Wimbledon just wouldn’t be Wimbledon anymore without at least one appearance from the Princess of Wales and she was joined by Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte on the final day. Charlotte enjoyed a treat trip to the tennis with her mum and aunt Pippa last year - minus her big brother - but it was lovely to see them together again this July.
Princess Charlotte was as impeccably stylish as the Princess of Wales, and there was a sure-fire sign that school’s out for the summer - she had nail polish on. Many UK schools are strict about if you can wear it and the young royal went for a fun strawberries and cream pink shade.
In moments of shock or awe during the match she raised her hands to her face and gave fans more of a glimpse of her colour of choice. I’m particularly interested, as it highlights a change since the late Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
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Princess Charlotte’s beloved great-grandmother preferred wearing light nude-pink tones on her nails. Famously, Essie’s Ballet Slippers was apparently her go-to with short nails and this is very popular right now with the appropriately-named Princess nail trend.
Although there wasn’t an official rule against dark or bright polishes, it’s said to have become an unofficial rule that royal women would follow the Queen’s example. I’ve only ever seen Kate with a bright colour polish once since becoming a senior royal and that was when she wore cherry red at Easter at Windsor Castle in 2023.
Charlotte’s pink nails at Wimbledon aren’t quite that bold, but they’re still a big step up from Queen Elizabeth’s favourite colour.
"It was lovely to see Princess Charlotte sporting such a bright, summery nail colour at the Wimbledon final," says woman&home’s Digital Beauty Writer Naomi Jamieson. "The shade reminds me of strawberry bubblegum, which feels so on-trend with all the warm pink and sorbet-inspired nail looks proving popular this season."
In Naomi’s view, Princess Charlotte’s nails feel like "quite a modern twist" on the "more traditional royal manicures we’re used to seeing".
She adds, "As many will know, Queen Elizabeth favoured more of a subtle, neutral pink manicure - the sort that goes with everything and never fails to feel timeless - and here, we see Charlotte putting her own playful spin on her great-grandmother's favourite."
This was the first time Charlotte has worn polish to Wimbledon and perhaps she’s taking after her great-aunt Duchess Sophie. The Duchess of Edinburgh has been spotted wearing brighter polishes more often in recent years and she loves pink hues.
It might seem like a subtle detail but seeing Princess Charlotte with her pretty pink nails could indicate there’s been a shift to a more relaxed approach. After all, many girls her age would want to wear fun nail polish and Prince William and Kate recognise that.
The tone of pink is still very wearable day-to-day compared to red or neon colours and her wearing it could tie in with the Waleses’s parenting style. They reportedly want their children to have as normal an upbringing as possible for royal kids and part of that is surely letting them follow trends and not worry quite so much about sticking to every single tradition.
