It is a truth universally acknowledged that when it comes to meeting royalty, one must put their very best face forward.
And for Pride and Prejudice actress Keira Knightley, she couldn’t have taken this more literally.
The British celebrity recently had the honour of meeting Prince Charles as she was awarded the coveted OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).
But it wasn’t the award that caught ours, and indeed Prince Charles’, attention.
The brunette actress decided to get very creative in the wardrobe department, opting to wear a bright yellow Chanel tweed blazer and skirt complete with a matching top hat.
She accessorised her bold look with a pink belt and nude Chloe Gosselin heels – and she pulled it off seamlessly.
The two-time Oscar Nominee looked chuffed as she stood before the royal, giving Charles a wide smile as he presented her with the OBE.
While Keira’s bold look was still within the confines of royal protocol, her husband who was also in attendance, tested the boundaries for himself.
Wearing a grey blazer and shirt, Knightley’s beau James Righton might have inadvertently broken protocol by not wearing a tie.
According to Daily Mail, morning dress, military uniform, lounge suits or national dress are required to be worn on the day.
But James certainly isn’t the first to test the wardrobe rules – back in November, Emma Thompson opted to wear trainers as she accepted her Damehood from Prince William at Buckingham Palace.
At the time, she humorously said: “But they were posh trainers!”
What’s more, during the event, the Love Actually actress took things a step further by asking if she could give Wills a quick peck!
“I love Prince William, I’ve known him since he was little, and we just sniggered at each other,” Thompson explained. “I said, ‘I can’t kiss you, can I?’ And he said, ‘No don’t!'”
Knightley herself also hasn’t shied away from speaking her mind when it comes to the royals.
In October, the actress made headlines when she penned a confronting essay on the realities of childbirth – and her reference to Kate Middleton’s seemingly breezy birth to Princess Charlotte didn’t go unnoticed.
In the essay, Knightley recalls seeing images of Kate leaving the hospital after the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015, which was just a day after she had given birth to her own daughter.
She wrote: “Seven hours after your fight with life and death, seven hours after your body breaks open, and bloody, screaming life comes out. Don’t show. Don’t tell. Stand there with your girl and be shot by a pack of male photographers.”
“Hide. Hide our pain, our bodies splitting, our breasts leaking, our hormones raging. Look beautiful. Look stylish, don’t show your battleground, Kate.”
Safe to say she didn’t put things lightly!