Royal fashion has always come with its own set of rules, but when it comes to hemlines, some have on occasion gone against protocol. While reports have suggested that the late Queen expected skirts to fall below the knee, royal women have been pushing the boundaries for decades.
Princess Anne embraced the shorter silhouettes of the '60s, while Princess Diana made the mini dress an unmistakable part of her fashion repertoire in the '90s. And as time moved on and royal wardrobes became more modern, expectations towards traditional rules became much more relaxed.
From Diana's iconic looks to some of the more unexpected appearances from Princess Kate and Meghan Markle, here I take a look back at some of the best royal mini dress moments.
Royal women wearing mini dresses across the decades
Princess Anne, 1969
A 19-year-old Princess Anne visited the British military unit in Paderborn in autumn 1969, wearing a chic white coat dress that fell noticeably above the knee. After turning 18, Anne took on official duties and she's pictured here with the guard of honour Colonel Palmer.
Princess Diana, 1994
The Revenge Dress. Princess Diana wore this the day a TV interview with then-Prince Charles was due to air, where he addressed his infidelity during their marriage. Diana had owned the Stambolian off-the-shoulder mini dress for three years, but had considered it too daring for a public appearance. She changed her mind on hearing the news and wore it to the Vanity Fair party at London’s Serpentine Gallery.
Princess Diana, 1997
Princess Diana wore this gorgeous ice blue mini dress by Jacques Azagury and a statement pearl and diamond necklace while attending a performance of Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in summer 1997.
© Getty ImagesPrincess Kate, 2011
Princess Kate wore a white mini dress from Reiss at the Epsom Derby Day back in 2011, which came just months after her April royal wedding. Her matching tailored jacket was from Joseph – another of her favourite labels.
© Getty ImagesPrincess Kate, 2011
Kate arrived at LAX Airport that July for her first royal tour of the US, wearing a dove grey Roksanda mini dress. She wore it again the following summer, at the UK’s Creative Industries Reception at the Royal Academy of Arts.
© Getty ImagesPrincess Kate, 2011
Later that year, Kate proved a mini dress can work for winter, wearing this jumper dress with tights and knee-high boots to visit homeless charity Centrepoint in Camberwell in December.
© Getty ImagesQueen Letizia of Spain, 2012
How stunning did Queen Letizia look in this embellished mini dress? She was attending an official dinner at Almudaina Palace with King Felipe in August 2012.
© Getty ImagesPrincess Kate, 2013
Princess Kate teamed her mini dress with a peach button-up coat from Tara Jarmon as she paid a special visit to Naomi House Children's Hospice in 2013, while pregnant with Prince George.
Princess Beatrice, 2014
In 2014, Princess Beatrice wore an LBD to attend a star-studded cocktail reception and dinner celebrating Jimmy Choo's New Bond Street Townhouse opening.
© Getty ImagesQueen Letizia of Spain, 2015
Queen Letizia looked so chic in this white mini dress at the Luis Carandell Journalism Awards in Madrid in October 2015.
© Getty Images for ELLEMeghan Markle, 2016
Shortly before meeting Prince Harry, Meghan posed up a storm at ELLE's sixth annual Women in Television dinner, matching a bold red lip to her Dolce & Gabanna mini dress.
© Samir HusseinPrincess Kate, 2017
Princess Kate wore a Gucci mini dress to visit the V&A in London in June 2017. She styled it with high street L.K. Bennett pumps and a red clutch.
© Getty ImagesMeghan Markle, 2018
Meghan loves wearing tuxedo dresses and wore this black mini dress to join Prince Harry at a gala performance of Hamilton at London's Victoria Palace Theatre in August 2018.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageMeghan Markle, 2018
That October, she wore a Maggie Marilyn white tux dress during her royal visit to New Zealand. She had it altered to make it sleeveless.
© Samir Hussein/WireImagePrincess Kate, 2019
Princess Kate wore a Catherine Walker mini dress, accessorising with a Mulberry bag and Gianvito Rossi suede pointed-toe pumps to visit the Foundling Museum in London in 2019.
© GC ImagesQueen Letizia of Spain, 2022
Queen Letizia matched a printed pink mini dress from Zara with pink wedge espadrilles for an evening out in Palma in summer 2022.
© WireImageLady Amelia Windsor, 2025
Lady Amelia Windsor wore this gorgeous gingham mini dress and espadrilles to attend Wimbledon in July 2025.
