The Best Royal Summer Fashion

We're in the thick of summer now, and while many of us can't go anywhere to show off our cute summery outfits, we can live vicariously through the best royal summer fashion of years past. Since they're always in the public eye, they know how to dress to impress — especially Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. (No one is surprised that they can rock a stunning summertime look.)

On the flip side, usually, Prince William and Prince Harry's outfits don't differ much any time of the year. They wear full suits in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. But there have been a couple of times over the years where they've taken a fashion risk for the warmer months. Every time they shake things up, it's a breath of fresh air.

And when it comes to the royal kids' fashion, they're pretty much always prepared for hot weather. 

Royal boys are supposed to wear shorts until they're around 7 or 8 years old. Knee socks keep their legs warm in the winter, and then in the summer, they're ready to go. With the Duchess of Sussex almost always putting Princess Charlotte in dresses, she's pretty much prepared for summertime. She just ditches the tights her mom makes her wear in the colder months.

There are two summer events for royals that always makes them turn their wardrobe up to 10. Royal Ascot, a horse racing event, brings out stunning royal looks, as does the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament. Plus, with summer weddings and various other events to attend, the royals' warm weather looks are almost always on point. 

Here are 20 of the best.

Royal in Blue

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David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse

Every June, the royals attend Royal Ascot, a horse racing event that's also an important high society event. It's a good chance to see their best formal summer fashion on display, and Kate Middleton chose a gorgeous dress for the 2019 event. The sheer sleeves kept her cool on the summer day, and the powder blue color was a beautiful choice for the event.

Bold Fashion Choice

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Kate Middleton usually plays it safe in a dress at Wimbledon, but Meghan Markle dazzled at the 2018 tennis event in a bold outfit. The Duchess of Sussex wore breezy, white, wide-legged pants, a striped blouse, and she even brought a hat with her. Technically, hats aren't allowed in the royal viewing box, but the whole ensemble was excellent.

Summer Sundress

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We can always count on Prince William's polo matches to bring out a more casual side of the Duchess of Cambridge. Not only did she have a picnic on the ground at the 2019 match, but she wore a super fun, casual sundress to the event. Kate paired the pink fluttery gown with wedge sandals and a protocol-breaking crossbody bag.

'60s Inspired

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This cute minidress with the bold red accents is so totally '60s! It's a Gucci design, so in the immortal words of Sporty Spice, Kate really did wear "the little Gucci dress." She donned the look for a trip to the Victoria & Albert Museum in June 2017, and paired it with a red clutch for an extra pop. Summer is a great time to embrace bold color like the duchess does.

Becoming a Cowboy

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Will and Kate's trip to the Calgary Stampede in Canada in 2011 wouldn't have been complete without the royal couple trying on some cowboy hats. They both look really good here, but we especially love Will's take on a casual summer outfit. He's wearing jeans — and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up! William needs to give the suits a rest every once in a while and go back to this.

Bold Pattern

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Kate's proven herself to be a fan of the Alexander McQueen brand (the fashion house created her wedding dress), but this McQueen look is pretty bold for Kate. It's McQueen's "Obsessions Talisman" print and features all kinds of quirky things, from lipstick kiss marks to skulls. Kate sure wanted to be edgy at this 2016 Wimbledon match!

Lacy Floral

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Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

Princess Beatrice pulled this look out for the 2014 Royal Ascot, and we definitely approve! As with Kate's breezy sleeves on her 2019 Royal Ascot look, Beatrice's dress has lace on the neckline to allow a little airflow. Standing outside in the sun and watching horses run around can get hot quickly, so the royals never want to be too covered up.

Summer Blues

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Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images

For Prince Louis' July 2018 christening, Kate put the whole family in matching blue outfits. William is in his standard suit (boring), but we love the kids' outfits. George was in a short-sleeve collared shirt with blue piping, and Charlotte wore a pretty pale blue frock with a matching blue hair bow, and blue Mary Jane-style shoes. These kids are already so fashionable so young.

Finally Allowed to Wear the Hat

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Meghan didn't sit in the royal box for the 2019 Wimbledon games, so she was allowed to wear her chic white hat. The duchess paired it with a striped blazer over what seems to be a black tank and jeans. If she had gotten hot watching the match in the sun, she could have taken the blazer off. Layering is a good idea at these outdoor activities when the weather might not be predictable.

Shorts Set

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This outfit is a sort of smocked romper set, and it's still available for sale — despite the fact that Prince George wore it to Charlotte's christening back in the summer of 2015. It's a traditional and timeless style of outfit in England. The royal boys have to wear shorts for years before they're allowed to wear pants, but since this was a July event, the shorts made a lot of sense for the young prince.

Kate Wears Shorts, Too

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While it's unusual to see Prince George not in shorts, it's super unusual to see Kate Middleton in them. She never, ever wears shorts, but she did in 2019 for a sailing race she was participating in. Aside from her shorts, we also love Charlotte's striped summer dress with the Peter Pan collar — and we love that she's sticking her tongue out at the press. 

Classic.

Breezy Dress

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Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

This buttercup-colored dress was so breezy, which made it perfect for a hot July day on the tarmac of an airport in Canada. Unfortunately, it was also a bit of a windy day, so the duchess kept having to make sure her skirt didn't fly up. Kate definitely had the right idea going for a soft and light fabric like this for summertime.

Statement Skirt

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Prince Harry brought Meghan to the August wedding of one of his school friends, and Meghan totally slayed her wedding guest look. The ceremony happened to fall on Meghan's birthday, so we don't blame her for wanting to show up looking so good she almost could have stolen the bride's thunder. Her dress, with the bold multi-colored statement, skirt was a Club Monaco design.

Green Without Envy

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Kate wore this green-printed Sandro dress to the Royal Horticultural Society's Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in July 2019. Usually, when she goes to events about plant life, she likes to dress to match, and this green gown was the perfect choice for a day about greenery. She paired the breezy summertime look with some wedge sandals.

What can we say? Kate Middleton looks good in green.

Ravishing in Ruby

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Princess Charlotte always looks so cute, thanks to her mom's impeccable sense of style. Kate likes to dress her daughter in lots of floral frocks, like this red dress that Charlotte wore on a visit to Poland. Kate gave her a matching red hair bow, and then took the coordination game one step further by wearing a ruby necklace herself to coordinate with Charlotte.

Pastel Palette

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This is the dreamiest summertime combo. Meghan's in a sleeveless, pale pink dress, and Prince Harry went all Hamptons chic in a pale blue blazer and light khakis. Prince William should take some tips from Harry on the summer wardrobe situation, because it is possible to be formal but also fun in the warmer months.

Shaking Things Up

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The Duchess of Cambridge usually dresses conservatively when she's going to official royal events, but she had some fun with her look for Queen Elizabeth's July birthday party in Germany. The shoulder-baring dress was another Alexander McQueen design. Apparently, Kate is totally willing to take fashion risks if they come from the McQueen house.

Tank Dress

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Princess Eugenie isn't quite as central of a working royal, so she's allowed to be a lot more playful with her clothing. We probably won't ever see Kate Middleton in a spaghetti strap dress, but Eugenie looks beautiful in this breezy summer style. She donned the look in 2016 for the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition.

Casual & Cute

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At a 2014 polo match, both Kate and George dressed down for the event. Summertime is for relaxing, so we support the duchess's decision to wear a striped shirt and jeans. She still looks great, though, and George is super cute in his red overalls. If we didn't know that Kate was royal, we might just think they were any regular mom and son enjoying a day out in the summer.

Polka Dot Princess

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Kate gave birth to Prince George in July 2013, and her soft blue polka dot dress was everything. It was a Jenny Packham design, one of Kate's favorite designers. Sure, all eyes were on little Prince George, the future king, but also many eyes were on Kate's chic post-baby gown. She pared it with wedge heels to complete the summery style.