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Since marrying into the royal family, both the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex have developed their own style signatures, with both relying on different cuts, shapes, silhouettes and designers to craft their individual images.
Royal weddings are some of the most closely watched ceremonial events in Britain, with the fashion of not only the brides being eagerly anticipated but also the wedding guests.
Over the years, Kate and Meghan have attended a number of high-profile weddings, but only one together. It was at the marriage of royal relation Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank in 2018 that the sisters-in-law's wedding guest look can be best analyzed.
Here, five years on from the glamorous event, Newsweek looks at how Kate and Meghan's fashions as wedding guests compare.
The Wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
Princess Eugenie is the youngest daughter of Queen Elizabeth II's son, Prince Andrew, and his ex-wife, Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson.
The princess is a first cousin of Princes William and Harry and announced her engagement to businessman Brooksbank in January 2018.
The announcement came just four months before Harry married Meghan and was the second royal wedding that year held at St. George's Chapel in Windsor.
The wedding took place on October 12, 2018, attended by Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and senior members of the royal family.
The bride wore an ivory silk gown designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos and the fall date for the ceremony saw the guests dressed in an array of autumnal colors.
The Princess of Wales in Alexander McQueen
Since her marriage in 2011, the Princess of Wales has defined her style with a number of key themes including: Classic British tailoring; bold block colors; and reimagined vintage silhouettes.
During her time as a member of the royal family, Kate has attended three royal weddings. First she attended the marriage of Zara Phillips (daughter of Princess Anne) and Mike Tindall in 2011 wearing a chic gold coat dress. Then she wore a pale primrose yellow coat dress for the wedding of Harry and Meghan in 2018. It was followed by a bold raspberry pink dress for the wedding of Eugenie five months later.
The vibrant pink color set Kate apart against the dark wood and neutral tones of St. George's chapel, and matched other royal guests who had also chosen block colors, such as Anne who wore green and the Duchess of Gloucester in red.
The look was expertly tailored by designer Sarah Burton for the British fashion house of Alexander McQueen. Burton was responsible for Kate's own wedding dress and many of her core ceremonial dresses since then.
The paper-bag-waisted skirt of the dress complemented the raised shoulders of the bodice and was completed with a small veiled hat by her favorite milliner Philip Treacy.
The Duchess of Sussex in Givenchy
Compared to the classic British take of Kate's style, Meghan offered a chic alternative, also opting for an outfit designed by the makers of her wedding dress.
For Eugenie's nuptials, Meghan steered away from the vibrant color schemes selected by other royal guests, instead choosing a navy coat and dress designed by Clare Waight Keller for Parisian fashion house Givenchy.
The elegant longline coat with rolled standing neckline and contrast buttons took inspiration from the simplicity and shape prevalent in 1960s French couture.
The duchess paired the ensemble with a handbag, also from Givenchy, with a pop of contrast color and a small hat with sculpted feather-like tulle from British milliner Noel Stewart.
The wedding marked an important milestone for Harry and Meghan as it was later revealed that the couple were expecting their first child at the time, perhaps inspiring the duchess to opt for a coat on the wedding day to cover any possible visible signs of pregnancy.
One key difference between Meghan and Kate's style of wedding guest dressing is color scheme. Meghan regularly opted for dark tonal colors such as navy (as worn to the wedding of friend Charlie Van Straubenzee in August 2018), whereas Kate has opted for a lighter, brighter aesthetic.
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