Both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle stepped out for Trooping the Colour on Saturday (June 8). The event is the pomp-and-pageantry-filled royal celebration held every year to officially mark the reigning monarch's birthday—in this case, of course, we're talking about Queen Elizabeth's 93rd. Markle wasn't technically due to show up today: She's still on maternity leave from giving birth to Prince Archie less than a month ago, but, like Middleton did last year after giving birth to Prince Louis, Markle opted to attend. And it seems like there was some thoughtful planning that went into both duchesses' outfits for the important event: Both women chose to wear designers they share a special history with.
Markle appeared in a chic navy midi-length dress with a matching hat and her hair in her signature low bun, plus what looks like a matching short-sleeved overcoat. Meanwhile, Middleton wore a cheerful pale yellow coat dress with a matching Philip Treacy fascinator—one she actually wore for Markle's wedding last year. Cameras first caught their outfits as they pulled up to Buckingham Palace in a carriage with Prince Harry and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
As Simon Perry at People pointed out, Markle is wearing Givenchy by Clare Waight Keller, and Middleton is wearing Alexander McQueen. The link? Givenchy's Keller designed Markle's royal wedding gown, and Middleton wore Alexander McQueen for her 2011 nuptials.
Here's a closer look at Kate's outfit:
Although Markle was tucked behind other members of the royal family for the flypast—so it's a little hard to see the full details of her outfit—you can tell that the overcoat comes off to reveal that her dress has a pop of white on the sleeves.
Markle clearly loves Keller's designs—she presented the Givenchy artistic director with an award at the Fashion Awards in December—and Alexander McQueen is basically Middleton's go-to design house. The Duchess of Cambridge wore a McQueen gown on Monday for President Trump's state visit, rewore a baby blue McQueen coat for Easter, and wore a McQueen coat dress for royal St. Patrick's Day engagements this year.
