From classic gowns to California cool, the Duchess of Sussex wears
it well — and taking cues from her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, hasn't hurt.
In 2018, Meghan Markle wore a minimalist midi white shift dress during a trip to Australia.
The dress was made by Australian designer Karen Gee and was paired with simple nude
heels. Princess Diana wore an almost identical dress in November 1995 during a trip to Argentina,
though she paired the dress with a pair of black heels. And while we don't know whether Meghan was
intentionally imitating her mother-in-law with this look, she did wear Diana's own
butterfly earrings with the dress, which suggests the entire look was a subtle nod
to the late princess. As the Daily Mail's royal correspondent Rebecca English wrote at the time,
"Really touching to think that Harry's mother's
personal jewelry is now being worn by the daughter-in-law she never got to meet."
No, you're not seeing double — although these emerald green dresses and fascinators are eerily
similar. In March 2020, Meghan Markle wore a midi green dress with a matching cape along
with a veiled fascinator hat by William Chambers at the Commonwealth Day Service — her final royal
engagement. Eagle-eyed royal fans may have noticed that the entire look was almost identical to an
outfit Princess Diana had worn in 1982, while she was pregnant. And although they were both
similar shades of green, the dresses still had a few subtle differences. For example,
Diana's green dress featured a few 1980s touches, like smocking, puffed sleeves,
and buttons, while Meghan's outfit was a bit more minimalistic and modern. We
love to see Meghan adding her own touches to a classic look — and we're not alone.
"Megan's style, it has a greater sense of informality, it's a little bit funkier."
At the 2019 Remembrance Sunday ceremony, Meghan Markle wore one of her most deliberate
Princess Diana tributes yet, donning a black belted coat and a wide-brimmed
bat hat. Both the silhouette and look of the outfit emulated something Diana had
worn to the same ceremony back in 1991. Meghan's outfit featured a wool coat by
Stella McCartney with a black dress. Meghan's hat featured a ribbon, just like Diana's,
and was the same width and shape. As royal fashion expert Miranda Holder told the Express:
"There is no doubt in my mind that this was a deliberate
move on Meghan's behalf. Whilst the Royal Family are immersed in royal tradition and
etiquette when it comes to dressing, team Meghan are by comparison unrestricted."
In 2018, Meghan Markle wore a pale pink off-the-shoulder gown to the annual
Trooping the Colour event. This dress looked very similar to an outfit Princess Diana had
worn in 1987 during a trip to the opera. Diana's Catherine Walker dress featured a folded white
neckline and had pink buttons on the front of the dress, while Meghan's Carolina Herrera
featured a folded off-the-shoulder design and large pink buttons down the side. Diana's dress
was made of a silky material and featured a dropped waist with a full skirt of pleats,
while Meghan preferred a more sleek, modern silhouette. As Hello! Magazine pointed out,
some royal fans took issue with Meghan's Bardot-style neckline,
claiming it was a little too revealing — that is, until they realized that Diana had already
paved the way for the off-the-shoulder dress in the royal family. So, not only was Meghan's
look appropriate, it could also be seen as a gorgeous, pink-hued homage to Diana.
"Here it is! Here is our theme, here is our answer…pink!"
Let's face it — many of us probably wouldn't be brave enough to pair red with purple. However,
as both Princess Diana and Meghan Markle have shown, two bold colors can go together just fine.
In 1987, Diana wore a colorful outfit during a trip to Hong Kong, featuring a knee-length purple
skirt, purple pumps, a white shirt, a purple handbag, a red jacket and, to top it all off,
a purple hat with a red ribbon. This was actually one of Diana's most famous looks — she even wore
it again at the Royal Ascot and during a trip to the Taj Mahal. Three decades later,
her daughter-in-law Meghan appeared to imitate the striking look. While appearing in Birkenhead,
U.K., Meghan wore a purple dress, a long red coat, and a pair of red Stuart Weitzman heels. Although
the two looks do have their differences, with the red coat and purple skirt combo,
it seems clear that Meghan took at least some inspiration from Diana for this colorful outfit.
As most royal fans will probably remember, Meghan Markle had not one but two wedding dresses.
"Meghan will you take Harry to be your husband."
After the ceremony, Meghan changed out of her off-the-shoulder white Givenchy wedding
gown and put on a white halter dress by Stella McCartney. As McCartney later told Elle Magazine,
"I think Meghan chose me for reasons other than just a beautiful dress. [...] Obviously I am a
British designer, but I think being a woman and being a women's woman played a part."
While McCartney didn't mention whether or not the dress was a nod to Princess Diana,
it turns out the late Princess of Wales once wore a very similar look. Shortly after her
split from Prince Charles, Diana wore a beaded white lace halter dress to a fundraising gala,
designed by Catherine Walker. According to sources at Catherine Walker,
the dress "gave her great confidence when she stepped out after her divorce."
One way to dress like a true Brit? Wear some tartan! After all, the famous checked
print has been around since the third or fourth century in Scotland. Unsurprisingly,
plenty of royals have worn tartan over the years. However, there is one specific tartan print that
both Princess Diana and Meghan Markle have worn. Diana wore a dark blue and green tartan dress
during the Bute Highland Games in Scotland in 1987. The dress featured a lace collar,
lace sleeves and gold buttons. Meghan updated the look for the twenty-first century when she wore a
blue and green tartan coat with a black turtleneck and a black and gold crossbody bag during a trip
to Scotland to celebrate her engagement. Coincidence? We may never know. But it's
clear that both Diana and Meghan knew how to dress for the occasion — especially when in Scotland!
"Though the kilt was only for day to day wear;
in battle we donned a full-length ball gown covered in sequins."
What could be more chic than an all-white outfit? Naturally,
both Princess Diana and Meghan Markle have both pulled off the all-white look. In 2022,
Meghan wore a white blazer, white trousers and white heels designed by Valentino to
the Invictus Games in the Netherlands. While all-white is a classic look, there is a chance
that Meghan was at least partially inspired by her late mother-in-law. Diana has had her
fair share of all-white looks over the years. For instance, Diana wore a white blazer with a white
skirt during a 1997 visit with Mother Teresa. While these two looks are definitely similar,
Meghan did update the look for 2022. Instead of Diana's more feminine blazer, Meghan went
for a more masculine cut. She also swapped the midi skirt for a pair of wide-legged trousers.
As every royal knows, it's always good to dress for the occasion — and on holiday,
that means wearing outfits that pay homage to the location. So, it follows that both Princess Diana
and Meghan Markle have chosen safari-style dresses while on vacation. Diana wore a
khaki blazer dress with buttons and pockets during a trip to Egypt in 1992. Similarly,
Meghan wore a midi khaki safari dress during her trip to South Africa. While Diana's dress featured
white lapels and three-quarter length sleeves and Meghan's dress was double-breasted and sleeveless,
it's easy to see the similarities between the two looks. As the Who What Wear style blog noted,
all of Diana's Egypt looks are surprisingly trendy from a modern
perspective — so it wouldn't be a huge shock if Meghan had taken note of her
mother-in-law's holiday looks and recreated one of them for herself.
One thing Princess Diana certainly knew how to do was red carpet style. One of her greatest looks
came in 1996 when she wore a silk aquamarine gown during an evening event at the Sydney
Entertainment Center in Australia. The sleek gown featured an asymmetrical one-shoulder design. She
paired it, notably, with an emerald necklace she wore as a headband! Almost three decades later,
Meghan Markle wore a dress that looked incredibly similar. At the NAACP Image Awards in 2022,
Meghan wore a Christopher John Rogers dress, a notable Black designer. Just like Diana's dress,
Meghan's dress was royal blue and featured the same one-shoulder design. However,
Meghan's dress did feature a few extra modern touches,
including a side slit and a light blue train that also covered part of the neckline.
Another brilliant red carpet look for Princess Diana came before she even entered the royal
family. In 1981, she wore a sparkly red dress by Bruce Oldfield to the premiere of the James Bond
film "For Your Eyes Only". The dress featured the classic princess shape with a tight waist and a
voluminous flared skirt. In 2021, Meghan appeared at the Salute to Freedom Gala in what appeared
to be a modern interpretation of the iconic red dress. Her Carolina Herrera number featured the
same red color and the same princess silhouette. Unlike Diana's dress, Meghan's featured a plunging
neckline, plus a few slits. She also did away with the delicate lines of sparkles and
opted for a more modern solid satin finish. She accessorized with dark red Giuseppe Zanotti heels,
diamond drop earrings, and, of course, a red poppy in honor of Remembrance Day.
Discussing royal fashion with the Daily Mail, stylist Rochelle White drew fashion
parallels between Meghan and her sister-in-law Princess Catherine,
and the influence their late mother-in-law, Diana, has had:
"They both know how to […] bring elements of Diana in, but not lose the focus on who they are."
Adding a dash of Princess Diana's stellar style to her own breezy California look,
Meghan's fashion sense could be called "Hollywood royalty" at its very best.