Queen Elizabeth Told King Charles She "Did Warn" Camilla About One Wedding Day "Oopsie"
The late Queen shared some words of fashion wisdom that Camilla chose to ignore.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla will celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary on April 9, and ahead of their big day, some hilarious comments have resurfaced. As a second-time bride at age 57, Camilla opted not to wear a traditional white gown for their church ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, instead choosing an elegant blue and gold coat dress by Anna Valentine. But one part of the future Queen’s wedding day outfit didn’t agree with the British weather—and Queen Elizabeth was right all along.
Instead of a tiara, Camilla chose hats by royal-favorite milliner Philip Treacy for both her civil ceremony and religious blessing. After wearing a wide-brimmed white hat for the first service, the future Queen changed into a more formal headpiece crafted from a spray of feathers. But the couple got married on an especially windy day, causing Camilla to quite literally hold on to her hat as the Royal Family gathered outside the chapel.
According to lip reading expert Nicola Hickling—speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino—the then-Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall shared a hilarious exchange with Queen Elizabeth outside the church.
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Camilla holds on to her feathered headpiece as Queen Elizabeth and Charles look on.
Members of the Royal Family join Charles and Camilla on their wedding day.
After a gust of wind nearly blew the feathers off Camilla’s head, she commented, “Oopsie,” adding, “I wish I hadn’t had feathers,” per Hickling.
“I hope you don’t poke out my eye!” Charles joked at one point when Camilla’s feathers blew close to his face. According to Hickling, Camilla admitted, “If only they’d blow away. It really wasn’t a very good idea.”
At this point, Queen Elizabeth had to get a word in, moving closer to Charles and commenting, “I did warn her, wearing feathers,” to which Charles replied, “You did?”
Although the headpiece might not have been the most practical choice, it certainly made a striking addition to the future Queen’s wedding day outfit—and fortunately, it didn’t blow away like Camilla hoped.
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The King and Queen are pictured on their April 9, 2005 wedding day.
However, there was one other fashion emergency on The King and Queen's 2005 wedding day. In a video tribute to Queen Elizabeth broadcast shortly after her September 2022 death, Camilla revealed that she accidentally put on two different shoes, much to the late Queen's amusement.
“I remember coming from here, Clarence House, to go to Windsor the day I got married, when I probably wasn't firing on all cylinders—quite nervous!” Queen Camilla said. “For some unknown reason, I put on a pair of shoes, and one had an inch heel and one had a two-inch heel. So, I mean, talk about hop-along!”
“There was nothing I could do. I was halfway down in the car before I realized,” Camilla added. Queen Elizabeth noticed, but to her credit, “she laughed about it and just said, 'I'm terribly sorry,' and she did have a good sense of humor,” Queen Camilla said.

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.