Queen Camilla stood out in the crowd Wednesday while attending a ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth, England. Accompanied by husband King Charles III and stepson Prince William, Camilla donned head-to-toe pale pink for the somber occasion, selecting a pale pink Fiona Clare coat dress and matching Philip Treacy beret.
The queen was visibly moved by the proceedings at Southsea Common, photographed with tears in her eyes while listening to a veteran speak about watching his best friend and brother-in-arms lose his life on the battlefield all those years ago. She also stood beside Charles as he delivered his first public speech since sharing his cancer diagnosis with the public earlier this year, and watched William deliver his own tribute. The king was greeted with a standing ovation and told the thousands gathered to “cherish and honor” those who served and to “live up to the freedom they died for.”
“The stories of courage, resilience and solidarity which you have heard today and throughout our lives cannot fail to move us, to inspire us, and to remind us of what we owe to that great wartime generation, now tragically dwindling to so few,” he said.
While many chose dark colors and military attire for the ceremony, Camilla’s blossom-tinted ensemble has specific meaning as well.
For one, it’s a royal rewear. She first wore the outfit on a state visit to France with Charles in September 2023, perhaps choosing the look as a nod to the country. She is scheduled to attend a second day of D-Day ceremonies in France on Thursday with her family for the remembrances at the British Normandy Memorial site in France.
The outfit choice also sees Camilla following in the footsteps of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was known for selecting monochrome ensembles so she could stand out and be seen more easily from a distance by the gathered crowds.
Camilla wasn’t the only one to reach for the rosy hue for the Wednesday event: Akshata Murty, wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, wore a two-piece petal pink skirt suit, and actor Helen George donned a hot pink dress accented by ruffles at the neck and sleeves.
