Chic royal manicures! From Kate Middleton's neat neutrals to Meghan Markle's statement dark polish

There's countless theories about the Queen's royal protocol when it comes to nail polish - but the reality is, most royal ladies love to experiment with their manicures! While it's thought that Her Majesty's preferred look is sheer and neutral (her favourite shade is Essie's popular tone 'Ballet Slippers', which she's been loyal to since 1989) there's no doubt that modern royal women like to try something different on occasion.

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Princess Eugenie has been spotted sporting nail art, the Duchess of Sussex loves to wear dark berry shades and the Countess of Wessex has worn everything from pretty pinks to modern taupes - though there's never a chip in sight, of course! Scroll down to look at all the snaps of our favourite royal ladies and their go-to nail colours…

The Duchess of Cambridge

Kate is very consistent with her nails, and usually wears a sheer pink polish or nothing at all. They are always filed neatly in a soft oval shape, and when it comes to varnish she's said to favour Essie's 'Allure', which was the shade she chose for her wedding day.  

When it comes to her pedicure, however, she has been known to experiment with colour. In 2012, she teamed her gold strappy Jimmy Choos with a darker varnish.

The Duchess of Sussex

Meghan often wears a soft nude nail - and in fact, chose to wear the Queen's favourite Essie shade on her own royal wedding day! Here she is pictured wearing a creamy neutral polish, keeping the length short as usual. 

For a surprise appearance at the British Fashion Awards in December 2018, Meghan opted for a dark and vampy manicure to match her dress - doesn't it look gorgeous? 

The Duchess also likes to wear a similar shade on her toes - not unlike the Duchess of Cambridge - as shown during her royal visit to New Zealand back in October 2018. 

The Countess of Wessex

Sophie is another royal who has been known to rock a more statement manicure - for her visit to Shooting Star House in February 2020, she was pictured wearing this pretty taupe shade. 

She chose to match her dress to her nails while celebrating the opening of The Countess of Wessex Studios at the Central School of Ballet - that's definitely a ballerina pink we spy! 

Princess Eugenie

The youngest York certainly likes to have fun with her manicures! Do you remember her Christmas nail art for the Buckingham Palace Christmas luncheon in 2015? 

In 2012, she showed her patriotic side in the most stylish way by sporting a Union Jack manicure while she watched the Epsom Derby. The event was part of the festivities celebrating the Queen's 60 years on the throne, so the design suited the occasion perfectly.

Eugenie rocked a darker hue at the Serpentine Summer Party in 2018 - we just love his look on her!

Princess Beatrice

Princess Beatrice kept things traditional when announcing her engagement to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in September 2019, with a pretty sheer pink manicure. 

But she knows how to vamp it up, too! Like other royal ladies, she wore a dark polish to the 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum back in 2015.

Queen Rania of Jordan

The Jordanian monarch likes to keep her nails chic and natural, though she does seem to prefer a slightly longer length. She's also been spotted wearing a French manicure in the past. 

Queen Letizia of Spain

Letizia chose a beautiful red shade for the Tomas Salcedo Award event in February 2018.