Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton's Royal Tour Beach Outfits, Compared

On day three of their royal tour, the Duke and Duchess visited the beach (opens in new tab) in Melbourne, Australia. Meghan wore a Club Monaco A-line dress with gold buttons underneath a Martin Grant trench coat (opens in new tab), which she rocked earlier in the week. This sounds completely normal, but when you mix in sand and water it's actually a very formal (and frankly, surprising) outfit choice for the Duchess.

Although she kept on the dress and coat from earlier in the day, Meghan did change into a pair of Rothy's flats (you can shop them here (opens in new tab)). Even though the closed-toed shoes seemed like a practical choice, they still got completely covered in sand (opens in new tab) inside and out (it's the thought that counts!), which makes you wonder if Kate Middleton's royal tour beach outfit is the way to go.

When the Duchess of Cambridge visited Australia and New Zealand with Prince William on their first royal tour with Prince George in 2014, she wore a white Zimmerman dress and gold wedges. The initial thought: elevation equals no sand. But her feet also seem to be buried. Observe for yourself below:

Now, here's what Meghan's beach outfit looked like with flats:

Moral of the story: You're always going to get sand in your shoes, so might as well go barefoot.