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Since the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex joined the royal family in 2011 and 2018, they have at times drawn on the style legacy of their late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, when dressing for public events.
From skirt suits to ceremonial dresses, Diana's fashion impact can still be seen in the collections of designers and retail stores today, resurged by hit shows such as The Crown.
As Kate and Meghan have developed their own unique styles of dress for their public appearances, any subtle hint or aesthetic tie-in to one of Diana's famous looks generates a wave of press reporting and social media commentary.
Here, Newsweek looks at five times Meghan and Kate channeled Princess Diana's iconic fashion moments in public.
Princess of Wales - Color Blocked Skirt Suit
In 1995, Princess Diana debuted a collection of new event outfits designed by close friend Gianni Versace. A number of shift dresses, skirt suits and evening gowns had been made with the princess in mind, in a collection Versace called "Conservative Chic."
Among these was a bright orange wool skirt suit, with fitted jacket accentuated at the waist with a block black belt. Diana wore the suit for a visit to Liverpool in November 1995 and paired it with a block black turtleneck blouse and opaque tights.
In 2011, three months before her marriage to Diana's eldest son, Prince William, Kate Middleton paid a touching tribute to her soon-to-be mother-in-law, by wearing a near replica of the orange suit. Kate's version was in bright red, again with black accompanying pieces but this time with contrast buttons.
Princess of Wales - Statement Houndstooth
For a visit to Norway with Prince William in 2018, Kate again echoed a style statement made in the past by Diana by wearing a bold large-scale red and white houndstooth patterned coat designed by Catherine Walker & Co.
Kate's coat was linked to Diana in two ways, one, that the late Catherine Walker had been one of her favorite and most trusted designers, and two, that the red houndstooth print matched a Moschino suit that Diana owned and wore in the 1990s.
Diana wore the suit, with contrasting black and white skirt to the christening of Princess Eugenie at Sandringham in December 1990.
Duchess of Sussex - Off-the-Shoulder Glamour
One of Meghan Markle's first style nods to Princess Diana was made for her first appearance at the annual Trooping the Colour ceremonies in London, marking the sovereign's official birthday each June.
For her first time at the event, Meghan wore an off-the-shoulder dress in a pale pink with cross-folded neckline and tuxedo buttons designed by Carolina Herrera.
The design closely echoed a pale pink and white ball gown worn by Princess Diana in the 1980s, designed by Catherine Walker.
Duchess of Sussex - Regal Maternity Wear
When Meghan was pregnant with her first child, Prince Archie, in 2019, the duchess drew a touching aesthetic link with Princess Diana through her choice of maternity wear.
The duchess wore a custom green tweed coat and dress with statement black embellishments from the British-Canadian designer Erdem Moralıoğlu.
The design echoed an emerald green coat worn by Princess Diana, when she was pregnant with Prince William in 1982, which was worn during an official visit to Bristol.
Duchess of Sussex - Wrap Front Bodice
Among Diana's most famous fashion moments is her 1997 photoshoot with Mario Testino, wearing dresses to promote her charity auction held in New York.
The shoot took place in the year after her divorce from Prince Charles (now King Charles III) and was hailed as a marker of a new, free, and beautiful princess.
Among the designs Diana wore in the shoot was an elegant Catherine Walker evening gown in creme silk which featured a pleated crossed element highlighting the bodice.
In 2022, Meghan drew parallels with this fashion moment, during the opening ceremony of Prince Harry's Invictus Games in the Netherlands.
Meghan wore a pleated wrap front bodysuit from the American brand, Khaite, pairing it with black pants and gold accessories.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more