Meghan Markle made a surprising cameo at the British Fashion Awards last night, but her choice of nail color raised some eyebrows. Rather than opting for a natural, light manicure like royal women often do, she went for a rich, dark shade to match her black velvet Givenchy gown.
Despite cries of “broken protocol,” the Duchess of Sussex’s mani didn’t actually breach any regal rules. “There’s no actual protocol about dark nail polish,” royal correspondent Omid Scobie told BAZAAR.com. “It’s simply about being appropriate—we’d never see this at a royal engagement. [The British Fashion Awards ceremony] is a celebration of fashion and there’s a lot more flexibility on what one can wear.”
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Meghan also isn’t the only member of the family to sport darker nails; Kate Middleton has dabbled in bolder shades, too. The biggest difference, however, is that she’s worn them on her toes. The Duchess of Cambridge has actually stepped out with dark pedicures a number of times, and we might have only noticed now.
In May 2012, Kate went glam for her red carpet arrival to a dinner hosted by The Thirty Club in London. She wore a cream gown with a leg slit and sparkly metallic platform sandals. She might’ve opted for natural nails on her fingers, but on her toes, she sported a dark polish.
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She wore the same shade days later to a concert at Royal Albert Hall celebrating the 2012 Summer Olympics. Kate’s floor-length teal Jenny Packham gown mostly covered her feet, but her dark pedicure was noticeable when she walked in her platform silver sandals.
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The Duchess of Cambridge also took a break from nude nail shades last July when she attended the re-opening of Hintze Hall at the Natural History museum. She donned fun, scalloped heeled sandals by Prada for the event, drawing attention to her bright red pedi.
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WPA Pool//Getty Images
It’s been rumored that the Duchess of Cambridge, like the Queen, is a loyal fan of the pale pink nail color, Essie’s “Ballet Slippers.” And while she may consistently wear light and natural manis for her official engagements, don’t be surprised if she occasionally throws some colorful pedicures into the mix.
Shop our favorite dark nail polishes below.
Shop Royal-Approved Dark Nail Shades
Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Polish
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TOM FORD Nail Lacquer
CHANEL LE VERNISLongwear Nail Colour
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Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
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