At 92 years old, Queen Elizabeth II truly is an icon. She's the longest-reigning British monarch, and she can still pull off a fluorescent hat and jacket combination like it's no-one's business. The Queen has been snapped at many exciting royal outings of late, including – of course – the recent royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
And as always, you could bet on the fact that she'd be wearing a bright suit outfit, a large brooch, a fabulous hat and... white gloves.
Gloves have been a staple in the Queen's wardrobe for about 70 years, which makes you wonder A) what the state of her hands must be like (probably immaculate) and B) why she's always wearing them.
Well, the Queen's go-to glove manufacturer for all these decades, Cornelia James, has explained the Queen's relationship to her gloves to Good Housekeeping.
"The Queen wears gloves because they’ve always been part of her style," Genevieve James, creative director of Cornelia James, said. "The mind’s eye picture of the Queen is white-gloved hand waving."
It's true. When have you ever seen the Queen without gloves? But as well as it being part of her "lewk", James says there's another more practical benefit.
"They’re number one: style. Number two: practical," she went on. "They’re necessary because if you’re the Queen, you’re shaking a lot of hands, so they protect her hands as well."
Huh, that totally makes sense. And she's not the first royal to protect herself from the peasants (kidding) with gloves. The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne have also worn the same brand of gloves their whole lives.
But Cornelia James isn't just a glove manufacturer loved by the royals – other household A-list names are also big fans. Lady Gaga, Madonna, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna have all bought their own pairs from the brand.
The Queen personally opts for a very minimal style, going for the simple "Regina" style, choosing neutral colours, black, or white, and without any fancy embellishments. She never wears leather or synthetic gloves, and prefers a soft, pure cotton.
Princess Diana was one to break royal protocol, being the first royal to refuse to wear gloves at public outings.
"She abandoned the royal protocol of wearing gloves because she liked to hold hands when visiting people or shake hands and have direct contact," Eleri Lynn, curator of Diana: Her Fashion Story exhibit, told People. Diana did wear gloves once in a while though, with James recalling a story her mother – the founder of the brand – told her.
"My mother once met [Diana] at a garden party," she said. "She remarked to Princess Diana that she should wear gloves because she noticed the princess bit her fingernails, like I do. She said, 'My daughter bites her nails, you should wear gloves.' The next day we interestingly got a phone call from the palace."
Who knows? Perhaps the Queen has a dirty nail-biting habit that she can't kick as well.
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