Kate’s face mask is floral, the queen keeps hers simple, Camilla prefers peacock look – how British royals express themselves through choice of protective wear

Many of us might just grab whatever clean mask we can before heading out the door, but for royals, it must first be carefully matched to today’s outfit. Would you wear peacock patterns like Camilla, subtle floral like Kate, or keep it pure and simple like the queen?

The queen, long known for her carefully matched outfits, is now upholding her precise fashion standards when it comes to wearing face masks.

Queen Elizabeth made her first public appearance wearing a mask at the weekend when the 94-year-old monarch visited the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey and laid flowers there.

To fit the occasion, the mask was black and lined with an elegant white stripe to match the rest of her attire.

The queen was following the lead of other royals who have been spotted in face masks at numerous public events – with very different fashionable accents.

While Kate, Duchess of Cambridge has donned several subtly ornate masks in delicate floral and dappled patterns, Duchess Camilla has been a bit louder and has even been seen wearing masks in leopard-skin prints.

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“Look at those visors,” Camilla said, wearing a peacock pattern mask at a July event. “I cannot speak through this. Those visors are much easier.”

Her husband, the 71-year-old Prince Charles, has said he likes to support weavers and artists in Myanmar when he buys face masks. The heir to the throne was himself infected with the coronavirus during the first wave, but suffered only mild symptoms.

The queen’s decision to begin wearing a face mask comes after she was severely criticised after she – like her grandson Prince William – was seen not wearing a mask at an event in mid-October.

“The queen should be a role model,” says Graham Smith of Republic, an organisation that campaigns for the abolition of the monarchy.

Smith fails to see how her failure to wear a face mask fits with the rules issued for others across Britain. Buckingham Palace, for its part, disputes any violation of rules on wearing face masks.

At the Sunday ceremony in London, the royals joined high-ranking politicians and veterans to commemorate the fallen of the two world wars – again without masks.

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At the Sunday ceremony in London, the royals joined high-ranking politicians and veterans to commemorate the fallen of the two world wars – again without masks.

Because of a surge in infections in recent weeks, the event was much smaller than usual, and while thousands would normally turn up, this time no public audience was present.

And yet for the first time in months, a whole group of royals could be seen without face masks.

This was all in accordance with the official rules, said a palace spokeswoman who stressed that enough distance was maintained at the open-air event.

And how do the other royal and imperial families feel about masks? The members of the Japanese imperial house and Queen Sonja of Norway don’t seem object to them. Queen Mathilde of Belgium, meanwhile, has made them the focus of her outfit, wearing them in a strong royal blue and precisely matched patterns.