<\/p>\n
Blue may be a royal favorite, but behind palace walls, it has reportedly sparked quiet battles over who gets to wear it.<\/p>\n
Royal commentator Amanda Matta told Fox News Digital that Queen Camilla\u2019s go-to shade isn\u2019t just a fashion statement \u2014 it may be her way of signaling authority behind palace doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting Camilla\u2019s use of blue would have enforced a visual hierarchy for royal events,\u201d Matta explained.<\/p>\n
KATE MIDDLETON LOOKS ELEGANT IN CREAM SET WITH PRINCE WILLIAM AND THEIR KIDS AS THEY RETURN TO EASTER SERVICE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s not forget that Camilla entered palace life amid significant public skepticism, and she has spent the last two decades meticulously rewriting her story,\u201d Matta shared. \u201cHer preference for a saturated, commanding royal blue has been central to that project in recent years. Her preferred shade is literally \u2018royal blue.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Matta also said in a recent TikTok video<\/a> that the color is beloved among royal wives and allegedly caused tension over who gets to wear it.<\/p>\n \u201cNever forget Camilla claiming blue and telling other royals, namely Kate [Middleton], they could not wear it,\u201d she claimed on the platform.<\/p>\n WATCH: KATE MIDDLETON MAKES KEY DECISIONS FOR ROYALS AS FUTURE QUEEN: EXPERT<\/strong><\/p>\n A source previously told the U.K.\u2019s Express<\/a> that the color blue was \u201cproblematic\u201d for royal dressers because it was said to be a favorite of both Camilla and the Princess of Wales. But because Camilla is the most senior woman in the royal family, she had first dibs on wearing the beloved hue.<\/p>\n \u201cThe queen is now able to choose her outfits before all the other women in the royal family,\u201d a source told the outlet. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the royal pecking order, and that includes the clothes and color. Her Majesty\u2019s favorite color is blue, and so is Kate\u2019s. Sophie [Duchess of Edinburgh] is also quite fond of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a time when [royal dresser] Jacqui [Meakin] was a bit apprehensive to allow blue to be worn<\/a> at the same time as the queen, but she\u2019s relaxed that now, as long as the blues are very different shades,\u201d said the insider.<\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that Meakin eventually relaxed the rule, allowing different shades to be used simultaneously, could suggest that the initial enforcement created enough friction that a diplomatic solution became necessary,\u201d said Matta. \u201cThe royals love their blue. It could also signal that Camilla feels secure enough in her role as queen to cede some territory, sartorially speaking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s likely no written rule about blue, but what there is <\/i>involves a web of informal understandings maintained by the people closest to each principal royal,\u201d Matta shared. \u201cThe only thing unusual about Meakin acting as a color gatekeeper is that it became public knowledge. Past dressers like Angela Kelly also ruled over visuals with an iron fist.\u201d<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n It was Meghan Markle who publicly spoke about royal dressing protocol in her 2022 Netflix docuseries, \u201cHarry & Meghan.\u201d The American actress became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Britain\u2019s Prince Harry<\/a> in 2018.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the time I was in the U.K., I rarely wore color,\u201d she said. \u201cTo my understanding, you can\u2019t ever wear the same color as Her Majesty (Queen Elizabeth) if there\u2019s a group event, but then you shouldn\u2019t be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n The Express previously reported that, according to sources, Meakin \u201cruffled a few feathers\u201d at Buckingham Palace by being \u201ctoo strict over outfit color choices, most notably the color blue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose reports of Jacqui Meakin \u2018ruffling feathers\u2019 over blue aren\u2019t surprising if you know how royal dressers operate,\u201d said Matta. \u201cWhoever controls the queen\u2019s wardrobe can also come to feel that they hold real institutional power.\u201d<\/p>\n British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that while royal fashion hierarchy protocol has become \u201cfairly relaxed\u201d in recent years, there is still a reported \u201corder of precedence\u201d that dressers follow.<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe queen gets first dibs at her outfit choice,\u201d said Chard. \u201cHer preference overrides others. It is well documented that Queen Camilla, Princess Catherine, and indeed Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, love wearing the color blue. There was talk of stepping on royal toes when it comes to blue outfits. However, I think you\u2019ll find it was the dressers kicking up a royal fuss!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the royal family, fashion is a carefully curated statement,\u201d said Chard. \u201cNo accidental color clashes are allowed! But occasionally, we have seen a display of planned family unity with an outfit color.<\/p>\n \u201cBut to avoid any possible stepping on royal toes, the rules have relaxed around the regal color blue, allowing royal women to wear different shades of blue. This allows the message of calm stability to shine through.\u201d<\/p>\n British royals expert Hilary Fordwich<\/a> told Fox News Digital that while the most senior woman in the royal family can choose her outfits before others, she doubted a so-called \u201cbattle over blue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll royal households have always been intensely hierarchical,\u201d she said. \u201cDress code is just one of the main ways to visually depict such. It\u2019s more procedural than personal and quite regular. The only out-of-order issue at hand is the queen consort\u2019s dresser becoming so involved with some sort of enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPrincess Catherine and others have been seen so many times in blue, it seems rather dubious a claim,\u201d she argued. \u201cI haven\u2019t heard anything about any such tension.\u201d<\/p>\n The Express reported that Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s dresser, Angela Kelly, was once \u201cone of the most powerful women in Buckingham Palace,\u201d raising questions about how much authority a dresser has.<\/p>\n But Matta noted that blue, as a royal signature, has deep roots.<\/p>\n \u201cQueen Elizabeth liked it because it matched her eyes, though I believe it was Norman Hartnell who first dressed her in blue for that reason,\u201d Matta explained.<\/p>\n \u201cBlue communicates loyalty, stability and trustworthiness,\u201d she said. \u201cFor a monarchy positioning the Waleses as the steady future of the institution, it\u2019s ideal visual shorthand that also creates cohesive imagery. Notably, we\u2019ve seen Kate favor pastel shades of blue much more than a commanding royal blue. Only since becoming Princess of Wales<\/a> has she really started to make use of more saturated tones.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether intentional or not, the message behind the monarchy\u2019s carefully coordinated outfits is clear: In royal circles, even a color choice can signal who holds power.<\/p>\n