Royals with surprising tattoos: From Princess Eugenie’s rebellious ink to Princess Kate’s hidden art

When we think of the royal family, tattoos aren’t necessarily what springs to mind. They tend to have a strict protocol when it comes to appearance, from makeup and jewellery to nail polish colour and even the shade of their tights. So, it comes as a huge surprise when royals show off an edgy inking, whether that’s permanent or temporary.

Over the years, plenty of royals have shown off some nifty tattoos; including Princess Eugenie who showed off her subtle ink while stepping out to a royal event in 2022. Not only that, but Lady Amelia Windsor has several on her ribcage, left hand, and wrists, and Princess Sofia famously displayed the sun tattoo between her shoulder blades on her wedding day. Read on to find out which royals have been tempted by tattoos…

Princess Eugenie

Yes, Princess Eugenie has a tattoo! The royal has a very small ink behind her ear and fans have spotted the subtle tattoo a number of times while Princess Eugenie has stepped out for various engagements over the years.

It’s not known when the royal had her ink done, but in the below image, showing the royal attending the Thanksgiving Service at St Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, Eugenie’s hair was pinned away from her face meaning her delicate circle tatt behind her left ear was visible. The meaning behind the circle tattoo is not known, but some royals fans believe she had it done to honour her late grandmother, the Queen.

© Max Mumby/Indigo

Queen Camilla

Although Queen Camilla does not have permanent ink, the Queen did partake in some henna activities while on an official engagement in 2011 with her husband, King Charles, then Prince Charles, while in Zanzibar. The Queen Consort visited a henna tattooist and had her own ink creation painted on her hand. The royal couple were on a four-day trip to Tanzania to highlight environmental issues in Africa. 

© Chris Jackson

Princess Kate

Much like her mother-in-law, the Queen, the Princess of Wales doesn’t have a permanent tattoo, but she has enjoyed having a temporary henna in the past. In February 2018, while seven months pregnant with Louis, the Princess received a small henna tattoo while marking the opening of a new artist’s residence in Sunderland. Wonder how it faded so fast? Henna is a natural dye that only lasts around one to four weeks.

© WPA Pool

Meghan Markle

During the royal couple’s trip to Morocco in 2019, Meghan Markle was given a henna tattoo by teenager Samira who has lived in Asni for six years – the henna flower was created on Meghan’s right hand to celebrate her pregnancy as per Moroccan tradition. Samira explained: “It is a traditional practice for pregnant women in Morocco. It is to bring luck for the baby.”

© Tim P. Whitby

When the artwork was completed, Meghan said: “That’s really lovely,” and proudly showed it to husband Prince Harry, who was sitting next to her. Meghan added: “It will dry for a little bit and then we can walk through.” Here’s a close-up photo of Meghan with her beautiful henna tattoo…

© Pool/Samir Hussein

Doria Ragland

Like mother, like daughter! The Duchess of Sussex’s mother, Doria Ragland, showed off her beautifully artistic arm ink while stepping out in Beverly Hills recently. Wearing a chic red strappy jumpsuit, the yoga instructor’s tattoo was on full display. The ink is a floral design, with some royal fans theorising that Doria’s tattoo could be a tribute to Meghan as she refers to her daughter as ‘flower’. One of the flowers is a lily, could this also be a tribute to her granddaughter Lilibet?

© AKGS

Lady Amelia Windsor

Something of an it-girl, Lady Amelia Windsor is the granddaughter of Prince Edward. The Duke of Kent and the late Queen Elizabeth II were first cousins through their fathers, King George VI and Prince George, Duke of Kent.

Amelia isn’t shy about expressing her personal style. Inked in more places than one, the stylish royal showed off her rib cage tattoo while attending the Serpentine Summer Party. She also has tattoos on each of her wrists and a tiger on her left-hand shoulder blade.

© Mike Marsland

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark

The heir to the Danish throne, Crown Prince Frederik will become King with two tatts but it’s something that’s not unusual in his family. His grandfather, King Frederik IX, who ruled Denmark from 1947 to his death in 1972 had tattoos of dragons and birds on his torso. Why? Because, just like Prince Frederik, who has a shark on his calf and a tattoo on his arm that means ‘pingu’, the chosen symbols are used to represent their time served in the Danish Navy.

© Getty

Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland

Before marrying Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland, who is fourth in line to the Swedish throne, Princess Sofia worked as a glamour model and reality television star. After getting together with her future husband she wasn’t just going to erase her tattoos because she was becoming royal. Quite right, too.

On her wedding day, a sun between her shoulder blades was visible and on a holiday a few years, she revealed a large tattoo of a flying butterfly on her ribcage. She also has a minute inking on her ankle and is said to have previously had a motif on her arm.

© Gisela Schober

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco

The youngest daughter of American actress Grace Kelly and Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, Princess Stéphanie was lovingly called ‘wild child’ by her mother when she was growing up. After her mother was killed in a car accident in 1982, while Stéphanie was riding with her, she reportedly grew more rebellious and opted for several tattoos including a floral bracelet, two jumping dolphins on her foot and a motif on her back.

© Pool BENAINOUS/SCORCELLETTI

Pauline Ducruet

Pauline Ducruet is the daughter of Princess Stéphanie of Monaco and is 14th in line to the Monegasque throne. Like mother, like daughter, she’s also partial to visiting the tattoo parlour and has a floral motif on her wrist too. A daisy to be precise. She also has a small circle inked on the inside of her left ear. 

© Francois Durand