If there are two women on the planet who have had their fashion choices overanalysed in the last year, it's Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle. Yes, the announcement that Harry and Meghan were officially engaged back in 2017 was a dream come true for the tabloid press: not only was Harry's fiancé a gorgeous former actress and television star, but she also boasted a peerless sense of style, and her outfits have been much admired by the public and the paparazzi since.
As for Queen Liz? Well, she might seem like a pretty unlikely style icon at the ripe old age of 92, but the fact of the matter is that the reigning monarch has always looked spectacular, and in her senior years, she looks the epitome of grace and class ... which is just what you'd expect from the sovereign of Great Britain really. The more eagle-eyed fashion gurus among you might have noticed, however, that despite their good eye for clothes, Meghan and the Queen are never matching.
It's true: their outfits are always visually distinct. I suppose it might be a bit awkward if they were to turn up to the same event in exactly the same dress (Meghan would definitely be forced to change) but they always look as different as possible. Why is this? Is Meghan worried about upstaging her new grandmother-in-law? The answer is stranger than you might think.
It turns out that Meghan and her team of stylists carefully co-ordinate her outfits with the Queen's, in order to compliment them but not contradict or contrast them. Furthermore, Meghan is always careful to mute the colour palette of her wardrobe choices when making a public appearance alongside the queen to subtly show her respect for her.
In a recent exposé of Markle's sartorial philosophy, fashion broadcaster Lizzi Zita stated: "There has been a shift in dress for Meghan, who is classic but a little edgy in her taste. But for this particular occasion, their first official joint engagement in Cheshire, Meghan is the perfect princess in a more demure classic style."
She added, "She wore neutral colours, and this would have been a carefully considered option not to outshine the queen who likes to wear strong colour with matching hats so that people can see her easily ... I am sure we will see a return to her signature taste at more casual events but at the moment she is trying very hard to fulfil her duties and stay on the right side of her mother in law so fair play to her, she looked great."
I have to say, I certainly agree with her; it's nice to think that, despite the fact that she's currently living the dream, Meghan is still humble and respectful enough of the monarchy she's married into and doesn't try to upstage the Queen and hog the spotlight.