Queen Camilla 'ruffled feathers' with very unusual demand for Princess Kate and Sophie

EXCLUSIVE: Queen Camilla, Princess Kate and Duchess Sophie all favour the colour blue, but they cannot be seen together wearing the same thing.

By Catherine Meyer-Funnell, Royal Reporter based in London, Nathan Kay, Royal Correspondent

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A source close to Queen Camilla's official dresser has lifted the lid on an unusual demand Her Majesty has for her fellow senior royal women, Princess Kate and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.

All of them like to wear the colour blue for an official engagement, but as Queen it is Camilla who gets first choice on what to wear if they are all going to be appearing together.

The insider explained that Camilla's dresser Jacqui Meakin initially "ruffled a few feathers" at Buckingham Palace due to her rather strict approach to who could wear what colour, most notably blue.

However the rules were later relaxed to allow Kate and Sophie to wear the shade provided it looked different enough to the Queen's outfit.

The source told Express.co.uk: "The Queen is now able to choose her outfits before all the other women in the Royal Family. It's part of the royal pecking order and that includes the clothes and colour.

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Sophie, Camilla and Kate on Palace balcony

Queen Camilla gets first choice over outfit colour (Image: Getty)

"Her Majesty's favourite colour is blue and so is Kate's. Sophie is also quite fond of it.

"There was a time when Jacqui [Meakin] was a bit apprehensive to allow blue to be worn at the same time as the Queen, but she's relaxed that now as long as the blues are very different shades.

"In the end, it all became a bit comical with all the ladies seeing the funny side."

Ms Meakin took over the job of royal dresser from Angela Kelly, who was a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth and worked alongside her for 29 years.

Queen Camilla at Royal Ascot 2024

Queen Camilla loves the colour blue (Image: Getty)

Angela Kelly became a controversial figure as her influence in the Palace grew thanks to her closeness to the late Queen, as she was dubbed 'AK-47' by staff.

She was initially given a home on the Windsor estate, which she left once Charles became King in favour of a property in the Peak District bought for her by the monarch.

His Majesty reportedly provided Ms Kelly with a home as the Queen wished for her to be provided for, and it is understood the property will be returned to the Crown when she dies.

Queen Elizabeth, Anna Wintour and Angela Kelly

Angela Kelly (right) was close to the late Queen Elizabeth (Image: Getty)

Angela Kelly has been praised for helping to inject colour into Her Late Majesty's wardrobe, as in her later years she was often spotted in shades of bright green, yellow, pink and orange.

Queen Camilla has been snapped wearing different shades of blue on a number of occasions recently, including during Royal Ascot and at a reception in Clarence House.

Princess Kate also wore blue for her last royal appearance in 2023 as she attended the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, before embarking on a long break due to health concerns.

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