The royal-approved manicure which has gone viral: How Kate Middleton’s ‘princess nails’ have become the hottest trend for summer

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh

Thought to be Queen Elizabeth’s ‘favourite’ daughter-in-law, it is surprising Sophie would opt for bold-coloured nails when Her Majesty found them to be ‘vulgar’.

But during a visit to Shooting Star Children’s Hospices in Hampton on February 12, 2020, the Duchess sported a chocolate brown manicure as she decorated biscuits with blue icing.

The Duchess of Edinburgh during a visit to the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice on February 12, 2020

Sophie decorates a biscuit with blue icing as she wears chocolate brown nail polish

The Duchess of Edinburgh wears a plum varnish on her nails during a visit to The Company Shop in London on January 15, 2025

In the past, the Duchess of Edinburgh has previously worn a fun candy pink varnish to match a floral coat dress from Erdem and a plum colour to tie in with her deep purple jumper. 

For her 60th birthday portrait, Sophie opted for a ‘dark, brown nail colour’ to ‘complement both her blackberry-purple turtleneck and the more earthy tones of her green trousers and brown top pairing’, according to the Woman and Home’s digital beauty writer Naomi Jamieson.

She added: ‘In doing so, it creates a sense of cohesion and timelessness, whilst remaining very subtle.’

Diana, Princess of Wales

To attend a performance of the English National Ballet, of which she was the patron, at the Opera House in Budapest, Hungary, in 1992, Princess Diana looked radiant in a the Spencer Family’s tiara, an off-shoulder red dress and matching scarlet nails.

Earlier photos of Princess Diana show that the royal did not often sport nail polish and this may have been down to her tendency to bite her nails.

After kicking the habit, she slowly regained the confidence to paint her nails in bold colours.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Diana’s hairstylist Sam McKnight talked abut her cover shoot for Vogue in 1991.

McKnight said: ‘She had just stopped biting her nails and was so proud of how they looked!’

Princess Diana attends a performance of the English National Ballet in Budapest, Hungary, on March 23, 1992

The Princess during a visit to the Mortimer Market Centre – a service for HIV/AIDS sufferers – in Euston, north London on December 1, 1994

Most memorably, Diana, Princess of Wales, stepped out in the ‘revenge dress’ at the Serpentine Gallery on June 29, 1994, pairing the off-the-shoulder Christina Stambolian design with red nails.

As Stambolian would later write: ‘She was clearly angry… She wore bright red nail enamel, which we had never seen her do before. She was saying: “Let’s be wicked tonight.”‘

Diana repeated the striking red manicure during a visit to the Mortimer Market Centre – a service for HIV/AIDS sufferers London on December 1, 1994.

And once again while attending a gala evening in aid of Cancer Research at Bridgewater House in London in 1995.

Princess Eugenie

Shaking up royal beauty trends, Princess Eugenie is a fan of quirky nail art.

During her grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 5, 2022, the royal was spotted holding her son August Brooksbank in the royal box.

With her hands clasped around his sweet Union Jack jumper, her perfectly manicured nails featured a red French tip.

Eugenie holds her son August Brooksbank while watching the Platinum Jubilee Pageant from the Royal Box on June 5, 2022

Eugenie wears red polish during Trooping the Colour in 2017

A young Eugenie wears Union Jack nails to mark the London Olympics in 2012

Even before she was a mother, Eugenie wore bold red polish to Trooping the Colour in 2017 as she rode in a carriage alongside her sister Beatrice and father Prince Andrew.

And she commanded attention with her unmissable Union Jack painted nails at the Investec Derby Festival back in 2012.

The patriotic manicure was a nod to the London Summer Olympics which were taking place at the time.

Zara Tindall

As the daughter of strong-willed Princess Anne, Zara Tindall is unafraid to push the boundaries of royal style.

The former Olympian turned heads in an all-black ensemble at a film premiere in 2015 with heavy black eyeliner and a vampy dark manicure to match. She opted for the same dark colour when attending the Cheltenham Festival on December 13, 2019.

Zara Tindall attends the premiere of Being AP in an all-black ensemble with a matching vampy manicure on November 23, 2015

The former Olympian opted for the same dark colour when attending the Cheltenham Festival on December 13, 2019

A picture of Zara’s nails after she competed in the Festival of British Eventing on August 5, 2023

But the state of her nails was the last thing on Zara’s mind when she competed in the Festival of British Eventing on August 5, 2023.

The mother-of-three was seen participating in one of the jumping competitions which takes place on the Princess Royal’s estate in Gloucester but her teal blue manicure looked worse for wear.

Fitzwilliams, commenting on royal manicures, said: ‘Generally the intention is obviously to be stylish without drawing attention to nail colours. 

‘Exceptions are few, but, when they happen, as with everything royal that is unusual, they can cause a stir.’