Royals' Favorite Perfumes That You Can Wear Too

Want to smell like royalty? We scoured the far reaches of the internet to find out what perfumes royal women are (or were) wearing so that you can invest in those same scents and smell like a queen, princess, or duchess. We're talking about folks with enough wealth that the cost of a perfume bottle is nothing to them, so expect to see some pricier options — but we all deserve to splurge on ourselves sometimes. We say, treat yourself!

But what is it about royalty that pulls us in? The British royals get a lot of news coverage in the United States -– people are fascinated by them, including what they wear, listen to, and smell like. Michelle Carr, a principal lecturer at Northeastern's College of Arts, Media and Design, told Northeastern Global News, "I think it's bigger than just people liking them." Carr added, "They're one of the top brands in the world bringing in millions of dollars each year." Perhaps their being a brand themselves makes us so attracted to what brands the royals are into. Of course, British royalty are not the only queens and princesses out there — and each has some celebrity status. It's time for a brief lesson on the royals and their signature scents.

The late Queen Elizabeth had an undeniable influence on British fashion and left people around the world in mourning when she passed in 2022. Reigning as the monarch since early 1952, she had a lot of time to leave her mark. Queen Elizabeth II exclusively got her perfumes from Floris of London. And it appears White Rose was her absolute favorite. According to Floris of London, this scent was also a favorite of Florence Nightingale.

Depending on the size, you can get this warm and elegant scent at prices ranging from $27 to $107 per bottle. The best part is that purchasing it is also an excellent way to support United Kingdom-based nurses and midwives, as 15% of the White Rose Eau de Toilette 100 ml. sales goes to the Florence Nightingale Foundation. Before you buy, imagine top notes of greenery and carnations, followed by heart notes of a floral blend (rose, violet, jasmine, and iris), ending in base notes of musk, amber, and a powdery finish. With this royal scent, you will smell like a fresh spring bouquet all year round.

Before Marie Antoinette lost her head, she was the Austrian queen consort of King Louis XVI of France from 1774 to 1793. She was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. As a queen, she had some refined tastes, and one of them was smelling good. Marie Antoinette liked the scent of Black Jade from Lubin Paris, though the perfumery didn't exist until after her death. However, the start of this perfume company and the description of Black Jade give one the sense that perhaps this particular scent was designed in the image of Marie Antoinette's favorite scents — one being the rose gardens.

You can own a bottle of Black Jade for around $183. It is described as being created from the scents of a secret garden. The top notes of galbanum, cardamom, and bergamot offer a spicy and citrusy scent. The middle notes are rose, jasmine, cinnamon, and incense, giving it a floral vibe and making it a worldly aroma. The base notes of sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla, tonka bean, and amber add to the worldly fragrance, allowing the wearer a final scent that feels warm and inviting.

Married to Prince William, Kate Middleton (aka Princess Catherine) is one of the British royals we're used to seeing in the news. There are bloggers out there who share every outfit Kate wears and even know when she's sporting the same garment a second time! What we're interested in, though, is how she smells, and Kate has a few favorites. Kate Middleton's wedding was reportedly decorated with candles from Jo Malone London in the Orange Blossom scent, and matching hand soaps were also placed in the bathrooms. While she obviously loves this perfume, she was wearing Illuminum London White Gardenia Petals for the big event.

Jo Malone London Orange Blossom ($165) has notes of clementine flower, white lilac, and orriswood. "This beautiful fragrance starts with a fresh mandarin-like smell which softens down to a 'warmer' powdery floral smell (although not at all cloying). It is feminine and sophisticated. I am totally in love with it," wrote one buyer. Illuminum London White Gardenia Petals costs about $126 for a bottle and has notes of bergamot, cassis, and lily in the top, ylang-ylang, gardenia, and jasmine in the middle, and finishes with precious woods.

Another well-known name in British royalty is that of Meghan Markle, who is married to Prince Harry. This duchess is definitely a style icon, but when it comes to perfume, she's unable to pick just one favorite. She told Express, "I alternate between a few scents. I love Oribe Côte d'Azur Eau de Parfum and both the Wild Bluebell and Wood Sage & Sea Salt Colognes by Jo Malone." Oribe Côte d'Azur Eau de Parfum ($125) starts with notes of lemon, orange, bergamot, and black currant. The middle notes are tuberose, cyclamen, and jasmine. It finishes with amber, sandalwood, and vetiver.

For $165, you can get Meghan Markle's other favorite perfume, a 100-ml. bottle of Wild Bluebell from Jo Malone. The top note is bluebell, hence the name. The heart note is persimmon, and the base is white musk. One buyer said, "I have several different Jo Malone fragrances, and I must say, this is my absolute favorite!! I wear it all the time and get lots of compliments on it ... Although I love all of my Jo Malone scents, this is truly the one I go to most often and love the best!!" Wood Sage & Sea Salt is the same price and is built with notes of ambrette seeds, sea salt, and sage.

You may know Grace Kelly as an actress, depending on your age or interest in classic films. She was more than that, though. Grace Kelly was the wife of Prince Rainier III, making her a princess. Among her accolades, she won an Academy Award for best actress for her role in "The Country Girl" with Bing Crosby and William Holden. Her signature scent was Creed Fleurissimo, which her husband commissioned as a present for their wedding day. She loved it so much, it seems, that she continued wearing it.

You, too, can enjoy the beautiful scent of Creed Fleurissimo for $425. Top notes of bergamot and violet leaves lead into middle notes of tuberose, Bulgarian rose, and ylang-ylang. It finishes with ambergris and Florentine iris. The perfumery describes this scent as that of a fresh wedding bouquet. One reviewer said, "Clearly the most beautiful fragrance on the planet. Subtle and complex." Another said, "I bought this perfume this past summer because I was looking for a scent that had an intense flower scent in it. This one is amazing! It is not too sweet, nor too green ... well-balanced perfume. It has a good silage as well ... I would not spray too much of it; it's pretty intense."

The princess of Hanover by marriage to Prince Ernst August, Princess Caroline is the eldest child of Grace Kelly and the Prince of Monaco. She enjoys floral scents like her mother when looking for the right perfume, with her favorite reported to be Goutal Paris' Passion, which costs $220 for a 100-ml. bottle. The top notes are tuberose and Italian lemon. In the heart, you'll detect Egyptian jasmine and ylang-ylang. At the base are oak moss, Madagascar vanilla, and patchouli.

The scent was created by Annick Goutal, the founder of the perfume company, in her image, combining her love of flowers with other natural elements. It's a lively scent with an essence of nature and spice under its floral notes. We imagine Princess Caroline loves the grace this essence offers, and it's a perfume her mother, Grace Kelly, may have also enjoyed. Now, you can, too.

Princess Margaret was Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister, and though she passed in 2002, her favorite perfume is still worth discussing. The royal was reportedly a big fan of Oscar de la Renta, which costs $105 for a 3.5-oz. bottle. This is the signature scent of the company and one that anyone would feel royal in. At the top, we have orange blossom, peach, coriander, gardenia, and basil — offering a floral and fruity scent with a bit of spice. The heart notes include rose, rosemary, jasmine, lavender, and orchid. In the base are carnation, patchouli, amber, lavender, and sandalwood, among others. 

If you look at the Amazon reviews, the princess wasn't alone in her love of Oscar EDT. One fan said, "I have been wearing this perfume forever! I never wear any other and everyone tells me that it smells great on me. It is my fragrance signature!" Another buyer said, "I love this perfume have used this fragrance for 20+ years. It is not overpowering and last for awhile."

Now known as the wife of King Charles III and the Queen of the United Kingdom, Camilla Parker Bowles officially married Prince Charles in 2005. Before their marriage, however, there was much controversy between the two because they had spent some time together while Prince Charles was married to Princess Diana. No matter the past, Queen Camilla is now well-liked by many, and you may also like her perfume.

Camilla's favorite scent is Bandit by Robert Piguet ($195), created in 1944. The notes are aldehydes, galbanum, and neroli at the top. The middle notes are carnation, jasmine, and violet. The base notes finish with oakmoss, leather, vetiver, and patchouli. The company describes the scent as "daring," making it fitting for a strong and outspoken woman like Camilla. It's a bold-scented perfume that will make you stand out in any room.

Moving away from British royalty again for a moment, we have Marie Louise, who was Napoleon's second wife. Her royal lineage didn't start with Napolean, as she was an Austrian archduchess before becoming empress with her marriage to Napoleon I. Marie Louise was said to be obsessed with the smell of violets, and she had monks in Parma distill the flowers into a sent for her. The perfume Violetta di Parma was created in 1970 by Ludovico Borsari using the basic formula the monks used for Marie Louise's signature scent.

When you spray on some Violetta di Parma, expect to sense notes of rose, lily-of-the-valley, hyacinth, jasmine, and heliotrope among the violets. Along with the florals, there are some woody, musk-centric notes. If you love the floral perfume trend, you can expect to fall for this one. One buyer couldn't help but use this scent all around their home, writing, "The ingredients are pretty few and pure which is an added bonus when you are an allergen sufferer like myself. Neither my skin nor my sinuses reacted, so to me that is proof of its' pure ingredients ... I spray this onto my bed linens and around the home and every so often I get a fresh whiff of sweet violets." It tips the scales at $300 for 3.3 oz.

Princess Anne is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Princess Royal has expensive taste, as her favorite scent, Hermès Calèche Eau de Toilette, is even more costly than Meghan Markle's go-tos. Caleche Eau de Toilette by Hermès is meant to evoke horse-drawn carriages with its light elegance. You can get a 3.38-oz. bottle for $188.

Notes include aldehydes, billowing jasmine, and light rose. Like Princess Anne, many who discover Caleche love it so much that they will seek it out wherever possible. A couple of Amazon reviewers hunted it down online when they could no longer get it locally. Another said, "Wife's favorite! Happy wife, happy life!" If you know someone who loves elegant floral scents, this might be a perfume they'd enjoy trying.

Princess Eugenie of York is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. The royal reportedly prefers to wear Jasmin Impératrice by Creed. Listed as Jasmin Impératrice Eugénie on the Creed site, one might think it was named for this princess, but that isn't so (though it may have something to do with her attraction to it).

The name comes from when a historic French emperor requested a special fragrance for his wife, Empress Eugenie. And, thus, Jasmin Impératrice was born. Its top notes include bergamot and neroli, with some powdery accents. The notes at the heart of this scent are jasmine, rose, and orange blossom. It finishes with amber, sandalwood, and vanilla. A true luxury scent, the smallest size sells for $425, with the price climbing as high as $1,205 for a 500-ml. bottle.

Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King Charles III. Duchess Sophie is purported to be a long-time fan of Romance by Ralph Lauren. According to the notes of this perfume, it smells like a delicious blend of mandarin, violet leaves, jasmine, woody oakmoss, and white musk.

A 3.4-oz. bottle of Romance will cost you $119. However, if you're looking for a scent that makes you feel beautiful, reviewers have said it does just that on Ulta. One buyer said, "I have loved this scent for years, it is really hard for me to even try another scent. I will continue to buy this as long as it's available." Another wrote, "I don't know how to describe this fragrance but I love it. It's the only fragrance I can wear without getting a headache or congestion. I am often complimented and asked what it is." A third reviewer said, "I love the smell. Very fresh and floral."

Princess Diana, lovingly referred to as Princess Di, may no longer be with us, but her icon status lives on. As journalist Elizabeth Holmes put it to Fashion Magazine, "... what Diana did when she came onto the scene in the early eighties [was] she made [royal fashion] exciting." Diana was the first wife of Charles III, the current king of the United Kingdom. When we look at fashion and beauty from the royalty out there, her keen sense of style led us here. And, as for Princess Diana's favorite perfume, we look to Hermès 24 Faubourg.

Hermès 24 Faubourg is so popular that it seems to be sold out all over the internet, though you can sometimes find a random listing for it on Amazon. Notes include orange blossom, jasmine, iris, amber, and vanilla. One of those fortunate to have gotten their hands on Princess Di's favorite said, "My husband gave me this fragrance when we first started dating 18 yrs ago and I continue to love it just as much all these years later."