The Royal Family's Biggest Makeup Mistakes

Members of the royal family are expected to look perfect at all times, and there are strict rules they must adhere to for public appearances. For example, you'll never see Kate Middleton rocking acrylic nails, as it's strictly forbidden. And when it comes to makeup, the royals are ordered to keep their palette light and neutral — no bold red lips allowed. The late Queen Elizabeth II loved to rock a powerful lipstick shade, but her preferred color was bright pink. Of course, it goes without saying that the royal family's makeup application must be flawless, but even the most put-together aristocrat flubs their face sometimes. 

Having been a makeup artist for over 15 years, I find it easy to spot when the ladies of the United Kingdom's royal family have beauty blunders. For instance, one of Middleton's biggest makeup mistakes was glaringly obvious when fans saw her at King Charles III's coronation with overly contoured cheeks, which were quite jarring. The Princess of Wales usually sticks to a light wash of pink blush, but perhaps she was feeling experimental that day. She's not the only royal to be caught with makeup mishaps, though. Here are five other royals who've committed cardinal cosmetic sins.

Meghan Markle has been in the spotlight since she rose to fame on "Suits," and she doesn't often stray from her natural, barely there makeup look. The Duchess of Sussex loves to play up her gorgeous skin with a touch of sheer foundation that still shows off her freckles while keeping the rest of her makeup to a minimum. Even after she entered the royal family, she kept the same aesthetic, but her latest regimen seems to include amped-up eyebrows, which she had on full display at the Invictus Games One Year to Go Dinner this February.

We get that strong, bold brows have been in style since at least last fall, but Markle went a bit overboard while filling hers in for the event. It's clear that she used a dark-chocolate shade to beef them up, which was a great color match for her hair. However, she could have used a brush to diffuse the edges so they'd appear more natural. Remember, eyebrows are supposed to frame your features — not overtake them.

Princess Eugenie of York is another royal who goes by the less-is-more makeup ordinance, but there are times she takes the rule too literally. At a fashion sustainability event in London this April, the daughter of Sarah Ferguson showed up with charcoal-lined eyes, a hint of lip gloss, and nothing else. While her skin was flawless and glowing, the alabaster tone could have used a bit of color, such as a swipe of bronzer or blush. Overall, it appeared as if Eugenie hastily applied whatever makeup she had in her bag with a compact mirror during the ride to the venue.

This wasn't her only makeup mistake, though. Proving that she's not afraid of a bold face, Princess Eugenie stunned at the Dior Homme show during Winter Fashion Week the month prior. An Instagram post shared by her makeup artist showed her with slightly winged black eyeliner, berry-stained lips (which we know aren't typically allowed), and rosy cheeks. Many fans did a double take, as it was quite a departure from Eugenie's usually natural look, and while this look might not go over well for a royal event, it was more than appropriate for the front row at a fashion show.

As a redhead, Sarah Ferguson has naturally pale skin, which, unfortunately, isn't always the easiest to match to foundation. In 2005, the Duchess of York showed up to a Mary J. Blige concert as part of New York City's Cipriani Wall Street Concert Series with her face mismatched from her body, and as you can clearly see, her chest was at least three shades darker than her face. The difference was only made more obvious with her deep V-neck dress, which showed off a more ruddy tone around her chest area.

Fergie's face and body discrepancy could have been remedied by choosing a slightly darker foundation shade for her face. I always make it a habit to match the chest and neck to the face. Because she's showing so much of her décolletage, I would have also brought the foundation down to even the area out. Of course, the lighter face could have been highlighted by the lights from the cameras as well, so celebrities should always be sure to avoid products with titanium dioxide to prevent flashback when they're on red carpets.

Queen Camilla's makeup is usually soft and pretty, which is why her 2018 look was such a surprise. My eyes immediately went to her overly bronzed face, which crossed over to the orange spectrum of the color wheel. While the queen could have just come back from a Caribbean vacay, the unnatural burnt-umber hue suggests that she'd just used a good dose of spray tan. Judging from the white lines around her neck, the formula wasn't blended well enough — just one of many self-tanner mistakes that are all too easy to make.

Against Queen Camilla's white-blond hair, the faux tan looked overly harsh and clashed with her fuchsia lipstick. What's more, her pearl necklace reflected her orange skin, which her blue dress only emphasized. It's a good thing self-tanners fade within a few days, and hopefully Queen Camilla realized what went wrong this time after all was said and done.

Lady Frederick Windsor, born Sophie Winkleman and sometimes styled as Lady Sophie Windsor, wasn't born into the royal family, but she seamlessly became part of its inner circle when she married Lord Frederick Windsor in 2009. With her chic fashion sense and impeccable makeup, you'd never know that she wasn't born with a title, especially seeing her get on so famously with King Charles III at the 2023 Royal Ascot in London. While chatting with the king, Sophie looked every bit the royal with a buttercup-yellow dress, white hat, and matte red lipstick. What didn't take the crown that day, however, was her eyeshadow. As she raised her brows, you could clearly see the dark-gray color hovering above her lids in a half-moon shape. It appeared to be stamped on and then forgotten about.

To avoid such a makeup mishap, Lady Sophie should have used a medium-sized fluffy brush to blend the color above her lids. It looks like she failed to bring the color toward the outer edges of her eyes, which would have given them a subtle lift. A bit of shimmery shadow on her lids would have made the transition to the darker shade smoother, too. Suffice it to say, this makeup look was hardly a winner.