How King George VI’s death sparked royal rule about mourning clothes after his daughter Queen Elizabeth II’s mishap
It's just one of many royal rulesToday marks 73 years since the death of King George VI – the late Queen Elizabeth II’s father.
The former king’s death on February 6, 1952, sparked a big royal rule that the monarchy now follows on every trip. He died at Sandringham aged 56, from coronary thrombosis.
There are a lot of obligations the royal family has to follow, but one of their rules came after a near clothing mishap from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
After the death of King George VI, the queen found herself in a very awkward situation and immediately rules were reportedly put into place to ensure it never happened again.
Queen Elizabeth II was abroad when her father King George VI died
When a member of the royal family dies, a mourning period begins and during this time the monarchy only wear black clothing.
Typically, the family will only be in full black clothes if it’s Remembrance Day or a period of mourning. But why did this rule start?
A black dress was smuggled on board, because we didn’t have one. So she had to change very quickly.
In 1952, the then Princess Elizabeth learned of her father’s sudden death while she and husband Prince Philip were on their Commonwealth tour in Kenya. So the pair immediately had to rush home to the UK, immediately beginning their mourning period.
But she didn’t have any mourning clothes with her, it’s said. Instead, she boarded the flight with summer clothes on. According to reports, it was the complete opposite to the rules; a beige dress with white shoes.
Philip’s cousin, Lady Pamela Hicks, spoke about the mishap during a chat with her daughter on The India Hicks Podcast. She explained that the situation was rectified as soon as it was possible.
Queen given black dress when she landed in UK after death of her father
When the plane touched down in the UK, instead of immediately getting off, the new queen had to sit and wait for someone to bring her a black dress. So when she emerged from the aircraft, she was in an entirely different outfit than what she entered wearing.
Lady Pamela said: “A black dress was smuggled on board, because we didn’t have one. So she had to change very quickly.”
Bethan Holt, author of The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style, backed this up and added that she would have been concerned about breaking the rules.
She told People Magazine in February 2022, just months before Queen Elizabeth II’s passing in September of that year: “She is very serious about wanting to look impeccable and get it right.”
Ever since the unfortunate fashion faux, all royals are expected to travel with at least one black outfit. It may sound bleak, to always prepare for a death, but they have to follow rules and regulations.
Royal family rules
This is only one of many strict rules the royal family has to follow. From dining instructions to travel guidelines, the life of a royal has many instructions it seems.
Another dress code that the women in the family follow is the use of tights during all occasions. While it has loosened over time, it used to be a hard rule that tights must be worn.
Princess Kate has adhered to this, but has opted for alternatives over the years. Instead of dark tights, Kate is often seen wearing nude ones.
Another rule the family has to follow is reportedly making sure the heirs to the throne fly separately, only to be broken if they have permission from the monarch.
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