Kate Middleton Twins With Meghan Markle and Princess Diana in Vibrant Purple

We're getting tons of royal outfits as Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle start 2019 off right with a flurry of outings. This morning, Kate paid a visit to the Royal Opera House wearing a beautiful fuchsia Oscar de la Renta dress that is similar to Meghan's Babaton by Aritizia purple dress of yesterday's visit to Birkenhead with Prince Harry. 

Hair, Face, Eyebrow, Lip, Skin, Hairstyle, Beauty, Nose, Chin, Makeover,
(Image credit: Getty Images)

We're getting to lust over a ton of outfits as Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle kick off 2019 with a flurry of outings. This morning, Kate paid a visit to the Royal Opera House to see how costumes are made, meet with principal dancers, and even sit in on a rehearsal. And it just so happens that she wore a beautiful fuchsia Oscar de la Renta dress (a rewear) similar to Meghan's Babaton by Aritizia purple dress of yesterday's visit to Birkenhead with Prince Harry.

What does this mean? Are Kate and Meghan coordinating, deliberately or unintentionally? Is it a nod to Meghan's style? Are the duchesses taking direction from the Queen, who loves to use bright colors to stand out to everyone who's come to see her? Could it just be...a coincidence?

Here's Kate Middleton's full outfit. It looks like she didn't wear a jacket out of the car (unlike Meghan, as you'll see below), letting the Oscar de la Renta dress, and her cool new shoes, take center stage.

[image id='5ed44546-43f8-4e29-8f2d-4f1c021fe051' mediaId='ced61e01-2ad2-4ca5-87bc-cfec67bd83a5' align='center' size='medium' share='true' caption='' expand='' crop='original'][/image]

Clothing, Fashion, Fashion model, Coat, Purple, Overcoat, Footwear, Pink, Outerwear, Standing,

(Image credit: Tim P. Whitby)

And as a reminder, here's Meghan's outfit from yesterday, which she paired with a gorgeous red Sentaler jacket.

Street fashion, Fashion, Clothing, Pink, Footwear, Outerwear, Magenta, Coat, Fashion accessory, Overcoat,

(Image credit: Karwai Tang)

Meghan's look drew comparisons to similar purple looks by Princess Diana, and it looks like Kate is channeling Diana too. There's this beautiful light purple jacket with an all-black outfit to let the single color stand out:

Military camouflage, Military uniform, Uniform, Military, Army, Soldier, Fashion, Footwear, Headgear, Gesture,

(Image credit: Princess Diana Archive)

And then there's the bright, fashion-forward outfits Princess Diana also enjoyed during public events:

Clothing, Fashion, Performance, Formal wear, Headgear, Outerwear, Event, Hat, Costume, Magenta,

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Whatever the reason, both duchesses' looks are both vibrant and sweetly reminiscent.

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

SUBSCRIBE HERE

RELATED STORIES
Katherine J. Igoe
Contributor

Katherine’s a Boston-based contributor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle—from “Clueless” to Everlane to news about Lizzo. She’s been a freelancer for 11 years and has had roles with Cosmopolitan and Bustle, with bylines in Parents, Seventeen, and elsewhere. It’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.