Following the death of his "darling mama" Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III revealed that royal mourning will take place until 26 September.
A statement from Buckingham Palace read: "It is His Majesty The King’s wish that a period of Royal Mourning be observed from now until seven days after The Queen’s Funeral. "Royal Mourning will be observed by Members of the Royal Family, Royal Household staff and Representatives of the Royal Household on official duties, together with troops committed to Ceremonial Duties."
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This means that many fans were expecting the likes of Charles, his wife Queen Consort Camilla and his children the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry to wear black for the next couple of weeks. However, both of his sons stepped out in blue on Saturday to view floral tributes to the Queen at Windsor Castle.
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While their wives the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex both wore sombre yet elegant black dresses and matching heels, William and Harry surprised fans by stepping out in coordinating dark blue.
The royals reunited on Saturday to view floral tributes to the Queen
After pictures emerged of the royals uniting for the event, which marked the first time the couples have been pictured together since the Commonwealth Day service in March 2020, many Twitter users were left asking: "Why [aren't] Harry and William wearing black suits?" and: "Royal watching and just curious, as William and Harry are wearing navy blue suits and Kate and Megan are wearing black.... is there a [significance] to this?"
Referring to William's black outfit at King Charles III’s proclamation ceremony, another asked: "Did Prince William change? This was earlier and it looks black but is it a different suit? I'm older with older eyes so…" and one replied "He was in a black morning suit for the Accession ceremony and changed into a plain suit later."
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex opted for dark blue suits
Black is typically associated with grief, with Queen Victoria even famously mourning the death of her husband Prince Albert for 40 years. However, dark blue may also be considered to be appropriate mourning attire.
David Cameron was pictured in blue at the proclamation ceremony on Saturday, and then-Prince Charles wore the hue at Princess Diana's funeral back in 1997.
Four days after Prince Philip's death back in April 2021, the Queen was also spotted wearing a blue floral dress, so it is not an unusual choice for the royals.
Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on 8 September at Balmoral, surrounded by members of her immediate family.
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