King Charles suited up for his first Christmas broadcast as monarch, which was staged at the Quire of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in Berkshire. For the festive occasion, the royal looked sharp in a tailored, checkered blue suit which came complete with a geometric silk pocket square and floral blue tie. But what was the symbolism behind his outfit of choice?
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King Charles previously donned the smart outfit back in 2019, during a visit to Lambeth Palace to present the Cranmer Awards at the Prayer Book Society's thirtieth annual contest. The annual contest was organised to encourage young people to discover the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, compiled by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, during the Reformation.
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Perhaps the religious connotations of Christmas meant the monarch decided it was an appropriate ensemble to wear for the broadcast.
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Yet, there may be another reason why King Charles wore this particular shade of blue for the highly-anticipated announcement. Blue is closely associated with the royal family as it often denotes authority, stability and confidence. The phrase 'blue blood' refers to those of a certain social status who have membership in a noble or prominent family
© Photo: AlamyCharles pictured during his first Christmas speech
During medieval times, Sumptuary Laws were enforced to help distinguish social classes, making it easy to note who belonged to the lower, middle or upper classes depending on what colour clothes a person was wearing.
Royal blue, in addition to crimson, dark red and purple, were reserved for nobility or royals.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe monarch wore the suit back in 2019 during a public engagement
According to Tudor History, in Henry’s VIII’s first parliament, among the laws passed in that session was 'An Act Against Wearing of Costly Apparel.' One example included: "Velvet of crimson or blue is prohibited to anyone under the degree of knight of the garter; no person under a knight (excepting sons of lords, judges, those of the king’s council and the mayor of London) is to wear velvet in his gown and doublet, or satin or damask in his gown or coat."
While King Charles may have worn blue as a subtle nod to his royal status, there is also one more reason why the royal's choice of colour was significant.
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Queen Elizabeth's favourite colour was blue, so perhaps Charles was making a sweet gesture to his late mother. This Christmas marks the royal family's first festive period without the late monarch and many royals including The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid touching tributes to the Queen since her death in September.
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