Queen Camilla’s ruffled sapphire blue dress makes low-key nod to Kate Middleton’s signature summer style

Queen Camilla’s ruffled sapphire blue dress made a low-key nod to Kate Middleton’s signature summer style as she hosted a special reception. 

• The King and Queen hosted a reception on the 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
• For this special literary occasion Queen Camilla opted for a bold blue dress that featured a subtle pattern not often worn by her.
• This royal news comes as fans saw Princess Anne's “iconic” sunglasses strike again as the royal protected her eyes like a true fashionista. 

Just a few days after there was an epic first for Queen Camilla when her birthday was marked with a 41 gun salute in London, she was back undertaking her royal duties, this time at Windsor Castle. She and King Charles were joined by the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester as they hosted a reception attended by acting royalty including Joely Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave and Dame Judi Dench. The reception was held in honour of the 400th anniversary of the publication of the first printed edition of William Shakespeare’s plays which is known as the First Folio. 

Known for her love of literature, Her Majesty went all-out in blue for the reception. The Royal Family wears blue often but Queen Camilla’s ruffled sapphire blue dress put a fun twist on her classic style with a nod to Kate Middleton.

£39.50 at Marks and Spencer UK

V-Neck Midi Relaxed Tiered Dress | £39.50 ($50.99)| M&S 

This more casual take on Queen Camilla's bold blue dress features beautiful short sleeves and a tunic-style v-neckline. The tiered skirt and bright blue shade make this a lovely easy breezy piece for summer.

£95 at Marks and Spencer UK

Finery London Polka Dot Button Through Midi Waisted Dress | £95 ($122) | M&S

Put your own twist on Queen Camilla's ruffled sapphire blue dress with this gorgeous navy polka dot midi dress. With short sleeves, a waist belt and open-collar neckline, this is the perfect versatile piece to bring this popular pattern to your wardrobe.

The Queen chose to wear a dress by one of her favourite designers, Fiona Clare, which featured her signature tunic-style neckline and three-quarter length sleeves. However, despite its similarities with another of Queen Camilla’s collarless dresses, this one had stunning ruffles. These descended down the front of the bodice and also featured on the fluted sleeves, with the A-line skirt flaring out flatteringly from the waist.

Though perhaps the most eye-catching part of Queen Camilla’s ruffled sapphire blue dress compared to her usual style was the pattern. As we’ve seen with Queen Camilla’s navy floral dress and her versatile summer shirt dress, Her Majesty tends to stick to botanical or geometric prints on her clothing.

Of course, there are always exceptions like Queen Camilla’s emerald patterned shirt dress which had large white dots on it, but typically she doesn’t often wear spots, especially not tiny ones. All over the Windsor Castle reception dress were a range of tiny dots in what appear from photos to be a range of blues and white. 

The pattern is very subtle but adds another point of interest and a sense of fun to this otherwise very classic outfit. It’s also a print that the Princess of Wales is very fond of and after polka dots dominated her summer wardrobe in 2022 it’s come back again recently with several of her 2023 looks.

Kate Middleton’s polka dot dress and Mulberry bag were a stunning choice back in June and she wore a white and black spotty dress for the Order of the Garter service. Perhaps Queen Camilla’s ruffled sapphire blue dress was Her Majesty’s way of trying out Kate Middleton’s polka dot styling in a more low-key way, whilst still keeping it true to her. Either way, it was a beautiful outfit for a special night where they got to enjoy several Shakespeare extracts being performed.