Princess Charlotte
The tradition behind her sailor look
In 2022, Prince Louis wore a sailor outfit, in 2023 Princess Charlotte opted for a white and red model, while in 2024 she opted for blue and white.
© Getty Images / Dana Press
At the Trooping the Colour parade in 2024, Princess Charlotte will present herself in a sailor-inspired look – the year before it was Prince Louis who wore maritime clothing. There is a tradition of the royal family behind this style.
Princess Charlotte: The 170-year-old tradition of sailor clothing
To find out the origins of the British royal family’s maritime predilection, we need to take a trip into the past. It all started with Queen Victoriawho ruled from 1837 to 1901 and had a lasting impact on society, its norms and traditions during her 63-year reign. The Queen was an enthusiastic supporter of the Royal Navy and British shipping in general – not necessarily out of personal interest, but rather as a sign of their patriotism for the British Empire, which they wanted to maintain and expand. Fleet parades and also took part in it himself.
© Print Collector / Getty Images
Out of this enthusiasm, Queen Victoria had a Sailor uniform for her eldest son Prince Edward VII. She wore it at the age of four on a trip around the Channel Islands as part of the naval parade. All the sailors gathered on deck were delighted and cheered him on, as the monarch herself wrote in her diary. It was the first time that such a garment had been worn by a member of the Royal Family. This positive experience seemed to have encouraged Victoria to further develop her preference for maritime clothing.
Victoria’s husband Prince Albert was so taken with the cute outfit that he Portrait of his son in this sailor suit from the German artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter as a Christmas present for Victoria. The royal family exhibited this work of art the following year at St. James’s Palace, where more than 100,000 visitors admired it. Prints and drawings of the portrait reached the public and caused lasting Enthusiasm for nautical children’s fashion Not only the British nobility loved sailor costumes, but also the common people. During the Victorian and Edwardian eras, the enthusiasm for seafaring continued – right up until the 20th century. Queen Victoria created a fashion trend that Princess Diana also loved.
Princess Diana’s weakness for nautical fashion
Even if Princess Diana was known for interpreting royal fashion protocol in a broad way, the traditional sailor trend played into her fashion cards. She loved the nautical style and showed it on countless occasions: bows, the typical collar or the sailor’s hat suit no one as well as the fashion icon.
© Getty Images
Of course, she extended her enthusiasm to her sons. Since the Victorian tradition was particularly popular with children, Diana did not hesitate to have her sons Prince William and Prince Harry to introduce the sailor trend at an early stage. Would you like a matching look? Why not!
© Princess Diana Archive / Getty Images
And so it came about that Prince William almost 40 years before his youngest son Prince Louis already in sailor costume waving from the balcony during the “Trooping the Colour” parade.
In 1985, Prince William celebrated the Trooping the Colour parade in a sailor outfit.
© Tim Graham / Getty Images
It is not the only example from this period in which the youngest royals were dressed in nautical clothing. At the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the royal family followed the example of their ancestors and wrapped the Flower children in cute sailor costumes.
A beautiful tradition that Princess Charlotte is continuing this year.