Queen Elizabeth’s pastel tradition lives on: how Kate Middleton, Princess Eugenie and Sophie embraced her style – and it’s on trend for the new season

Pastel shades dominated the spring/summer 2024 catwalks, with designers including Tom Ford, Michael Kors and Alaïa showcasing the charming trend.

As we move into the new season, brands like Miu Miu, Preen and Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini continue the pastel movement.

However, it was Queen Elizabeth II who was the first to champion these soft ice tones on a global scale.

Known for her striking ensembles, the Queen’s outfits were carefully chosen to ensure she stood out from the crowd, creating an iconic and colorful image that defined her as a modern monarch.

However, she rarely deviated from a custom-made dress and matching coat that fell to the shin.

Cotton candy pink, buttercup yellow, lilac, lime; there wasn’t a shade the queen didn’t wear.

In recent years, we can see that Catherine, Princess of Wales, has followed in Queen Elizabeth’s footsteps and shown a wide range of shades.

Kate often selects a color that Elizabeth wore and cleverly presents it in an updated silhouette, such as a pantsuit.

Queen Elizabeth’s outfits were carefully considered to ensure she stood out from the crowd of well-wishers, despite her modest height of 6ft 1in. Above: The Queen attends a parade in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse on June 28, 2022

In 2019, Queen Elizabeth showed off a pink cotton candy coat as she arrived at Sandringham, her Norfolk estate. Kate later reinterpreted the color with a pink Alexander McQueen suit in 2022

In 2022, she chose a pink two-piece suit from Alexander McQueen for a business meeting in London.

Queen Elizabeth previously wore the charming shade during a visit to Sandringham in 2019.

Queen Camilla has also shown a preference for this soft shade.

She recently wore a custom Anna Valentine coat dress to a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

Her Majesty combined the softly colored outfit with the Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch, a striking piece from Queen Elizabeth’s collection.

This brooch has a special history: the central pink diamond was given to Elizabeth by Canadian geologist John Thoburn Williamson in 1947 as a wedding gift.

Under Queen Mary’s guidance, Elizabeth had the rare diamond set as the centerpiece of a modern brooch, making it one of her most valuable pieces.

Queen Camilla has also shown a preference for this soft pink shade, recently wearing a custom-made Anna Valentine coat dress to a garden party at Buckingham Palace

In 2012, the year of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, Vogue published a color review of her outfits from the past twelve months.

The magazine found that 29 percent of dresses, suits and hats were made in shades of blue, ranging from icy tones to rich cobalt.

Additionally, the publication found that beige was the queen’s least worn color, accounting for just one percent of the total.

Meghan Markle, on the other hand, dressed almost exclusively in beige, camel and white during her time as a working member of the royal family.

The former Suits actress claimed her neutral wardrobe was a result of not being allowed to wear colour.

“Most of the time I was in Britain, I rarely wore color,” the Duchess said in the 2022 Netflix series Harry and Meghan.

She continued, “I wore a lot of muted tones, but it was also so I could just blend in.”

‘There was no version of me [that was] joining this family and not trying to do everything I could to fit in. I don’t want to embarrass the family.’

Since stepping back from public duties, Meghan continues to opt for a mostly neutral wardrobe, even though she now has full control over her wardrobe.

Her dressing excellence was especially noticeable at the 2023 Invictus Games, when she wore a variety of muted ensembles from Celine, Zara, Gabriela Hearst and Cuyana.

Beige was the queen’s least worn color, unlike Meghan Markle who dressed almost exclusively in shades of beige, camel and white

Princess Eugenie appeared to draw inspiration from her late grandmother’s style when she visited Royal Ascot in June.

The princess’s sophisticated Diane von Furstenberg gown was crafted in the same soft mint shade as one of Queen Elizabeth’s ensembles from the previous year.

The delicate color was equally flattering on both women and showed off their timeless fashion sense.

Eugenie opted for statement accessories: an Emily London hat, an Anya Hindmarch clutch and Aquazzura’s popular ‘Bow-Tie’ pumps.

Princess Eugenie appeared to take cues from the coat the late monarch wore at Royal Ascot in 2023, showing off a dress in the same shade at the event in June.

Zara Tindall also appeared to channel her late grandmother at the renowned racing event.

The Olympic rider wore a cornflower blue dress by Rebecca Vallance, with a fit-and-flare silhouette, braided neckline and puff sleeves, in a beautiful powder blue shade.

Zara elevated her ensemble with Dune pumps, a custom hat from Sarah Cant and ‘Hettie’ bag from Tusting.

This sartorial nod was reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth’s outfit from two years ago, when she wore a nearly identical color to the Royal Company of Archers Reddendo Parade in June 2022.

Zara Tindall also appeared to channel her late grandmother at the famous racing event, wearing a cornflower blue dress by Rebecca Vallance. This sartorial nod was reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth’s outfit from two years ago, when she wore a nearly identical color to the Royal Company of Archers Reddendo Parade in June 2022.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, is said to have had a close bond with Queen Elizabeth, even calling her mother-in-law ‘mum’.

It seems the Duchess has been influenced by the late monarch in several ways, including her fashion choices.

At King Charles’ garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Sophie paid a subtle tribute to her late mother-in-law by wearing a blue-gray Roland Mouret dress and Jimmy Choo pumps.

The hue of her outfit was reminiscent of a coat worn by Queen Elizabeth five years earlier, with gold floral embroidery and her signature structured cut.

The queen accessorized with a matching hat, her beloved Launer handbag and Anello & Davide loafers.

At King Charles’ garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Sophie paid a subtle tribute to her late mother-in-law by wearing a blue-gray Roland Mouret dress and Jimmy Choo pumps. The color of her outfit was reminiscent of a coat worn by Queen Elizabeth five years earlier, with gold floral embroidery and her signature structured cut.