This Celeb's Inappropriate Royal Wedding Outfit Completely Ignored Tradition

If you're ever fortunate enough to be invited to a royal wedding, certain rules need to be followed. Along with not offering a gift at the reception and not hogging the monarch's time, the dress code should be adhered to so that age-old traditions can prevail. But sometimes, the conservative ways of the British monarchy clash with the rebellious creativity of Hollywood, and when a celebrity is invited to a royal wedding, there's a chance that traditions will be broken. 

Back in 2018, Princess Eugenie of York married Jack Brooksbank, and on the star-studded guest list was A-list model and actor Cara Delevingne. While some celebrities get the royal-etiquette memo — like Serena Williams and Amal Clooney, who both wore formal dresses with fascinators to the 2018 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — it seems that the "Paper Towns" actor wanted to veer from tradition. Instead of wearing a "day dress" (translation for the common folk: evening wear) with a hat, which is the norm for royal-wedding guests (just check out our favorite Kate Middleton wedding guest looks), the model turned up in a tuxedo from Emporio Armani.The 'fit consisted of cigarette pants, a white shirt and tie, a cropped jacket, and a masculine-leaning top hat rather than the more feminine fascinator.

Strictly speaking, a trouser suit is technically allowed for women at royal weddings, but given that Delevingne appears to be the only woman to have worn a tuxedo, it's safe to say she deviated majorly from the dress code. This was also during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who preferred dresses and skirts over pants. So, while the 'fit met many royal guidelines — it featured a conservative hemline, reasonably tall heels, a head covering, and was not white — we're betting that it raised some royal eyebrows. According to Delevingne, though, the bride was chuffed with her sartorial choice.

Being from the upper echelons of British society herself, and therefore reasonably aware of royal etiquette, Cara Delevingne didn't opt for a tuxedo out of ignorance. In fact, she even checked in with Princess Eugenie to make sure the outfit wasn't going to ruffle any feathers. "Eugenie has been a friend of mine since I was a kid, and I've always wanted to wear tails," the model explained to Grazia (via Marie Claire). "I texted her, as I wasn't sure about it, and she was like, 'Of course, I expected nothing else from you!'" She added that she was taken aback that the other guests thought she was brave: "I feel way more comfortable like this."

Given that the look was such a departure from what's expected from female royal-wedding guests, the tuxedo certainly was a brave choice, and one that paid off. Though we're sure some were clutching their pearls, Delevingne made it onto a few best-dressed lists, with people praising her edginess. One of the reasons why the tuxedo might have been so well-received is because a certain royal icon had already planted the seed. 

Back in the '80s and '90s, Princess Diana of Wales' style changed after leaving the royal family, but she often rocked suits (albeit with skirts) or suit jackets and blazers to royal weddings. There was the turquoise suit jacket she wore over her black dress when Camilla Dunne and Rupert Soames tied the knot in 1988, the Kermit-green suit she wore to the nuptials of Helen Windsor and Timothy Taylor in 1992, and the gray-blue blazer she paired with a — gasp! — white dress when David Armstrong-Jones and Serena Stanhope got married in 1993. The late princess made suits and blazers chic, and more than two decades later, Cara Delevingne took the look all the way to make history. Of course, Delevingne isn't the only celebrity who wore something inappropriate to other people's weddings, but her case is one of the most interesting.