Queen Elizabeth's clever trick to avoid awkward fashion faux pas involved a special note

Queen Elizabeth's clever trick to avoid awkward fashion faux pas involved a special note and it’s now been shared by a former Prime Minister’s wife. 

• Queen Elizabeth’s method for ensuring that her guests didn’t wear the same shade or style of outfit as her has been revealed.
• Posting on social media former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie shared a note that was apparently left for her at Balmoral.
• This royal news comes as Kate Middleton dazzled in a chic, heat-beating white outfit for the Rugby World Cup, and a sweet video captured the moment she was applauded by a stadium full of fans. 

Throughout her historic 70-year reign the late Queen Elizabeth developed plenty of intriguing tricks to help her daily royal life run smoothly. From Queen Elizabeth’s signature make-up trick that the Princess of Wales never uses, to her trick to walk at royal engagements, she regularly put them to good use. But Queen Elizabeth’s clever trick to prevent any awkward fashion moments at big occasions is something that - until now - was a little less well-known. 

Taking to social media on the first anniversary of Her Majesty’s death on 8th September, Carrie Johnson, the wife of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has shed light on this ingenious idea.

In remembrance of Queen Elizabeth, Carrie reflected in her caption on how “lucky” she felt to have “got to meet and speak with her a little” and that Britain was “so lucky she was our Queen”. Alongside this, she posted a note that was reportedly left on her billow when she and Boris stayed at Balmoral Castle.

Each summer Queen Elizabeth used to travel to her beloved Aberdeenshire home and would invite the current Prime Minister and their partner to visit. The note Carrie posted revealed that Queen Elizabeth’s clever trick to avoid her guests matching her was to decide in advance what she would wear and let them know. 

“Ma’am, Her Majesty will be wearing an ice blue cocktail dress for dinner this evening,” the note declared.

Queen Elizabeth’s method was simple and effective, giving Carrie time to plan her dinner outfit around what the monarch was wearing. It allowed the former PM’s wife to avoid making the awkward fashion faux pas of wearing a similar ice blue shade or dress to dinner and inadvertently coordinating with Her Majesty. 

Although Queen Elizabeth’s clever trick was something that Carrie claimed was used at Balmoral when she stayed there, it’s not known for certain that it was used more regularly. However, since it seems like such a great way of ensuring Queen Elizabeth was always wearing a stand-out outfit it’s perhaps likely that this was something she often did. 

It was also no doubt incredibly useful for her guests as Queen Elizabeth’s love for so many pastel and vibrant shades might have made it hard to predict otherwise what she would wear. 

Majesty’s daughter-in-law the Duchess of Edinburgh previously explained on the Our Queen at Ninety documentary that she needed to be instantly recognisable.

“She needs to stand out for people to be able to say, ‘I saw the Queen,’” the Duchess said. “Don’t forget that when she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four… ten to fifteen deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the Queen’s hat as she went past.”

Queen Elizabeth’s fashion was iconic and the note sent to Carrie Johnson was a sweet sign of her thoughtfulness. Carrie’s post came as the Royal Family marked the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s passing, with King Charles attending a private service in Scotland and the Prince and Princess of Wales leading public tributes.