By Megan Riedlinger
8:24am PDT, May 31, 2019
Every year, the royal family gathers to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II at her annual birthday parade, Trooping the Colour. This gives royal watchers a chance to see their favorite princes and princesses dressed to impress — but some years have delivered better royal fashion than others. Take 2012 for instance, when Duchess Kate was feeling blue in this stunning getup. Her Erdem dress featured a wide, rolled neckline and delicate floral embellishments. Next up, her matching headwear…
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Princess Diana was known for making fashion statements in her day, but her 1986 Trooping the Colour ensemble really raised eyebrows. The royal (seen here with Captain Mark Phillips) re-wore this phenomenal red-and-white polka-dot dress inspired by the Japanese flag, which she first donned while spending time in Japan earlier that year. She trotted it out once more for this big occasion and topped the stand-out piece with a matching chic red hat.
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The shining fashion star of 2018's Trooping the Colour? Duchess Meghan! The newlywed opted for this blush-hued off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera design and added a matching Philip Treacy hat.
Here's a closer look at the blush-hued Philip Treacy hat that Duchess Meghan added to her impeccable ensemble in 2018.
Duchess Kate's pastel blue Alexander McQueen number didn't really impress at the 2018 Trooping the Colour celebration when she took a break from maternity leave to make an appearance just weeks after giving birth to Prince Louis. Next up, a better look at her hat…
Duchess Kate added this elaborate fascinator by Juliette Botterill to her underwhelming look in 2018.
Duchess Camilla also opted for pale blue in 2018 — a silk dress and coat by Bruce Oldfield. Though we didn't love her ensemble, we did adore her Philip Treacy hat featuring an opulent bow.
Queen Elizabeth II donned a bright blue coat and dress combination by Stewart Parvin in 2018. Her hat was also in the same shade — an Angela Kelly design with plenty of embellishments.
Duchess Kate attended her first Trooping the Colour in 2011. The then-newlywed opted for a sharp bright white look — a coat dress by Alexander McQueen with a tiered skirt and button detail down the front. When it came time to add accessories, she opted to mix it up and added a black hat.
Princess Diana was still Lady Diana Spencer when she attended her first Trooping the Colour ceremony in 1981 about a month before marrying Prince Charles. For her big debut, the 19-year-old aristocrat opted for an ill-fitting and vibrant yet matronly blue floral suit by Bill Pashley with a matching fascinator.
This look on Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 was a little surprising! The monarch donned a blouse splattered with color underneath a lilac coat with a lilac hat adorned with similarly hued embellishments for an interesting though not particularly stylish ensemble.
Duchess Kate opted for cream in 2016, wearing an Alexander McQueen coat dress. When it came time to accessorize, she chose big pearl earrings and one of our favorite hats to date, which we'll see closer next…
Duchess Kate chose one of our favorite hats to date to wear to the 2016 Trooping the Colour — this Philip Treacy piece. The hat, which is called the OC 147, featured a pretty pale pink floral embellishment underneath for an extra fancy touch.
Structured and stark white! That's how Princess Diana dressed for the 1987 Trooping the Colour ceremony. She paired her sharp look with an equally amazing white hat while arriving with Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and young Prince William.
We're used to seeing the royals in some pretty over-the-top headwear, but Duchess Camilla's hat at the 2007 Trooping the Colour ceremony takes the cake. This outlandish, oversized piece featured wild feathered embellishments that combined for a very unfortunate result. To add insult to injury, it didn't even match her underwhelming yellow coat.
We loved Queen Elizabeth II's sharp ensemble at the 2014 Trooping the Colour. The monarch donned a blue-and-white getup that featured navy embellishments along the coat and a matching motif on her hat.
Back in 1982, Princess Diana — then pregnant with Prince William, who was born just nine days later — made her second appearance at a Trooping the Colour ceremony in this divine emerald green maternity look.
2015 saw a pattern on Duchess Kate in the form of this blue-and-white floral-print coat! This one wasn't one of our favorites despite the change of pace for Kate, who accessorized her Catherine Walker coat with a big white hat.
We love a bold color moment from the queen! She donned this lime green Stewart Parvin design with a matching hat from Rachel Trevor Morgan at her official Trooping the Colour birthday celebration in 2016.
Princess Diana was six months pregnant with Prince Harry during her appearance at Trooping the Colour in 1984. For the occasion, she opted for a smocked blue-and-white frock that reminded us of an outfit her then-toddler Prince William would wear!
Another year, another terrible hat from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. In 2009, the royal wore a pretty teal-hued ensemble but topped things off with this unfortunate hat decorated with wild gray and blue embellishments.
For 2013's Trooping the Colour, Duchess Kate showed off a darling maternity look — a head-to-toe pale pink ensemble. Her collared coat was custom Alexander McQueen and featured sweet pearl button details. She added a matching pink hat (which we'll see better next). She gave birth to Prince George a little more than a month later!
This pink hat is so intricate, it needs to be seen from all angles! It's by one of Duchess Kate's favorite designers, Jane Corbett. Those familiar with her fashion choices recognized it from previous wears.
In 1988, Princess Diana arrived at Trooping the Colour with Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in an emerald green ensemble. Both her dress and hat featured the bold hue bordered with stark white, which made a real statement.
It was an all-white kind of day for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at the 2016 festivities. Prince Charles's second wife sported this Anna Valentine coat and a matching Philip Treacy hat adorned with feathers for a fun and summery look.
Bubblegum pink! We loved Duchess Kate's departure from muted tones in 2017, when she wore this gorgeous pink Alexander McQueen dress. Next up, a better look at her matching hat…
To add more color to her vibrant pink Alexander McQueen ensemble, Duchess Kate opted for a matching hat by Jane Taylor.
We're used to our royals matching all the elements of their ensembles, but Queen Elizabeth II went a little rogue at her official birthday celebration in 1999. That year, the monarch donned a cheery yellow coat but paired it with a more gold-toned yellow hat featuring a print, which appeared to clash.
Duchess Camilla went with cream in 2017, selecting this elegant embellished coat by Anna Valentine for the occasion. She paired it with a wide-brimmed hat for an all-around massive improvement on her usual Trooping the Colour looks.
One of our favorite Trooping the Colour looks came in 1985 when Princess Diana donned this bold and beautiful salmon-hued design complete with a glamorous pussy bow. She topped things off with a matching hat and managed to look chic despite carrying a squirmy baby Prince Harry in her arms.
Duchess Kate wore an impossibly pale blue hue in 2014, selecting a blazer and skirt combination by Alexander McQueen. She added a complementary hat by Jane Taylor to complete her look.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall opted for this pretty pink coat in 2014. She also added a pink hat with enormous floral embellishments and a stunning statement necklace to the mix — resulting in one of her best Trooping the Colour ensembles to date.
