When Will People Stop Comparing Kate And Meghan’s Fashion Moments?

For many people, flicking through pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge’s latest outfit is a pleasant lunchtime guilty pleasure. And, yesterday, at the No Time To Die royal premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Kate absolutely smashed it out of the park (to use a fashion term).

The 39-year-old opted for a more glitzy gown than usual, wearing a gold cape dress with sequined embellishment by British designer Jenny Packham. The outfit was reminiscent of the glittering gown worn by her husband’s mother Princess Diana in 1985 at the premiere of previous Bond film A View To Kill. Even Daniel Craig told Kate she looked “jolly lovely”, according to People. The royal was accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and her look was widely acclaimed in the press.

If we cast our minds back to last week, Kate’s sister-in-law Meghan Markle (as has been sadly commonplace throughout her time in the royal family) was receiving an entirely different public reception. The former actress was the subject of widespread criticism over having the temerity to wear more than one pricey coat during a trip with Harry to New York City to meet with the UN’s Deputy Secretary-General.

“Meghan Markle steps out in ANOTHER unseasonably warm coat on humid 80-degree New York City day,” read one faux-outraged headline. The cost of a $3,000 Max Mara coat the Duchess of Sussex wore was highlighted over and over again (never mind that dresses by the designer of Kate’s premiere gown - likely only to be worn once - retail at the same price point).

Public praise of Kate’s choice was laced with comparative scorn for her sister-in-law. ‘This is how a real Princess dresses,’ wrote one Twitter user. ‘This is how a Princess acts and shows what it means to be a real royal,’ commented another. One headline claimed Kate had upstaged the Sussexes in a ‘dramatic power move’.

Narratives like this have no basis in reality and do both women - especially Meghan - a disservice. The Duchess of Sussex has been subject to years of intense scrutiny and has been consistently compared with Kate. In Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview earlier this year, Meghan told how being under the microscope contributed to her experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Kate and Meghan are two women who happen to have married into the same family and both have excellent senses of style. It’s time to stop defining them by each other’s choices - and using the successes of one to lambast the other.