As the Princess of Wales attended an Easter service in Windsor at the weekend, it wasn’t her head-to-toe royal blue outfit that eagle-eyed royal watchers noticed.
It was the unexpected shock of red on the tips of her fingers.
The splash of bright polish is something seldom seen on royal mittens and, according to the Daily Mail, is thought to be because of the late Queen’s rules about nail polish.
Royal etiquette expert William Hanson told the Sun “hot red and bright pink, for example, are not correct, especially for official occasions and particularly during mourning”.
Instead, the Queen permitted barely-there shades such as “translucent or dusky pink” and deemed coloured nails “vulgar”.
The Princess of Wales’ decision to paint her nails a bold red is a reminder that the late monarch’s reign has ended and a new era is beginning, one in which Kate may come to dictate what’s considered appropriate in terms of royal dress codes.
![The late Queen is understood to have considered coloured nail polish vulgar but fans are loving the Princess of Wales' bright choice. Photo / Getty Images](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/4B4TQVHQH5DP3EZR4HOLVEODGE.jpg?auth=5f368cc6b91be576b90136f4d9552789ac2120f822e9cd1b336e29d18a31e342&width=16&height=20&quality=70&smart=true)
And as far as royal fans appear to be concerned, Kate’s polish is a nod to that new era that didn’t go unnoticed.
One Twitter user wrote: “Royals in blue at Easter services today in Windsor. And more colour than usual on Kate’s nails.”
Another added: “Are you seeing what I’m seeing? Look at the princess’ finger nails... surprising.”
And some were instant fans, with one tweeting: “Loving Catherine’s dark nail polish” while others echoed similar sentiments writing “love it”.
While the princess appears to have found favour with her edgy fingertips, it wasn’t the case in 2018 when sister-in-law Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, attended the British Fashion Awards wearing dark nail polish.
At the time, royal experts said Markle was breaking the Queen’s long-held rule about coloured nails.
![Meghan Markle wore dark nail polish at the 2018 Fashion Awards. Photo / Getty Images](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/XXULRPLQ7BCFHFWOKCBSF3OJ7A.jpg?auth=93507656acf0ebe6ab864850b4d755f942f0c1133dd8db2010d9808004bf4b4a&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Beyond the chatter about the Princess of Wales’ nails, there was delight in the attendance of the mother-of-three’s youngest son, Prince Louis, who joined the traditional service for the first time.
And while the family were all dressed in royal blue, Kate was noted as re-wearing a long Catherine Walker coat and a custom £825 ($1655) pill box hat for the occasion at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
![Prince Louis and the Princess of Wales attend the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St George's Chapel in Windsor, England. Photo / Getty Images](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/OHTZNZB7HNFPBGG3KLCXYVBZJE.jpg?auth=3107a7b571cdc4a9dd13cbef7777fd1c6232b2d9b14bd945fe2cfff76b5eb3e8&width=16&height=16&quality=70&smart=true)