinny jeans, as she wears them seemingly at casual events every chance she gets. Her love of skinny jeans was even cited by
the Daily Mail as a reason why British researchers are worried about possible circulatory complications
from frequently wearing tight pants. But what does the royal dress code say about
skintight denim? For casual wear, it's best for ladies to don
a dress, skirt, or tailored trousers paired with a cardigan or jacket. Diana Mather of The English Manner etiquette
consultancy said, "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," Seems we might have seen the last of Kate
Middleton's skinny jeans. “Dressing down doesn’t mean schlubby especially
for Kate. This is about keeping it elevated, keeping
it classic, but still being relaxed.” It's very rare to see Kate Middleton in anything
but timeless, chic, and elegant attire — except when she's rocking neon short shorts! Back in 2008, before she was officially a
royal, Middleton helped organize a charity event. The event was a success for two reasons: one,
it raised $200,000 for a ward of a children's hospital, and two, it gave the world photos
of the future duchess in yellow hot pants, a sparkly green halter top, pink leg warmers,
and pink roller skates. During her disco romp, Prince William was
off working as a helicopter search and rescue pilot, leaving Kate to have her fun and raise
some money, too. The Daily Mail called her disco look "inelegant"
and reported that Buckingham Palace sources felt "appalled" by her "most unladylike display." While there is a strict dress code even for
casual situations, we feel one of Middleton's old friends said it best when they said, according
to the Daily Mail, "What do they want her to do — sit at home
every evening watching television just because her prince is away?" One royal setback is having to spend a lot
of time in heels. Ouch. Kate Middleton seemed to have found a workaround,
though, in the form of chic wedges. Take, for example, her tour of Australia and
New Zealand in the spring of 2014. There was hardly a day when Middleton wasn't
walking around in wedges. She seemed to favor one stylish pair in particular,
as she wore them several times throughout the tour. But Middleton's beloved wedges have disappeared,
and Her Majesty the Queen might have something to do with it. As Vanity Fair reported in 2015, a royal source
said, "The Queen isn't a fan of wedged shoes. She really doesn't like them and it's well
known among the women in the family." What the queen wants the queen gets. Middleton has switched up her footwear to
feature timeless — and still somewhat comfortable — low-heeled pumps. While women donning menswear is decidedly
"in" right now, it's a big no-no for royals like Kate Middleton. The Duchess of Cambridge broke the royal dress
code when she wore trousers to a meeting with the finalists for her Hold Still photo project
in October of 2020, according to Elle. Middleton wore tailored black trousers that
she completed with a white top, bright red coat, sensible heels, and, of course, a mask. And this isn't the first time she's worn pants
instead of a skirt. Middleton also wore one to an interview with
a British broadcaster for the Pride of Britain Awards in London as well as a pink suit to
an appearance with Prince William. Her sister-in-law Meghan Markle is also known
to favor slacks and pantsuits. However stylish these pants may be, they are
still in contradiction with Queen Elizabeth's royal dress code preferences. A People article in 2018 interviewed a royal
source regarding the pant problem. The source revealed that "the Queen prefers women in dresses or skirts
rather than trouser suits." Absolutely no one can argue that Kate Middleton
looked anything other than stunning, elegant, and definitely royal in her wedding dress,
which marked one of the most expensive outfits Kate Middleton has ever worn. However, in 2016, a very un-royal scandal
came to light surrounding the famed Alexander McQueen bridal gown. The Sunday Times reported that another bridal
designer named Christine Kendall filed a breach of copyright claim at London's Intellectual
Property Enterprise Court in 2016. The claim alleged that Kendall's dress designs
were "unfairly taken and copied" by Alexander McQueen to make Middleton's gown. A spokeswoman from Alexander McQueen responded
to the allegations, saying that they were "nonsense" and that the McQueen designer responsible
for the dress "never saw any of Ms. Kendall's designs or
sketches and did not know of Ms. Kendall before Ms. Kendall got in touch with us — some
13 months after the wedding. [...] We do not know why Ms. Kendall has raised
this again, but there are no if's, buts or maybes here: This claim is ridiculous." Despite the drama, Kate Middleton has continued
to wear Alexander McQueen pieces proudly. Staying "appropriate" according to royal standards
is like walking a tightrope — one must find a perfect balance without falling too far
one way or the other, like Kate Middleton did when she and Prince William went to India. Usually when Middleton's outfits are called
into question it's because they were too revealing, too modern, or too casual, but her clothing
in India was touted as the opposite: too boring. As reported by the Independent, royal fans
were very disappointed by Middleton's wardrobe during her trip. They were hoping for colorful, fun, and otherwise
entertaining style, but what they got were outfits that were described as "dreary," lacking
"pizazz," and "dowdy." Poor Kate just can't win. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more List videos about celebrity
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