Rebellious royals with surprise piercings! Zara Tindall, Meghan Markle, Queen Letizia & more

January 07, 2022 - 15:08 GMT Fiona Ward

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There are strict rules and protocols when it comes to royal fashion, beauty and body language – but what about body modification? We've already discussed royal family members with tattoos, and when it comes to piercings, there are a select few ladies who have broken the mould by going a little further than just one stud in each earlobe. While we're unlikely to see the Duchess of Cambridge break with convention, there is one member of the British royal family who has been spotted with a tongue piercing – can you guess who?

Officially, there is no rule on piercings amongst British royalty, although senior members of the royal family are expected to keep their look conservative.

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Queen Letizia of Spain is one monarch who disagrees, however. She surprised royal fans when she stepped out for her first engagement of the year this week, appearing to debut a new second ear piercing. The 49-year-old royal sported a subtle silver stud in her left ear when she attended the traditional Pascua Militar celebration alongside husband King Felipe VI. Letizia showed off her new piercing by sweeping her brunette hair up into a bun and wore an elegant pair of silver hoops.

Keep scrolling to see which other royals have unexpected piercings…

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Duchess of Sussex

The Duchess of Sussex is also fond of cuff-style earrings, having worn them on a number of occasions – though she is actually thought to only have one piercing in each ear. Her mother, Doria Ragland, notably sports a delicate nose stud, which she proudly wore to her daughter's royal wedding in May 2018.

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Lady Marina Windsor

Lady Marina Windsor sparked controversy when she arrived at the Queen's annual pre-Christmas lunch in December 2012 sporting a tragus piercing. At just 20 years-old, she was no doubt experimenting with her look – though in more recent pictures it seems she has removed it.

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Lady Amelia Windsor

Her younger sister, Lady Amelia Windsor, who is known to have multiple tattoos, also favours the 'curated ear' look, with lots of piercings along her ear lobe and up to her mid-helix. She has inkings on her rib cage and each of her wrists, as well as a tiger – pictured - on her left shoulder blade.

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Zara Tindall

Zara Tindall famously revealed her tongue stud to the royal family at Prince Charles 50th birthday party in 1995 – having reportedly had the piercing put in at a local tattoo parlour to her boarding school. Stories at the time claimed that her mother, Princess Anne, was unfazed by her new look, and simply asked if she was able to speak properly. Zara was also thought to have a belly button piercing during her younger years.

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Princess Sofia of Sweden

Sofia Hellqvist, now Princess Sofia of Sweden, made headlines in 2010 when she was confirmed as the new girlfriend of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. A former glamour model and television star, she reportedly had a belly button piercing removed before her royal wedding in 2015.

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Pauline Ducruet

Pauline Ducruet - the eldest daughter of Princess Stéphanie of Monaco - is also a big fan of the multiple earring look, if this Instagram selfie is anything to go by. Like her mother, she also has visible tattoos, including a flower motif on her right forearm.

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Queen Rania

In November 2018, Queen Rania of Jordan was photographed at the 'Publisher's Night' of the Association of German Magazine publishers sporting two helix piercings and an upper lobe piercing, as well as a more traditional placement.

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Princess Charlene of Monaco

Princess Charlene of Monaco's appearance at the 70th annual Red Cross gala in July 2018 had many wondering if she was sporting a statement new piercing – though in the end, it was thought to be a clip-on cuff.