5 Times the Royal Family Played Dressed Up in Halloween Costumes

The royal family is usually associated with polished gowns, smart suits, and their military uniforms, but when it comes to Halloween and themed balls, royals have occasionally let slip their more playful side. From the late Queen to the younger generation, the royal family has enjoyed dressing up over the years.

The Royal Family is not known for celebrating Halloween, as Queen Victoria opined that they, as an institution, should "uphold total class and sophistication and have complete self-respect and good behavior when in front of the general public," Christina Reeves told the Daily Express. However, sometimes the royal family wore costumes to celebrate the spooky holiday season, and even the Queen participated. Queen Elizabeth II had plenty of costume moments long before she became queen. As a young girl, in 1942, Elizabeth dressed up as Prince Florizel while Margaret played Cinderella in a production staged for the Royal Household Concert Wool Fund. The following year, the sisters appeared in Aladdin, with Elizabeth taking the role of Aladdin and Margaret playing Princess Roxana.

Princess Beatrice is likely the only royal who openly stepped out dressed for a Halloween party. In 2016, she joined in the costume fun at UNICEF UK's Halloween Ball in London, wearing a cat costume complete with a blonde wig. The event was held to raise funds for children in danger around the world. Just two years later, the Princess was again seen at a Halloween party dressed as a unicorn with a lilac-colored wig and a striking unicorn horn.

Yet another time we saw members of the royal family enjoying Halloween was in 2016. In the couple’s six-part Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which premiered in 2022, we saw them celebrating the festival with Harry's cousin, Princess Eugenie, and her now-husband, Jack Brooksbank. All of them were dressed in apocalypse-themed outfits with dark makeup and masks as they partied together in Toronto. At the time, Harry and Markle were dating.

Princess Kate's pre-royal costume moment came in a rather unexpected form. In 2008, before she became a duchess, Kate organized a Day-Glo charity roller disco in London. She followed the event's bright theme herself, wearing a sequined top with yellow shorts and leg warmers. Just a year earlier, in 2007, Kate was also seen in a black vampire outfit for a night out in London for a Halloween party hosted by her sister, Pippa Middleton.

Known for her impeccable style, Princess Diana, back in 1983, wore a silk blush pink Klondike outfit on an official visit to Canada. The outfit was designed by Linda Matlock and had been previously worn by actress Francesca Annis, who played Lillie Langtry in the 1978 miniseries 'Lillie.' Right by her side was the then-Prince Charles, dressed in a traditional Klondike outfit for men.