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Outrageous outfits celebrities wore to meet Queen Elizabeth: Lady Gaga’s latex, Spice Girls’ platform sneakers, Jennifer Lopez’s cut-outs and other daring looks that shocked the British royals

Katy Perry and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell both got Prince Charles’ attention, while Lady Gaga may have been out to startle Queen Elizabeth. Photo: Getty, AFP
The British royals might be globally famous, but they inhabit a rather different plateau to regular celebrities – a rigid world of often bizarre protocols and tightly stage-managed public appearances.

But of course some of these responsibilities include meeting and greeting regular A-listers – the kind that have earned their fame through exceeding in arts, entertainment and sport, rather than being born into it. And such encounters are inevitably often a culture clash at best, and a train wreck at worse.

Here we salute some of the celebrities who were called out – for better or worse – after donning especially “daring” attire to meet members of the royal family.

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In 1997, Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls posed next to Prince Charles while wearing platform trainers (gasp!)

 

She paired the bold footwear with sparkling blue shorts and a white tank top that had blue sequins and a V-shaped neckline. She wore the ensemble to a Royal Gala held to celebrate the 21st anniversary of The Prince’s Trust.

Britain’s Prince of Wales with the pop group Spice Girls at the Royal Gala celebrating the Prince’s Trust 21st Anniversary in Manchester, in May 9, 1997. Photo: AP Photo

Prince Charles, on the other hand, donned a traditional black suit.

Halliwell and the rest of her bandmates then wore equally daring outfits while taking a photo with Prince Harry

Britain’s Prince Charles and Prince Harry meet Spice Girls – Geri, Mel B, Emma, Victoria (holding the Prince’s hand) and Mel C – backstage during the Two Nations concert in Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo: Reuters

Ready to appear on stage, the band wore their typical, drastically different outfits that represented their individual styles. Halliwell chose a red skirt, white crop top and red platform heels, while Mel B wore grey velvet pants, a matching bralette and white trainers.

Emma Bunton opted for a green mini dress and platform trainers, Victoria Beckham wore a white bralette under a pantsuit, and Melanie C looked athletic in a blue sports top, matching pants and running shoes.

The Spice Girls wore their signature looks again to shake hands with Queen Elizabeth

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, left, shakes hands with Geri Halliwell of the pop group Spice Girls as Emma, Victoria, Mel C and Mel B look on, after their 1997 appearance at the Royal Variety performance at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre. Photo: AP

The Queen attended the Spice Girls’ 1997 performance at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre in a metallic, short-sleeved dress, mid-length gloves and gold jewels.

The Spice Girls wore bolder looks. Emma Lee Bunton wore a white sleeveless gown, while Victoria Beckham chose a brown strapless dress with a short slit down the side.

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Melanie C wore the most casual look of the group, which included a tank top, red pants, and trainers.

Halliwell shook the queen’s hand while wearing a white halter gown, and Brown sported an animal-print bra, open shirt and velvet pants.

Liz Hurley was wearing a glamorous gown with daring details when she met Prince Charles in 1999

Actress Liz Hurley and Prince Charles at Syon House, West London, in June 1999. Photo: Getty Images

For the De Beers/Versace Diamonds are Forever celebration that year, Hurley wore a sleeveless pink gown that was covered in sparkles. It had a plunging, scoop-style neckline, a thigh-high slit and sheer panels on the bottom of its skirt.

Prince Charles went with his classic tuxedo look that night.

Lenny Kravitz, on the other hand, wore a more unique style while shaking hands with the Prince of Wales in 2004

Prince Charles a the Party In The Park fundraising concert in Hyde Park, shaking hands with Lionel Richie, watched by Geri Halliwell and Lenny Kravitz. Photo: Getty

The two met at an outdoor concert held at Hyde Park in London, England. Whereas Prince Charles wore a grey suit and red tie, Kravitz wore a mesh shirt, a studded denim jacket and an oversized knit hat. Lionel Richie kept it classy, though, naturally.

Lady Gaga met the queen while wearing what looked like a Halloween costume

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth Lady Gaga following the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, England, in December 2009. Photo: AFP
Her look that night included a red latex dress with a high neckline and puffy sleeves. Lady Gaga also wore pointed red boots, curled blonde hair and exaggerated eye shadow embellished with make-up jewels. Quite the contrast.

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Jennifer Lopez sported a dress with daring cut-outs to an event where she met Prince William and Kate Middleton

The Duke and Duchess attend a Bafta reception, at the Belasco Theatre, with Jennifer Lopez. Photo: Getty Images

Her green gown had a slit across her chest and shoulder, and another triangular cut-out across her waist. She wore the dress for the 2011 Bafta Brits to Watch event, where she met Prince William and Kate Middleton, who were both dressed like royalty.

Middleton chose a pastel dress with a ruched bodice, and the Duke of Cambridge opted for a classic tuxedo.

In 2013, Cara Delevingne wore a cut-out dress and unusual accessories for an event hosted by Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles

Model and actress Cara Delevingne meets with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at a reception hosted by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, for a charity working to save the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild, at Clarence House in July 2013. Photo: WPA Pool/Getty Images

The model’s look included a sleeveless dress with fabric that wrapped around her waist and tied into a bow across her shoulder to create an open back. She also seemingly wore a leather belt as a headband.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall sported more subdued looks. The prince wore a blue suit and Camilla wore a white dress with a matching bedazzled jacket.

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Lady Gaga wore another stand-out look during a meeting with Prince Harry in 2015

Britian’s Prince Harry meets with US singers Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett at a WellChild charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in June 2015. Photo: EPA

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett were pictured meeting the Duke of Sussex before a gala concert in London, England.

Bennett went with a classic black suit and tie for the performance; meanwhile Lady Gaga wore a metallic long-sleeved dress with a plunging scoop-style neckline.

The musician also had her hair tied in a bun and wore jewels across her eyebrows.

Katy Perry wore a dress with a mesh top and plunging neckline for a royal event in February 2020

Prince Charles with Katy Perry as they arrive to attend a reception for supporters of the British Asian Trust on February 4, 2020. Photo: WPA Pool/Getty Images

Her outfit included a blue strapless dress over a long-sleeved, sparkling mesh shirt. She looked elegant while standing next to Prince Charles, who wore a black tuxedo, on a red carpet of a reception held for supporters of the British Asian Trust.

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In October 2021, Emma Watson wore a custom ensemble made from old wedding dresses at an event hosted by Prince William and Kate Middleton

English actress Emma Watson on stage, during the first Earthshot Prize awards ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London. Photo: PA Wire/DPA

Designed by Harris Reed, the outfit included a sleeveless top with a lace neckline covered in cut-outs. The white shirt was also backless and had a tulle bodice that extended to the floor on her right side.

This article originally appeared on Insider.
  • J Lo sported daring cut-outs to meet Prince William and Kate, while Emma Watson wore a garment of recycled wedding dresses, and Gaga went all Halloween costume to meet the queen
  • Prince Charles appeared to enjoy his colourful backstage meets with 90s girl group Spice Girls, and Katy Perry sure turned heads with a plunging neckline