The emperor always wanted people to think he/ she was loose and not uptight when that was convienient, then to think that he/she was wholesome and serious when that was convienient. He/she looked like a clown in his/her polka dot underwear, and no longer had to be concerned about his/her appearance to the world, or what people thought of him/her the way everybody else was.
The emperor looked like a clown in his/her polka dot underwear.