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The Tragic Incident That Prompted Queen Elizabeth to Revise the Royal Dress Code for Travel
Queen Elizabeth II proved, quite unwittingly, that the little black dress is a wardrobe staple. Today, all members of the royal family routinely pack a black outfit in their luggage when traveling on official business. This is a protocol established following a moment in the Crown’s history that was as significant as it was tragic.
In February 1952, while on an official trip to Kenya with Prince Philip, the young Princess Elizabeth learned of the sudden death of her father, King George VI. At just 25 years old, she had to return immediately to the United Kingdom, but realized she had packed only summer dresses and no mourning attire.
Queen Elizabeth's mistake that forever changed royal protocol
While members of the royal family now always pack a smart black outfit whenever they travel, such an important protocol wasn't always the case. The measure was only introduced when Queen Elizabeth found herself without the correct ensemble when news of her father King George VI's unexpected death reached her during a visit to Kenya in 1952.
HELLO!'s special issue, Queen Elizabeth II: A Centenary Tribute, published earlier this year, describes how the late monarch had travelled to Africa in place of her 56-year-old father, who had been in poor health for some time. King George VI was battling cancer and four months earlier had undergone an operation to remove part of his lung.
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