The Royal “Rule” Kate Middleton Has Been Breaking This Whole Time

Who knew?!

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.

She may not be the Queen of England yet, but Kate Middleton definitely rules the style game. Not only does she have a clever trick for repeating her outfits, but she can even make wearing heels less painful. However, unlike newcomer Meghan Markle, she isn’t known for breaking the long list of Queen Elizabeth’s rather strict dress codes—except there’s one rule she’s actually been breaking this whole time.

As per the royal dress code, only natural-looking nails are allowed to be worn at official royal events, and family members are encouraged to keep this up at non-official events as well. The public gushed when then-new Duchess Meghan Markle showed up to the British Fashion Awards in 2019 with dark nail polish, and we haven’t seen Queen Elizabeth wear anything but this one nail polish color for nearly 30 years.

Kate also tends to stick to non-polished nails, or nails polished with nudes or pale pinks. On her wedding day, Kate wore a light pink shade, mixing Bourjois Rose Lounge and Essie Allure to create an original hue. As it turns out, despite her general love of pale polishes, she isn’t always seen with just pale or natural nails.

Since 2012, Kate Middleton has been photographed multiple times sporting a deep red nail polish. How did we not notice? She only wears the darker shades on her toes! Mixing the non-royal approved pedicure with her favorite nude manicure, Kate has been getting away with breaking this royal rule for years. While it wouldn’t be the first time the royal family has broken their own protocol, we’re still impressed.

Shop Kate’s Favorite Nude

Shop Kate’s Darker Polish

Brooke Nelson
Brooke Nelson is a tech and consumer products writer covering the latest in digital trends, product reviews, security and privacy, and other news and features for RD.com.
Isabel Roy
Isabel Roy is a former newsletter editor at Reader’s Digest who writes and reports on home, culture and general interest stories. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse in 2017 with a B.A. in Rhetoric and Writing.