Reason Queen wears same outfit twice in a month - and it's a royal custom

The Queen has made the rare move of wearing the same outfit twice this month as a subtle way of mourning her late husband Prince Philip, according to experts.

Monarchs are traditionally limited to dressing in the same clothes no more than twice - but Her Majesty has been seen in the same lilac coat three times.

Appearing yesterday for her annual Trooping the Colour birthday celebration - the Queen donned a long pale lilac dress coat and hat, decorated with yellow flowers.

But eagle-eyed watchers will have noticed that it was the exact same outfit she wore to the State Opening of Parliament just a few weeks earlier.

It was also the third time she wore the coat itself in public, reports MyLondon.

You may be wondering if this was a fashion faux-pas by the Queen and her staff but it appears the royal was following a centuries-old tradition after the death of her husband Prince Philip, 99, on April 9.

An old royal custom states that widows can wear only black mourning clothes for the first two years after their husbands' passing.

After this period they were expected to wear 'second mourning' clothes in understated colours such as grey and lilac.

Matthew Storey, curator at Historic Royal Palaces, told The Telegraph: "Mourning dress has been part of European royal culture for centuries, but it reached its peak in the 19th century with the influence of Queen Victoria, who set a standard for the rest of society to follow."

“Widows were required to wear black, then either white or mauve, for at least three years before being able to return to richly coloured clothing."

According to the Telegraph, the Queen is putting a modern spin on this tradition by following the mourning colour profile for official royal events such as Trooping the Colour.

This explains why she is still wearing brighter shades of pink and lilac at recent events such as the G7 Summit.

The Queen's understated outfits at official royal events serve as a bittersweet reminder for the royals and the general public that the monarch is still in mourning following the death of her husband the Duke of Edinburgh.

It comes after the Queen hosted US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle on Sunday.

Before leaving the UK, Mr Biden, 78, shared details of his conversations with the 95-year-old head of state and revealed he had invited her to visit the White House.

Mr Biden said: "We had a long talk. She was very generous. I don't think she'd be insulted but she reminded me of my mother.

"In terms of the look of her and just the generosity. She was very gracious."