Princess Anne's red lipstick is royal rebel's shade of choice - despite it breaking the rules

Princess Anne's red lipstick is clearly her handbag must-have and she regularly sports it - even though it breaks royal protocol

Princess Anne, Princess Royal attends the Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall during a State visit by the King and Queen of Spain on July 13, 2017 in London, England. This is the first state visit by the current King Felipe and Queen Letizia, the last being in 1986 with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.
(Image credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Princess Anne's red lipstick is one of her makeup must-haves, or so it appears. The Princess Royal is regularly seen sporting the bold shade, which one may not expect of the hardworking royal.


Princess Anne, Princess Royal attends the Braemar Highland Gathering at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park on September 3, 2022 in Braemar, Scotland.

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Just when you thought Sophie Wessex's red lipstick was a daring choice, it turns out she's far from the first royal to sport the vibrant color. Princess Anne's red lipstick has been on a regular rotation throughout the years and appears to be among her most favored hues.

This is despite the fact that, per Vogue India, bright lip colors being frowned upon under royal protocol. Instead, during formal events the female members of The Firm are expected to wheel out various shades of nude and pale pink over more bold choices. 

Princess Anne, Princess Royal shelters under an umbrella as she attends day two of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 19, 2019 in Ascot, England.

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Ruby Woo Lipstick, $21 (£20) | MAC 

Ruby Woo Lipstick, $21 (£20) | MAC 

Dubbed the best red lipstick for all skin tones by our beauty editor, there's a reason people cannot get enough of Ruby Woo. Available in classic matte, soft matte, and liquid - you choose which version you favor.

Choosing the best red lipstick is always the right idea as it looks chic and stylish and never goes out of fashion. It's old Hollywood glam with a vampish edge and goes with absolutely everything. This could be the reason that the Princess Royal favors it over others. After all, choosing style over fashion is a lesson that she learned from her late mother. Princess Anne shared the Queen's secret to style during an interview with Australian Women's Weekly, earlier this year.

“The Queen and I had a discussion the other day about the difference between fashion and style," she told the magazine, "and I think maybe that’s relevant in the sense that she didn’t do fashion but she certainly does style, and style tends to last longer.”

Princess Anne, Princess Royal visits the Penguin enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations at Edinburgh Zoo on June 03, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated from June 2 to June 5, 2022, in the UK and Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952.

(Image credit: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

It seems that the lasting effects of rouge smackers has kept the royal coming back for more, as evidenced by her use of the ubiquitous shade. From royal banquets to solemn events, Olympian dinners, and even feeding actual penguins - Princess Anne's red lipstick choice shows the kind of versatility we'd expect from the hardworking royal. 

Interestingly enough, for the second year in a row, the Queen's only daughter has been officially dubbed the most hardworking member of the Royal Family - so it's not just Princess Anne's red lipstick that just won't quit.

Princess Anne, The Princess Royal attends the Bicentenary Celebrations of The Royal Yacht Squadron on June 5, 2015 in Cowes, England.

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

According to data gathered by Reboot SEO Company, using the Court Circular, Princess Anne attended more royal engagements than any other member of the Royal Family during 2022. Aged 72, she attended 214 engagements in total - an impressive number at any age. 

Coming in close second is her older brother, King Charles, who racked up 181 official engagements - the majority of which were before his mother's passing.

Aoife Hanna
Junior News Editor

Aoife is an Irish journalist and writer with a background in creative writing, comedy, and TV production.

Formerly woman&home's junior news editor and a contributing writer at Bustle, her words can be found in the Metro, Huffpost, Delicious, Imperica and EVOKE.

Her poetry features in the Queer Life, Queer Love anthology.

Outside of work you might bump into her at a garden center, charity shop, yoga studio, lifting heavy weights, or (most likely) supping/eating some sort of delicious drink/meal.