The one color Queen Camilla will never wear - and she’s got her own special name for it!

There's one color Queen Camilla will never wear and it couldn't be more different to the one the late Queen Elizabeth stayed away from...

The color Queen Camilla will never wear. Seen here she attends QIPCO British Champions Day
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

There’s one color Queen Camilla will never wear - and she’s even got her own special name for it! 


If there’s one color the British royals are more than a little fond of it’s definitely blue and the Royal Family wear blue regularly to engagements, with Queen Camilla switching up shades in recent weeks alone. Queen Camilla elevated a floral dress with a baby blue box jacket in Newmarket and her patterned silk dress for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show had a stunning navy base-color. Queen Camilla is also often seen in beautiful white or green outfits with the occasional red look, however there’s something that won’t be included in her closet anytime soon. 

There’s one color Queen Camilla will never wear and has her own name for this no-go shade. Unlike the late Queen Elizabeth who stepped out in everything from lavender to lilac outfits, when it comes to colors that fall under ‘purple’, mauve is out for Queen Camilla. 

Queen Camilla sits on a bench in London Square Community Garden

(Image credit: Photo by Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Her Majesty opened up to British Vogue last year ahead of her 75th birthday and as they prepared for the accompanying photos, it was revealed that the publication had come across some wisteria growing in the Clarence House gardens weeks earlier. They had apparently asked Queen Camilla might have anything in a similar shade and that it was an “absolute no-go”.

Instead, they revealed that the Queen apparently has a “dedicated phrase” for the shade - “Menopausal mauve”. After learning of the one color Queen Camilla will never wear it perhaps seems obvious that we’ve never seen her in mauve before. 

For the Commonwealth Day service in 2022 she wore a bold purple coat dress with a matching hat and she’s previously worn similarly dark shades of purple in 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2018. 

Queen Camilla wearing dark purple outfits on four occasions

(Image credit: Future// Image 1: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images// Image 2: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images//Image 3: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images//Image 4: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

But mauve isn’t something she’s been photographed wearing in recent decades, despite more pastel or lighter colors being a popular choice for the warmer months. With all eyes on her at important public engagements and events, however, it’s important that Queen Camilla wear colors that she loves. 

During the late Queen Elizabeth’s reign she was known for her passion for vibrant tones with full color-block looks and matching hats. 

Her daughter-in-law Duchess Sophie previously explained on the documentary, Our Queen at Ninety, "Don't forget that when she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, ten, 15 deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the Queen's hat as she went past. She needs to stand out for people to be able to say 'I saw the Queen'."  

Queen Elizabeth attends the Out-Sourcing Inc. Royal Windsor Cup polo match

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

Meanwhile, whilst mauve might be the one color Queen Camilla will never wear, Queen Elizabeth’s color she never wore was incredibly different. According to The Mirror, royal author Robert Hardman once claimed that Queen Elizabeth once declared she’d never wear a neutral tone.

"My favorite remark she ever said was, 'I can ever wear beige because nobody will know who I am,” he wrote. 

Emma Shacklock

Emma is a Royal Editor with eight years experience working in publishing. Her specialist areas include the British Royal Family, ranging from protocol to outfits. Alongside putting her royal knowledge to good use, Emma knows all there is to know about the latest TV shows on the BBC, ITV and more. When she’s not writing about the next unmissable show to add to your to-watch list or delving into royal protocol, Emma enjoys cooking, long walks and watching yet more crime dramas!