A whole lot of trouble dressing fit for a royal party

What does one wear to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen?

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attends at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. Picture: Mega

What does one wear to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen?

A coveted invitation to the Queen’s garden party, held this afternoon in the grounds of the palace, arrived while I was on the continent on assignment.

With just 16 hours back in London to prepare, including the mandatory visit to the hairdresser, (and ladies, we know how long that takes), there is scant time to prepare and the to-do list is long.

Check the weather? A lovely sunny day is forecast. No heavy coats required.

Check the wind? A blustery 19km/h. Oh dear. The extravagant feather hat I purchased online, and am still waiting by the door for it to arrive, will have to be pinned into place.

I am just hoping that a) the postman is on time and b) that the picture on the net and its purple trim is indeed somewhat accurate.

I picked purple because it’s the royal colour, and fortuitously it matches a dress and jacket that I previously wore to meet Her ­Majesty at an intimate Buckingham Palace reception in the state rooms for 200 people.

At 92, I am hoping she doesn’t notice she has seen it before.

But, according to the British etiquette experts I consulted six years ago, and I had to time to do so back then, the dress requirements are very strict.

No bare shoulders, hem length knee or longer, stockings, closed-toe shoes, sleeves. Nothing loud. None of that fluffy fascinator stuff.

In other words, exactly what your gran would wear. I duly complied and turned up at the palace for the Queen’s reception, held indoors, only to find another guest, Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson, in a slashing and, dare I say it, rather spectacular dress that Prince Philip greatly admired.

I gently prodded Philip about the dress code for he had asked me a question first, about getting ready for the day so it was OK to respond.

I don’t think I am divulging a state secret sharing his reply: “You should just wear what you like.”

Yesterday I consulted a few photographs online about the garden party in case there was some relaxation of the rules in the years since — the royal family has gone all modern with “I hug” Meghan Markle about to join — and I could perhaps dig out an old ­Melbourne Cup outfit that’s floaty and floral and a little bit sexier, with just-there capped sleeves.

But no, the guests are dressed so prim and proper.

Do I do a Meghan (she’s even wore jeans to an opening) and ­ignore all the rules? If the post ­arrives, perhaps not.

But if I suddenly have to iron a whole new outfit to match the only fascinator headwear in the house, those rules are out the ­window.