5 Royals Who Wore Braces, Yes, Even Queen Elizabeth II

This is my favourite royal dental story, full stop.

On 19 February 2020, the Queen opened the new Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals in London. While she was there, she chatted to patients, including a young person having orthodontic treatment. According to Town & Country, she told them: "I had wires, luckily it was a very long time ago."

And then, the line that should be printed on every orthodontic waiting room wall: "I think it's worth it, in the end."

I love this for two reasons. First, it's the late Queen, the most formal person in the country, casually admitting she'd had train tracks. Second, she said exactly the thing every nervous teenager needs to hear, and she said it kindly.

What we don't know is how old she was, how long the treatment lasted, or exactly what kind of appliance she had beyond "wires". So I won't guess. But "a very long time ago" from someone born in 1926 suggests orthodontics has been part of royal life for the best part of a century.

On Christmas Day 1999, Prince Harry was photographed greeting the public after the church service at Sandringham. The agency caption on that Getty photograph specifically identifies his teeth braces.

Now, if there was ever a moment designed to make a teenager self-conscious, it's being one of the most photographed boys in Britain, on Christmas morning, with a mouth full of metal, while the world's press snaps away.

He did it anyway. Smiled, shook hands, carried on.

The photo tells us he had braces at the time, not when his treatment started or finished. But it's a lovely reminder that braces are a phase, not a personality. Look at him now.

Three Christmases later, it was Beatrice's turn. A photograph from the Tim Graham archive at Getty, taken at Sandringham on 25 December 2002, is titled "Beatrice Tooth Brace", and its caption expressly identifies her wearing dental braces.

I like this one because it's properly documented. It's not someone on social media comparing blurry before-and-after photos and drawing conclusions. It's a dated, captioned agency photo from a royal Christmas.

There's nothing here about veneers, whitening or anything else, and I'm not going to invent a treatment plan for her. What it shows is simple: a teenage princess, wearing braces, out in public at one of the most photographed family events of the year.

If Christmas walkabouts are nerve-racking, imagine the Buckingham Palace balcony.

At Trooping the Colour on 17 June 2006, Eugenie stood on the balcony next to her sister Beatrice and their father. The Getty/WireImage caption for that photograph specifically describes Eugenie wearing braces.

That's braces in front of crowds on the Mall and cameras from around the world, at one of the biggest ceremonial events in the royal calendar.

If you've got a teenager dreading their school photo, a prom, or a wedding in the middle of their treatment, this is a good one to show them. If braces were good enough for the balcony, they're good enough for a class photo.

Bringing us up to more recent times, HELLO! reported that Lady Louise wore braces at the 2019 Royal Windsor Horse Show, with a Getty-credited photograph. Woman & Home also named her among royal brace wearers in a February 2020 article, after the Queen's comments made headlines.

I haven't found a first-person account from Louise about her treatment, so this one is based on reporting rather than her own words. But it neatly shows that braces have carried on through the generations, from the late Queen to her granddaughter.

None of this should surprise anyone, really. Braces aren't a luxury or a sign that something went badly wrong. They're one of the most routine dental treatments there is.

Teeth come through crowded, crooked or spaced out all the time. Sometimes the top and bottom teeth don't meet properly, which dentists call a bite problem. Braces work by applying gentle, steady pressure over time to move teeth into a better position. Slowly, steadily, and with lots of small adjustments along the way.

Being royal doesn't change what's happening in your mouth. A crowded tooth in a palace is still a crowded tooth.

This is something people get muddled about, especially with so many celebrity smile stories around at the moment.

Braces and aligners move your natural teeth. Nothing is added on top, and your teeth stay your teeth. They just end up in a different place.

Veneers are thin coverings fixed to the front of teeth to change how they look. They don't move anything. Many veneer procedures involve removing some natural enamel first, which can't grow back.

So when people talk about a celebrity getting their teeth "done", it's worth asking which kind of "done". Straightened? Covered? Whitened? They're very different treatments, with very different commitments.

Yes. Braces aren't just for teenagers, and lots of adults have orthodontic treatment, whether that's traditional braces or clear aligners. Whether it's right for you depends on your teeth, gums and bite, so it needs a proper assessment first.

In the UK, orthodontic treatment for adults is usually private rather than on the NHS, so it's worth asking for a clear plan and price before you start.

Here's the bit nobody puts on their Instagram: the retainer.

Teeth have a memory. Once braces come off, they'd quite like to drift back to where they started. A retainer holds them in their new position, and following your orthodontist's instructions about wearing it is what keeps the result you've worked so hard for.

The late Queen said braces were worth it in the end. In my view, they're only worth it if you keep wearing the retainer afterwards.

Did Queen Elizabeth II wear braces? Yes. In 2020 she told a young patient at the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals that she "had wires" a very long time ago, and that it was "worth it, in the end".

Which royals have had braces? Royals recorded wearing braces include the late Queen, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Lady Louise Windsor.

Do braces change the shape of your teeth? No. Braces move teeth into a different position. Changing the shape or colour of teeth is done with other treatments, such as bonding, veneers or whitening.

Do you have to wear a retainer after braces? Yes, follow your orthodontist's advice. Without a retainer, teeth can move back towards where they started.

Braces have been on palace balconies, Christmas walkabouts and horse shows, and in the mouth of the late Queen herself. If they're good enough for the royal family, they're good enough for the rest of us.

And if you've got a teenager sulking about their train tracks, just tell them what the Queen said. It's worth it, in the end.

This article is general information based on public reporting and the late Queen's own remarks. It is not personal dental advice. The Royal Household and the individuals mentioned have no connection with this article.