As a royal, protocol dictates strict rules must be followed for everything from public greetings to food choices.
The same is true when it comes to wardrobe, with the royal family expected to abide by guidelines such as wearing light nail polish, and avoiding black during daytime royal engagements.
However, Kate Middleton is the latest royal to apparently break protocol during her recent appearance in Norfolk to open the Nook Children’s Hospice as part of her role as patron of the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.
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For the outing, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a magenta skirt suit by Oscar de la Renta, black suede Gianvito Rossi heels and an Aspinal of London clutch.
She completed the look with black opaque tights - which reportedly go against the unspoken rule that members of the royal family should only wear skin-coloured tights or pantyhose.
Kate Middleton wore black tights for an outing to Norfolk (Getty)
The duchess paired the black tights with a magenta skirt suit (Getty)
But this isn’t the first time the duchess has worn the darker-coloured tights, as she regularly steps out in black tights for royal engagements.
Middleton regularly wears black tights (Getty)
The duchess may be breaking protocol (Getty)
Although the rule has never been confirmed by the palace, CNN royal expert Victoria Arbiter previously told Insider that you “never see a royal without their nude stockings,” after Meghan Markle didn’t wear stockings for her engagement photo shoot with Prince Harry in 2017.
At the time, Arbiter explained that nude stockings are “really the only hard, steadfast rule in terms of what the Queen requires”.
But, just because the Queen prefers to wear nude stockings does not mean she requires it of all members of the family.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding - memorable moments
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Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding - memorable moments
1/8 First look at the wedding dress
As the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out of her car at the entrance of Westminster Abbey, the public were given their first full look at the bride's beautiful wedding dress. The duchess wore a gown created by London-based designer Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. The dress was made of satin and featured an overlaid lace bodice and appliqued skirt. The bride's sister, maid of honour Pippa Middleton, also wore a dress by Burton, and made headlines on the day as she carried her sister's wedding dress train. 'It's a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30, on account of your sister, brother-in-law and your bottom," Middleton wrote in her 2012 book Celebrate, in reference to the attention her figure received in the media.
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2/8 Eccentric wedding guest attire
In addition to the bride's wedding gown, one of the most memorable sartorial moments from the 2011 royal wedding was Princess Beatrice's choice of headwear. The royal's pale pink headpiece by London-based milliner Philip Treacy received a strong reaction in the media, with some comparing it to a 'pretzel'. Soon after the wedding, Princess Beatrice auctioned the fascinator off for charity. The headpiece was sold on eBay for more than £81,000, the proceeds of which was donated to charities Unicef and Children in Crisis. Treacy said he feared his head would be 'on a spike outside the Tower of London' following the intense reaction to the headpiece. 'But it was a very modern hat and modernity is always unusual thing,' he added.
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3/8 A sentimental brotherly exchange
As the Duchess of Cambridge walked down the aisle in Westminster Abbey, eagle-eyed viewers watching the royal wedding on television spotted Prince Harry glance at his sister-in-law-to-be, before whispering something to the groom, Prince William. While it's unknown what Prince Harry said to his brother, some believe he may have made a joke to help with the groom's nerves.
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4/8 Nervous whispers
As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stood next to each other in Westminster Abbey, Prince William was filmed turning to his bride and whispering something to her. It's widely believed that he said: 'You look beautiful.'
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5/8 A brief moment of panic
For the estimated 26 million people in the UK who watched the royal wedding live on television on 29 April 2011, collective panic momentarily spread across the nation when Prince William appeared to struggle putting the wedding ring on the finger of his bride. Luckily, after a few seconds, the duke managed to slide the ring down his newlywed's finger much to the relief of onlookers.
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6/8 Sealing their union with a kiss
The moment the public had been waiting for. Following their nuptials in Westminster Abbey, the royal couple travelled to Buckingham Palace, where they stepped out onto the palace's famous balcony. The duke and duchess then shared their first couple of kisses as a married couple, prompting cheers from the thousands of people below. The moment was reminiscent of the kiss shared between Prince Williams father and mother, Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1981.
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7/8 The disgruntled flower girl
While the crowds expressed their delight in the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge kissing on the Buckingham Palace balcony, one individual in particular was not enjoying the occasion. One of the flower girls on the balcony made headlines when she was pictured covering her ears, a disgruntled expression on her face. The child in question was Grace Van Cutsem, Prince William's goddaughter.
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8/8 Newlyweds on the road
Following all the pomp of the royal wedding, the duke and duchess drove away from Buckingham Palace in a vintage car, with Prince William at the wheel. The car was adorned with a number plate which read "JU5T WED", and had several balloons attached at the back.
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According to Alexandra Messervy, chief executive of The English Manner, who spoke to InStyle, the royals are “at liberty to choose whatever colour tights they wish, and indeed often opaque colours work well with outfits”.
“I think the only reason they have chosen ‘nude’ in recent years is because they have become so much more fashionable, and the ‘bare legs’ look became the craze,” she added.