44 Times the Royal Family Wore Plaid
Nobody wears a plaid like Princess Diana; Catherine, Princess of Wales; and other royals.
Plaid may come and go as a fashion trend, but for the royal family, it's a staple, no matter the year.
Plaid as a pattern actually originated in Scotland, and is commonly referred to as tartan. “Technically, plaid isn’t the pattern’s proper name. That honor goes to the word 'tartan' which was first used to describe the individual colors and patterns used to decorate the clothes of different Scottish clans. While they often came in the same colors, 'plaids' were actually heavy traveling cloaks worn to ward off the bitter cold of the Scottish winters,” per Smithsonian Magazine. The pattern has evolved over the centuries, but it still closely associated with Scotland—and the royals often wear the print while visiting the country.
From Queen Elizabeth's custom skirts to Princess Diana's bold '80s looks and Catherine, Princess of Wales's refined take on tartan, here are 44 of the best royal plaid looks over the years.
For an engagement on the three-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death, Kate chose a plaid midi dress from one of her go-to brands, Alessandra Rich.
No royal woman has wore plaid better than Princess Diana. She's photographed here wearing plaid at the Braemar Highland Games in September 1982 in Scotland.
A plaid skirt, jacket, and head scarf was Queen Elizabeth II's go-to casual outfit. Here she is in 1973 with her husband Prince Philip at the Badminton Horse Trials.
From a young age, Prince William knew that a plaid umbrella was the perfect accessory for a pair of Wellies and a Barbour jacket.
Queen Elizabeth matched the plaid on her skirt to the collar on her jacket, because why not?
For her first official visit to Scotland, Meghan Markle aptly chose a chic blue-and-green tartan coat from Burberry and paired it with black trousers, a simple turtleneck, and a green Strathberry crossbody bag.
King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Braemar Games in 2025.
Kate, known as the Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, wore a plaid jacket during a Scotland outing in November 2023.
In a photograph released to celebrate her fourth birthday, Princess Charlotte sported a fashionable plaid skirt.
Here's Princess Diana in a tartan gem by Catherine Walker from 1990.
Princess Diana pulled off purple plaid, which she wore while walking with a little Prince William on the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1985.
Kate sported a houndstooth plaid dress during a visit to Bradford, during which she and Prince William made milkshakes.
While she's all for coordinating jacket-skirt combos, the Queen wasn't afraid to do a little bit of power clashing with her head-scarf choices.
Who says plaid has to be in neutral colors? Diana looked fabulous in a bright yellow Escada number.
Queen Elizabeth wasn't afraid to go plaid-to-plaid with her husband at official events.
It seems plaid is a hit with every Duchess: Meghan Markle wore this Prince of Wales Check top by Theory during a visit to Wales.
While most royals stuck to the traditional tartans, Diana rocked plaid in every color imaginable in true 80s style.
This plaid jacket Diana wore in January 1989 combined red and green for one truly festive outfit.
The royal family even has their own Balmoral tartan, which was designed by Queen Victoria's husband in 1853. The gray, red, and black plaid can only be worn by Queen Elizabeth and her personal piper, plus a few other members of the royal family (if the Queen gives her permission first!).
The Duchess wore a festive tartan peacoat by Miu Miu on Christmas day in 2017 as she attended mass with the rest of the royal family.
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