The typically casual attire of American journalists is not going to fly when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit America next month. Although reporters have not been formally reminded that they will be expected to follow the dress code posted on the website of the Buckingham Palace press office when Prince William and Kate Middleton come to New York City and Washington D.C. in early December, the expectation is clear. Only well-dressed members of the press will be allowed to interact with the famous couple.

According to the website, journalists should comply with the dress code out of respect for members of the Royal Family. “Smart attire” consists of suits: jacket and tie for men, skirt or pants suits for women. Those who arrive wearing jeans or “trainers,” or are otherwise casually dressed, will not be allowed in.

The requirement has caused some journalists who favor the rumpled, overworked look to take umbrage. New York magazine questions why the American press, who “barely bother to brush the muffin crumbs off their polo shirts” before press conferences with the President, should have to dress differently for the royal couple. Washington political website Politico said that our “much more refined brothers across the pond” appear to be worried that our “haggard and ill-dressed journalists” will not observe appropriate respect for being in royal company.

The furor about dress comes at a sensitive time for Washington reporters, who have just been chastised by the U.S. Senate for walking backward in the hallowed halls of Congress, or being so involved looking at their phones that they run into people. The Palace edict, however, leaves some wondering why the British Royals still seem to think they can tell Americans what to do.