Queen Camilla breaks her golden rule with surprising new look

Fresh from her stylish visit to the US, where she donned a myriad of fabulous ensembles, including an outfit by Dior, Queen Camilla was pictured at the Badminton Horse Trials on Friday, sporting a sleek black suit jacket and matching tailored trousers.

King Charles’ wife, who is Patron of the British Equestrian Federation, shocked onlookers with her attire. The mother-of-two famously dons dresses for most formal occasions, so to see her in something more corporate was a distinct change. 

The last time she attended this same event in 2024, she wore a checked blue dress by Samantha Sung and camel pointed-toe shoes. 

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On Friday, the blonde royal still accessorised to perfection by carrying her fabulous quilted blue Chanel bag and added platform trainers in the same hue, and topped her look off with a fail-safe, classic item of a sleek white shirt. 

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Camilla wearing trousers

We last saw Camilla wearing a pair of trousers in February, during London Fashion Week. The royal met with Dame Anna Wintour at Clarence House to mark the occasion and to discuss the Queen’s Reading Room. 

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It must have been rather nerve-racking being photographed alongside the inspiration behind The Devil Wears Prada herself, but Camilla made a sartorial statement in an elegantly cut black silk coat dress and a pair of skinny jeans with boots.

Anna was so enamoured with the Queen that she even took off her sunglasses – her trademark accessory that has made her a pop culture phenomenon. 

Royal photographer Chris Jackson, who photographed the pair, said of the picture: “Both ladies are passionate about reading and literature – the iconic sunglasses were never far away, and she certainly doesn’t take them off for anyone!” 

Dame Anna on Queen Camilla

The Global Editorial Director of Vogue and the Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast is a big fan of Camilla’s style. 

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In her editor’s note for Vogue in 2002, she mused on a previous meeting with the royal, penning: “Camilla Parker Bowles was seated at my table. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She looked marvellous, and I thought, ‘What a difference being in love makes.’ Glamour, a matter of self-belief and the alignment of certain mysterious stars, is an angel that practically any woman can summon,” she revealed.