Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and from left, Meghan, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate watch a flypast of Royal Air Force.

Kate, Princess of Wales, and the Duchess of Sussex may be sporting black veils on the day of the Queen’s funeral, due to a long-held royal tradition.

Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday 8 September at her Balmoral Estate in Scotland. She was 96.

In the days since Her Majesty’s death, her coffin has been transported from Aberdeenshire to Edinburgh, where it laid in rest for 24 hours, before being transported to Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday evening (13 September).

The Queen spent her finale evening at Buckingham Palace and will be transported to Westminster Hall via a procession on Wednesday (14 September), where her coffin will lie in state until the morning of her funeral on 19 September.

While it has already been revealed that the Duke of Sussex will not be allowed to wear his military uniform to the funeral, as he is no longer a working royal, there is another dress code that women of the royal family must follow on the day.

Women of the royal family, including non-working royals such as Meghan Markle, must wear a traditional black lace veil in some form.

Called “mourning veils”, the black lace veil is symbolic as it signifies the wearer is in mourning, but it also adds a practical element as it allows the wearer more privacy to grieve when they are wearing it.

Female members of the royal family wore the veils to Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021, but opted for a more subtle version of the traditional long black tulle veil worn by royal family members in the early to mid-1900s.

As is custom, all members of the royal family will be dressed in black, which they have been since the Queen’s death was announced last week.

The tradition of wearing black for mourning was popularised by Queen Victoria, who wore black for 40 years after her husband Prince Albert died in 1861.

The Independent