When the royals wear something out in public, or mention their appreciation for a brand or product, it is a sure-shot sell-out. Known as the “Markle Sparkle” or the “Kate Middleton Effect”, this is a testament to the power they yield to put a brand, label or trend on the map. The same counts for fragrances—their picks are sold out as soon as they hit the shelves.
In some cases, purchasing the exact fragrance is impossible—members of the royal family like working with a perfumer to create a proprietary formula. “The details of royal scent commissions are kept very secret and the same perfume composition is never made available to the public,” says perfumer Neha Vij. “If you are looking for an authentic royal fragrance brand to try, look for labels that have got the royal seal. it means that they have been directly supplying product to the family,” she says. Scroll through to read about some of their favourites.
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle is the biggest fan of fragrances, designating it as her “favourite thing”, in an interview back in 2016. “So much so that if I leave the house and I don’t put any on, I’ll turn around and go back home,” she confirmed. Back then, she picked fresh, airy notes. “I alternate between a few scents,” she shared. They included Oribe Côte d’Azur Eau de Parfum, a warm yet floral pick with notes of sandalwood and fresh fruit, Jo Malone Wild Bluebell, which is a spicy-floral composition, and Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt, a cult-favourite with a popular aromatic-spicy formula.
She turned to British royal perfumers Floris London (Queen Elizabeth’s perfumers!) to create her wedding scent inspired by sea breeze, sunshine and water. The fragrance was inspired by the brand’s Beramotto di Positano perfume and has notes of bergamot, orange blossom ginger and green tea.
Markle likes to pick her skincare products based on the scent too. “I use Dr Bronner’s Body Wash in Lavender. I love the smell and it lasts for such a long time. The almond scent is quite nice too if your prefer something warm and sweet. I alternate between the two,” she confirmed in an interview.
Kate Middleton
Royal weddings and bridal scents have set trends and when Middleton picked a white floral fragrance composed of only eight ingredients, she made the case for contemporary, minimalist scents. She opted for White Gardenia Petals by a small, independent British brand called Illuminum. The top notes were a a light blend of lily, jasmine and gardenia. The scent sold out soon after Clarence House confirmed that it was what the Duchess wore for the royal wedding.
The other scent Kate loves is Jo Malone’s Orange Blossom, Grapefruit and Lime. At her request, the luxury candles burned the clean, crisp, airy scent in Westminster Abbey as she walked down the aisle.
Princess Diana
According to those behind-the-scenes, Princess Diana was said to be so nervous before she walked down the aisle to marry Prince Charles, that she spilled her wedding perfume all over herself. She picked Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant Paris, which is a composition of 15,000 flowers, ranging from rose, orange blossom and lily of the valley.
“She always, always, always wore fragrance, which is a huge thing in a woman’s life,” shared Mary Greenwell, Princess Diana’s makeup artist, in an interview. “It’s kind of the final touch of beauty, walking out smelling divine and chic and individual.” For everyday wear, she favoured Penhaligon’s Bluebell, a floral-fresh fragrance.
Queen Elizabeth II
While there hasn’t been any official confirmation, reports say that Queen Elizabeth II wore White Rose by Floris (the same perfume house that Markle picked!) for her wedding day. The powdery perfume has notes of rose, iris, violets and jasmine. According to Buckingham Palace, lily of the valley is one of the Queen’s most-loved blooms and one of her favourite scents—it was a major feature in her coronation bouquet.
The article was first published in Vogue
