Here Are the Favorite Lipstick Shades of the Women of the Royal Family

Get ready—National Lipstick Day is on July 29.

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The Princess of Wales at the Top Gun premiere
(Image credit: Getty)

There is a holiday for literally everything, it seems, and, if you didn’t know, it’s apparently National Lipstick Day on July 29 (in just three days!). If you want to rock lipstick like a royal, you’ve come to the right place—we’re here to break down the favorite shades of the royals, from the Princess of Wales (both of them!) to Queen Elizabeth.

Per Hello, as with so many things, there is royal protocol surrounding lipstick royals choose, which “means sticking to a neutral, natural shade to avoid any makeup mishaps,” the outlet writes. “The Queen, though, never followed such a rigid routine and loved to wear a much brighter lip than her younger counterparts.” (Quite a shift from her preference for nail polish, which were nudes or a light pink; her favorite shade was Essie’s Ballet Slippers.) Let’s dig in.

Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth

The aforementioned Queen was rarely spotted without her signature shade and was photographed many times over the years reapplying (relatable). Her late Majesty, as one does when one is monarch, had her own bespoke shade of red lipstick from Clarins (to match her ceremonial robes, Hello reports), but she also favored Elizabeth Arden’s lipsticks, so much so that the brand had a Royal Warrant.

Catherine, the Princess of Wales

Kate, like so many of us, is a Bobbi Brown aficionado and favors “a nude, natural lip,” with Bobbi Brown’s Sandwash Pink Lipstick, Hello reports. (Sandwash Pink has been discontinued, unfortunately, but the line’s Pink Cloud shade is a close match.) When she married Prince William in 2011, “she is believed to have popped a swipe of Bobbi Brown’s Sheer Color Lip Gloss over the top for extra shine,” the outlet writes.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex

Meghan is an admitted lover of all things beauty, and her taste is impeccable: Meghan’s reported favorite lipstick brand is Honest Beauty’s Truly Kissable Lip Crayon, and another that tops the list is Charlotte Tilbury’s Matte Revolution Lipstick in Very Victoria—“a spicy brown shade created for Victoria Beckham,” Hello reports. For her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, Meghan paired Dior Lip Glow in Coral Glow—a sheer balm that enhances your own lip color—with a lip crayon underneath.

Diana, the Princess of Wales

Though she often went more natural when it came to her lip color, “Diana did, on occasion, wear a reddish-orange tone, with hints of brown,” Hello reports. (A good example of this? NARS Audacious Lipstick in Jane.) For her engagement shoot for Vogue, Diana wore Max Factor’s Tint of Pink lipstick; that was in 1981, so that color is discontinued, but never fear—Max Factor’s Colour Elixir Lipstick in Pink Brandy is similar in color.

Zara Tindall

The only daughter of Princess Anne, like her cousin-in-law Kate, wore Bobbi Brown on her own 2011 wedding day to Mike Tindall. She wore the line’s Shimmer Lip Gloss, and “we’re taking an educated guess that she’s a fan of the Bare Sparkle shade for a subtle yet shiny glow,” Hello writes.

Lady Kitty Spencer

Princess Diana’s glamorous niece created her own bespoke lip shade, combining Charlotte Tilbury’s lip colors in Super Cindy and Pillow Talk, per Hello. “We think she’s onto something—if you can’t find your perfect nude, mix them up,” the outlet writes.

Rachel Burchfield
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.