These are the royal protocols.
Deep red, summery yellow or baby blue, at the Glamial editorial team we are fans of a cheerful color on the nails. That’s why we also wondered: what is the royal etiquette for wearing nail polish?
Well-groomed hands
In general, as a princess or queen, it is important to at least have well-groomed hands. And that’s not such a crazy rule, because with all that shaking hands and polite waving, there are quite a few people who pay attention to the condition of your manicure. Dried out cuticles and chipped nails are of course not ideal, but it does not mean that as a royal lady you are not allowed to wear nail polish at all.
Neutral color
Wearing nail polish has long been a sensitive issue in royal circles. For example, the late Queen Elizabeth was known for always having neutral nails, and according to sources she even thought colors on her nails were tacky. Although that doesn’t mean she always kept her nails purely natural: Elizabeth would always have used nail polish in Essie’s iconic color Ballet Slippers, a very subtle shade of baby pink. Duchess Kate is also a fan, as she wore the color on her wedding day.
Different colours
Many princesses, duchesses and queens still adhere to the rule that nothing beats natural. Now we can hear you thinking: ‘how come Máxima regularly appears on the scene with brightly painted nails?’. But there is a simple answer: Máxima is simply Máxima, and she knows better than anyone how to look chic and well-groomed, even with painted nails.
Like here, during the state visit to Sint Maarten in June 2023, when Máx opted for a subtle chocolate brown color:
But our queen would also love a bright red nail polish:
And although she is not a princess, Eloise of Orange also proves that boring manicures are no longer the standard in royal circles:
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Resume
Nail polish ordinary? Wow! As far as we are concerned, we are letting that old myth disappear and we are simply giving today’s princesses and queens the space to experiment with bright colors and cool patterns on their nails. Perhaps our Máxima and the three A’s can get some inspiration from their niece Elo, because she is of course the real trendsetter when it comes to colors and prints.
Source: Royalty Online, Instagram @eloisevanoranje | Image: NL Image
