Celebrities Who Broke Tradition At Royal Weddings

Ah, to be a royal. Sure, you get to live in palaces and grand estates, but you also have a novel-length etiquette guide that you're constantly required to follow. And when outsiders and celebrities are invited to royal-hosted events, they are naturally expected to adapt and adhere to these strict guidelines, too, especially at ultra-traditional affairs like royal weddings.

While the rules can seem a bit stifling and could certainly use a 21st century update, if you're attending a royal wedding, it might seem like a snub and interpreted as rude if you don't follow the protocols, etiquette rules, and dress codes. This advice especially applies to famous individuals who the media and other guests pay extra attention to and watch with scrutinizing eyes. 

However, occasionally celebrities are clueless about such restrictions or purposely disobey them in defiance. Here are a few of those times when celebrities raised some eyebrows by breaking tradition at royal weddings.

Princess Eugenie's wedding invitations reportedly instructed "female guests" to wear their "day dress with hat," per W magazine. So model and actor Cara Delevigne definitely defied the dress code when she opted for a suit and top hat instead for the royal event.

Initially, her outfit seemed like a bold defiance of the clearly-stated rules, but later Delevigne admitted that she had gotten permission from the bride, whom she has been friends with since childhood. Delevingne reportedly told Grazia, "Eugenie has been a friend of mine since I was a kid and I've always wanted to wear tails ... I texted her, as I wasn't sure about it and she was like: 'Of course, I expected nothing else from you!'" (via Hello!).

Regardless of gender, the rules concerning wearing a top hat remain the same: "a top hat should be carried, not worn, inside the church" (per the Irish Examiner). A rule Delevingne might not have been aware of considering she was captured on camera walking about with it still on her head, along with a toothpick in her mouth.

An OBE is an honor given to civilians by the Queen. It stands for "Officer of the Order of the British Empire," and according to the Scottish Sun, it's "generally given to people who have made a major contribution to their line of work, or whose work has gained national prominence." The famous English footballer, David Beckham, was given the honor in 2003.

It's traditional and suggested to wear any medals that represent honors given by the queen when attending royal weddings. But when Beckham showed up to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011, he was wearing his medal on the wrong lapel. Photographs after the ceremony show that he left wearing it on the correct side, so it seems he realized his mistake (or was called out on it) at some point. 

It's also tradition to show your patriotism at a royal wedding by wearing a British designer. According to Town & Country, attendees are expected to "make a patriotic fashion choice." Thus, Beckham also broke tradition at William and Kate's wedding by wearing a morning suit by Ralph Lauren, an American designer.

You would think black would be a safe, conservative choice for a royal wedding where guests are expected to show up in more toned-down looks. But for the English, wearing black is still associated with traditional mourning dress. Before Coco Chanel's "little black dress" took the fashion world by storm, black was merely "reserved for funerals," according to Dazed.

For this reason, royal wedding dress codes advise guests to avoid black and very dark hues. However, several celebrity guests either didn't get the memo or chose to ignore this guideline. For example, Liv Tyler's outfit at Princess Eugenie's wedding could easily be mistaken for a funeral look, with its nearly-black navy hue and conservative cut. And she wasn't the only celeb to show up to Eugenie's nuptials in a dark color. Naomi Campbell wore a tweed black ombre dress with black leather gloves. And while her look was chic AF, it isn't in keeping with royal wedding tradition.

In 2011, Victoria Beckham's dark navy look drew criticism. The Daily Mail said of her outfit for William and Kate's nuptials: "The effect was more suitable for a funeral than a wedding." While the publication's judgment of the look was a bit harsh, Beckham apparently didn't listen to the critics, considering she ended up wearing a similar dark-hued look to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle several years later.

Sarah Rafferty, Markle's "Suits" co-star, must also be mentioned for wearing a midnight blue dress that verged on looking too formal for daytime, stylish as it was.

According to official royal wedding etiquette, "Women are expected to wear formal dresses or suits, to avoid halter necks, sleeveless gowns, spaghetti straps and mini-skirts" (per the Irish Examiner). So when author/podcaster and daughter of TV presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, Chloe Madeley, wore a spaghetti strap dress to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, she definitely raised some eyebrows.

She has since opened up about the fashion choice and explained that she had planned to wear a jacket but lost it during the trip to the church. On ITV's "Lorraine" talk show, Madeley explained that she was wearing the jacket in transit when she got overheated and, at her husband's suggestion, took it off with plans to put it back on before entering the church.

Madeley was surprised upon arrival that her jacket was nowhere to be found. She didn't know that it was such a faux pas to show off so much of her shoulders and chest, recalling on the talk show (via their Twitter), "I'm going in shoulders out. It's fine, it's not a big deal, nobody will care. Yes, people definitely cared. People were like, 'You're offending the House of the Lord', and I was like, '...I did not need a religious war.' But, you know, it's okay, lesson learned."

It's tradition for ladies to don a fancy hat to a royal wedding, but actor Carey Mulligan stuck to a simpler look and avoided the fuss of an elaborate fascinator or an extravagant headpiece when she attended the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Instead, she opted to pull her hair back with what appeared to be a large white-feathered hair clip. The lack of traditional headwear worked in Mulligan's favor as the Daily Mail wrote that she "oozes elegance" in her wedding ensemble, and Harper's Bazaar named her as one of the "best-dressed guests at the royal wedding."

Mulligan, however, revealed that attending the royal wedding wasn't as fun as it might sound. The "Promising Young Woman" actor agreed with TV host Graham Norton that the wedding guests were "kind of" on lockdown. Mulligan explained, "The main problem was that I didn't think that there would be a toilet, so I didn't drink anything, so I got quite dehydrated. ... You kind of have to make provision for all the craziness that was going on." The star added, "I was super focused on just not falling over." Yikes, sounds like the dress code isn't the only thing that can be stifling about royal weddings. It turns out that there was a toilet, thank goodness.

While it is indeed tradition to wear a hat, on the flip side, it's customary to not wear anything too eccentric. In Town & Country's guide to royal wedding etiquette, Lucy Hume, "associate director of an etiquette coaching company," advised, "Resist novelty elements or anything that will draw too much attention away from the bride." Etiquette instructor William Hanson also noted, "It's in a church, so you can't have a huge hat because no one behind you will be able to see."

Princess Beatrice is known for breaking advised hat etiquette and wearing over-the-top head pieces to royal festivities, like the butterfly fascinator she wore when she attended Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly's wedding. But the hat that wins the award for the most bizarre is the one she wore to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The hat was reportedly "mocked endlessly online," with users on social media claiming it looked like everything from "fallopian tubes" to "a creature from Dr. Who," per The Hollywood Reporter.

The designer of the hat, Philip Treacy, received serious backlash over his odd creation. "There was a moment when I thought I'd find myself, you know, my head on a spike outside the Tower of London. ... But, it was a very modern hat, and modernity is always unusual things," Treacy said on BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs." All of the media attention and discussions about the hat definitely diverted too much attention from the nuptials and clearly broke traditional protocol.

Meghan Markle invited her former co-stars from the series "Suits" to attend her wedding. Considering they are predominantly American, they had a lot of catching up to do on royal etiquette. One rule they didn't seem to hear about: no selfies.

It's a major no-no to post on social media at royal weddings, especially before the official wedding photographs are released. "Royal editor" Duncan Larcombe explained to Cosmopolitan, "Guests will be told not to take pictures at any [part] of the day." There are strict guidelines against updating social media, too. Metro reported that "guests have apparently been asked to leave their phones at home, as they won't be allowed inside the church. Selfies are also a big faux-pas."

Thus, "Suits" cast members definitely went against royal guidelines when they took a group selfie (via Hello!) and posted it to Instagram before the wedding even started, and when actor Patrick J. Adams posted a selfie with wife Troian Bellisario in front of Windsor Castle.

But they aren't the only celebrities to ever post to socials at a royal wedding. Naomi Campbell also updated social media (via Town & Country) from inside Princess Eugenie's wedding, which is even worse and definitely flouts traditional etiquette.

It might come as a surprise that it is frowned upon to expose your toes at a royal wedding (or at any formal royal event), even in the summer. Harper's Bazaar reported that "female guests" at Prince Harry and Meghan's "wedding were instructed to avoid open-toe shoes." William Hanson, "etiquette expert," explained to the publication, "Open-toed shoes are considered informal footwear and inappropriate for formal occasions."

If that's the case, then "Pretty Little Liars" actor Troian Bellisario went against royal wedding dress code when she wore heeled sandals to witness Meghan and Harry tie the knot. Bellisario told The Daily Telegraph that she had anxiety over the dress code, particularly the hat, explaining, "You could get one that is an absolute piece of art, but then are you being too vain and trying to call too much attention to yourself? Or if you get a fascinator that's very small, are you not going for tradition? I'd never needed a fascinator in my life, and here I was trying to walk this tightrope of 'don't go too big, don't go too small.' It was a nightmare."

Unfortunately Bellisario seemed to have been so worried about whether or not she was breaking tradition with the hat that the idea of her shoes becoming a faux pas never crossed her mind. Who could blame her for having anxiety about getting things right?

Businesswoman Chelsy Davy, who is known for being the ex-girlfriend of Prince Harry, raised a few eyebrows when she attended the wedding of her former beau. Not only because of her status as his ex, but also because she broke a few dress code rules. Metro reported at the time, "With her outfit, she actually flouted three of the rather stuffy royal wedding rules that stated no open-toed shoes, above-the-knee dresses or bare legs."

You could also argue that the ensemble's navy hue was too dark, and several critics agreed. The Mirror claimed that Chelsy Davy "was ridiculed for wearing what first seemed to be a black dress for Harry's nuptials to Meghan Markle, prompting spectators to joke she must have been in mourning." That same year, when she attended Princess Eugenie's royal wedding, she was careful to cover her knees and wear closed-toe shoes this time around, but oddly decided to stick to the same hue of dark blue, risking that others might make the "mourning" claim once again.

It's frowned upon and viewed as disrespectful to chew gum in a church in England, especially in front of the queen! Royal weddings typically include both the church and the queen, an unlucky fact for guests who desire to freshen their breath. As it turns out, it's not a good look to be chomping away in the presence of the lord or her majesty.

Singer Robbie Williams clearly didn't get the memo about this etiquette rule and was caught on camera enjoying some minty freshness. According to the Evening Standard, fans took to Twitter to express their disgust over the incident, saying things like, "Shame Robbie Williams has no social skills, sitting there chewing gum" and "Robbie Williams chewing gum. Yuk." Another user snootily labeled him a "commoner."

As silly as it seems to make a fuss over something as frivolous as gum, Williams has not been the only celeb to be accused of the almost-unforgivable mistake. David Beckham was also caught chewing gum at Harry and Meghan's wedding, and the press had a field day with that one, too, as it sparked internet jokes aplenty.

When Sabrina Dhowre Elba showed up to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle alongside her now-husband Idris Elba, her Gucci ensemble seemed like a safe, conservative choice at first glance. But the long cardigan was a near-black color, and beneath the cardigan was a white dress, which is a major no-no at a royal wedding. Hollywood.com also reported that "the ensemble drew criticism online, with many calling it too casual in comparison to the other guests."

Idris Elba quickly came to his then-fiancee's defense. In a now-deleted Instagram post, the "Thor" actor reportedly recreated their conversation before the wedding alongside a photo of them in their wedding ensembles, captioned, "Sabbi: How do I look? Me: You look beautiful Sabbi!! Let's go see Harry and Meghan get married and make history. Sabbi: Boom (fist bump). Me: (fist bump) @sabrinadhowre I love you. @!@@ the haters.. #Happiness" (via Hollywood.com). And who can blame him for calling out the haters? After all, her Gucci look definitely ticked the required boxes of simplicity and timelessness that royal wedding guests should strive for.

While guests are encouraged to not wear white to any wedding, it's laid out as an official code for royal weddings so as not to upstage the royal wedding dress. Per traditional etiquette protocols, "wearing cream or white must be left to the bride" (via the Irish Examiner). Even though that seems obvious, there have been several celebrities who have infringed on this instruction.

For instance, Joss Stone technically broke the rule at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding. Although her white dress did have a pattern, it was mostly white, and she paired it with a white fascinator.

Pippa Middleton oddly wore white in her sister Kate's wedding to Prince William. While it's true that royal child bridesmaids typically wear white, Pippa — as a full grown woman — could have easily been mistaken for the bride. However, Marie Claire reported that Pippa's dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, was meant to poetically connect the sisters, using the same buttons and lace. So perhaps they decided to stick with white to also add to that effect.

Actor and model Ayda Field sparked criticism when she wore what appeared to be a white Armani skirt suit to Princess Eugenie's wedding. While others claimed it was more of a cream or a gray color, the fact that it sparked debate at all confirms that it was too close to white.

In British royal weddings, a groom's "best man" isn't really a thing. At least, it wasn't until Prince William named his brother, Prince Harry, as his best man in his 2011 wedding. According to The Guardian, "Bridegrooms in royal weddings traditionally chose a 'supporter' instead of a best man." But Prince William wanted to break from this tradition and give his brother a title that he felt was more deserving, reportedly telling The Times that the title "had more relevance to his life than the alternative" (via Hello!).

His betrothed Kate Middleton broke a similar tradition by naming her sister, Pippa, as "maid of honor." Marlene Koenig, a "royalty expert," explained to Town & Country: "Most royal brides do not have adult bridesmaids ... The Duchess of Cambridge having her sister, Pippa, was unusual." And indeed, at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, Markle resumed the tradition and only had children in her wedding party. Her bridegroom, Prince Harry, also broke from the tradition and named Prince William his "best man" at the 2018 marriage ceremony, which only seemed right considering his brother had given him the honor first.

Royal brides have always donned the expected traditional symbol for being taken: the wedding band on the left ring finger. However, the husbands of the royal family have a different tradition: keeping their fingers naked. You've maybe never noticed the lack of male wedding rings in recent royal history. The queen's husband never wore a wedding band, Prince Charles didn't wear a ring when married to Diana (though he wears a tiny one on his pinky now), and even Prince William opted out of ring-wearing after his marriage (via the Daily Mail).

Though the tradition has been explained as nothing more than a "personal preference," Vogue noted that it also may stem from upper-class etiquette guides, particularly "Debrett's New Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners," which states, "It is customary for the bride alone to sport a wedding ring." 

Thus, Prince Harry went against etiquette rules and his own family's tradition when he decided to wear a proper wedding band. It was a very modern choice, as much of his relationship with Meghan Markle has proved to be.