The Best Off-Duty Royals Looks of All Time

The royals are skilled at getting dressed head-to-toe for formal engagements, but they might be even better at keeping it casual when they aren’t on duty.

Queen Elizabeth throws on a headscarf, Meghan flaunts distressed denim, and Kate Middleton likes a good vest. But Princess Diana might have been the best at pulling out the athletic wear and still staying at the top of the style game. Here, a look at some of the best casual attire ever worn by royal women when they're off the clock.





Princess Diana, who had a knack for looking casual and cool at the same time, leaves the Chelsea Harbour Club in a Fly Atlantic sweatshirt that would be a gem of a find at any vintage store today.





Kelly kicks back in a v-neck sweater while engaged to Prince Rainier of Monaco. A Hollywood-royal-turned-real-royal, Kelly displayed her sense of elegant style even when she wasn't at royal engagements.





If you have to wear a sweater, you might as well slap a pattern on it. Princess Diana cozies up in a pink sweater (featuring llamas!) while in Balmoral, Scotland.

Grace Kelly, 1955

No one looks as put together in pants and a smart frilly shirt as Grace Kelly at the Cannes Film Festival.





Princess Anne layers up to walk her bull terrier at the Whatley Manor Horse Trials at Gatcombe Park in Stroud, England.





The Queen tests out her a gold Rollei camera while with Prince Philip at the Badminton Horse Trials. Whether she's off-duty driving her range rovers or walking her corgis, the monarch typically opts for a patterned head scarf like this one.





Here's yet another example of Princess Diana keeping things sporty at an actual sporting event-how appropriate. The Duchess of York joins her at a polo match in Windsor but dresses things up a bit with a fur-lined jacket.





The Duchess of Cambridge runs down a hill in an airy blue striped Zara dress at the Maserati Royal Charity Polo Trophy.





Princess Diana is all grins in a leather jacket with Prince Harry and Prince William on a log flume ride.





Diana jumps around in a green and purple cover-up while on vacation in the South of France.





The people's princess takes a break on a boat in Saint-Tropez in a now memorable leopard print swimsuit in July 1997, the month before she died in a car accident in Paris. She added gold hoops to match.

Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, 1941

The queen of corgis even from an early age, Elizabeth joins her sister Margaret and a furry companion while they drive a horse and pony trap in Windsor Park. Note the matching dresses.





Diana was a pro at pairing athletic with chic. Here, she strolls the grounds at Guards Polo Club in a British Lung Foundation sweatshirt, sport jacket, baseball cap, denim, and mid-calf brown boots.

Meghan Markle, 2017

Wearing one of her most popular casual looks to date, Meghan sits next to Prince Harry at the 2017 Invictus Games. Meghan wore a white Misha Nonoo blouse and casual jeans. As the first American to marry into the British royal family, Meghan has introduced a sense of laid-back charm in royal moments like this.

Hilary Weaver