Will Queen Camilla wear Camilla? What to pack for a royal tour
Dressing a duchess is grand, but designer Karen Gee would happily lower her curtsy and raise her necklines to add Queen Camilla to her label’s royal roster.
“I would love to see her wearing an Australian label,” says Gee, ahead of Camilla’s royal tour of Australia alongside King Charles III. “It could be an outfit with a touch of tailoring from Carla Zampatti or Scanlan Theodore, but wearing an Australian brand would send a strong message of support.”
Gee received global attention in 2018 when Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, arrived in Sydney wearing a bespoke sleeveless version of her white Blessed dress alongside Prince Harry.
Queen Camilla in Dior haute couture with King Charles in Paris last year.Credit: Getty Images
The clothing coup followed months of consultations with the palace by Gee, who became familiar with the royal requirements facing Camilla’s future clothiers.
“Queen Camilla’s dresses will have to consider the palace protocols, respecting local traditions and attire, along with her personal style,” she says. “I don’t think we will see anything sleeveless. Most women older than Meghan would prefer a three-quarter or full sleeve.”
“She [Camilla] is not afraid of colour, preferring pastels and blues, but it will all come back to the tailoring. You can expect something tailored, elegant and modest.”
That might rule out Australian caftan queen Camilla Franks and her upcoming Oz-inspired Wicked collaboration, but First Nations label Ngali remains in the running with silk dresses featuring Indigenous artwork.
“It would be great to see Camilla wear something from an Indigenous designer,” says Ngali founder Denni Francisco. “Choosing a First Nations label would help draw attention to creativity that’s taking place in this space and the advances that have been made. First Nations fashion now plays a strong part in our local industry.”
Instead of following the colonial couture lead of Meghan and Princess Catherine by wearing local labels such as Zimmermann, Oroton and Jac+Jack on Australian soil, Camilla may prefer the patriotic approach taken by Queen Elizabeth.
On her 16 tours of Australia, the Queen favoured pieces from British designers Hardy Amies, Norman Hartnell, Ian Thomas and, in later years, her dresser, Angela Kelly.
Camilla took the “British is best” approach on her visit to the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, wearing flattering outfits by her go-to designers, Fiona Clare and Anna Valentine.
On a trip to France last year, Camilla did stray from this formula for a reception at Versailles, but for Dior haute couture, most people make exceptions.
The caped Dior gown was in blue, Camilla’s favourite colour, which was reportedly kept off limits to those lower down the royal fashion chain, such as Catherine and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, by the Queen’s dresser, Jacqui Meakin. The Express newspaper said Meakin initially “ruffled a few feathers” at Buckingham Palace by being too strict over outfit colour choices. Now, other royals can wear blue, as long as it’s in a different shade.
As Queen, Camilla also has the pick of the royal jewellery vault, but opportunities to break out the Greville Tiara in Australia are as thin on the ground as Prince William’s hair. Expect the focus to move from the Queen’s crown to her coat lapels with brooches an easier option to pack.
Since the coronation, Camilla has followed the astute accessories approach of Elizabeth by using hard diamonds for soft diplomacy.
The Australian Jewels: Queen Elizabeth wearing the Australian Opal Spray Brooch in 2016; wearing the Australian Wattle Brooch for the Royal Maundy Service in 2019; opening the Melbourne Commonwealth Games wearing the ruby and diamond brooch in the shape hibiscus given to the Queen Mother in Australia in 1958.Credit: Getty, AP, Dallas Kilponen
At the 25th anniversary of the Scottish parliament in September, Camilla symbolically wore Queen Mary’s diamond thistle brooch. The Prince Albert Brooch was an appropriate selection by Camilla on last year’s visit to Germany, as the piece had been given to Queen Victoria by her German husband.
The Australian Opal Spray brooch, given to Elizabeth by the RSL in 1947 to celebrate her wedding, could make the cut.
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth wore the brooch regularly on many special occasions, bringing great joy to the league whenever she wore it,” says RSL Australia president Greg Melick. “The RSL hopes that Queen Camilla wears the piece at an appropriate time during her visit to Australia.”
Camilla has already worn the Australian Wattle Brooch in the official portraits for the royal tour. The white and yellow diamond brooch was presented to the Queen on her 1954 visit to Australia by then-prime minister Robert Menzies. She wore the brooch to greet then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull when he visited London in 2017.
To prevent brooch fatigue, Camilla can also wear a ruby and diamond hibiscus brooch given to the Queen Mother in 1958 by Menzies in Brisbane and inherited by Queen Elizabeth in 2002.
Gee also thinks that pearls will make an appearance but is less confident about Camilla wearing the same dress that Meghan picked from her range.
“That one was quite similar to a dress worn by Princess Diana,” she says. “Camilla has her own style.”
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