Most of the time, it's Kate Middleton who is getting compared to Princess Diana. But Meghan Markle and Princess Diana have a lot in common as well, and the Duchess of Sussex deserves just as much attention for that.
One of the biggest ways they're similar is that they both frequently buck tradition. Princess Diana helped to modernize the monarchy and bring some emotion and soul into the institution. And then Meghan helped Diana's son, Prince Harry, find some freedom away from the palace, which is always what Diana had longed for. Meghan and Diana also share a passion for helping others, which is part of what drew Harry to her in the first place.
But it's also worth noting that Meghan Markle and Princess Diana's styles are similar. Both women are unafraid of menswear, try bold color combinations, and love a casual look. Here are 20 times the duo matched.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
Princess Diana's Revenge Dress
This bold, off-the-shoulder look for Diana was later labeled her "revenge dress" because she wore it after Prince Charles admitted to having cheated on her. It was seemingly her way of telling him and the world, "See what you missed out on?" It's become one of the princess's most iconic looks.
Meghan's Worn a Similar Look
Meghan's own look wasn't necessarily a revenge dress, but it does channel some of the same fierce energy that Diana's does. She wore it to a fashion show for her TV series Suits in 2012. This was long before she met Prince Harry, but she was already inspired by Diana's style — whether Meghan knew it or not.
An Embellished Green Coat
When Princess Diana was pregnant with Prince William, she wore this chic maternity coat. It's a Bellville Sassoon design, and we love the little dark velvet accents that really make the coat pop. This was early in Diana's tenure as a royal, and she was still figuring out how to be one — but she was already nailing the fashion game.
Matching Maternity Style
Meghan also wore an embellished green coat when she was pregnant with her own first child. The comparisons between these two outfits are uncanny. Meghan's is similarly decorated around the lapel and collar — only her designer went with beadwork instead of velvet. Both looks are stunning in their own similar ways.
Diana's Very '80s Coat
This outfit just screams 1988, which is when the princess wore it on a trip to a festival in Scotland. It's bright, it's oversized (she's practically swimming in it), and it's still so stylish in its own way. Sure, we love Kate Middleton's coatdresses, but it's hard not to like Diana's winter style.
Meghan's Modern Take on the Style
On a 2018 outing with her mom Doria Ragland, Meghan wore a similar blue coat. Hers was a little more streamlined for our modern era (she's not drowning in the fabric, for instance), but it definitely evokes the same vibe that Diana's does. The bright blue color is bold and pretty and it makes an impact the second it's seen.
Clashing Colors
One could definitely argue that the colors red and purple don't really go together. But Princess Diana somehow made it work anyway. She wore a red jacket and a purple skirt on a trip to India in 1992. With a white shirt to balance the look and some sleek gold jewelry, she pulled the whole outfit together.
Meghan's Taken the Same Fashion Risk
Decades later, Meghan gave the same color combination a try for herself. She donned a purple dress and bright red jacket while doing charity work with Prince Harry in early 2019. Again, these colors in theory should not go together, but they look just as stunning on the duchess as they did on Diana.
Shimmering Blue
This is another very '80s outfit from Diana. The puffed sleeves date the blue sequined dress a bit, but Meghan proved later on that the sequins themselves are timeless. The princess wore this shimmering blue look to a gala in Austria in 1986, and she was surely the most dazzling one there.
The Sequins Are Back
Meghan channeled Diana's same blue sequin energy in this gown. It has a more modern silhouette appropriate for 2019 (no more puffy sleeves), but there's no denying that this is an '80s style reborn. Meghan wore this to a Cirque du Soleil show when she was pregnant with baby Archie. She looked radiant, and not just because of the sequins.
Casual Day
Diana was one of the first royals to drop the facade and dress casually now and then when in public. She wore jeans and a white blouse while on a trip to Bosnia to do some of her landmine activism. She wasn't going to a fancy gala or dinner – so she dressed the part. She probably wanted to make headlines for what she was saying, not what she was wearing.
Meghan Markle Wears Jeans, Too
When Meghan and Harry made their relationship public, it was at the 2017 Invictus Games. Meghan could have worn something really over-the-top, knowing that every photographer there would be snapping away. But she went the Diana route of dressing casually. They both wore similar jeans and a white shirt, and they both looked effortlessly fabulous.
Pretty in Chalk Stripe
It takes a special person to wear chalk stripe and not look like a baseball player, and both Diana and Meghan did that. Diana first wore the pattern on a blazer over a navy top in 1991 as she greeted various royal fans. The shoulder pads in the blazer give this look away as a '90s style, but it's still totally gorgeous.
Chalk Stripe Dress
In 2018, Meghan wore a modernized version of Diana's look. Her tan chalk stripe dress has a tailored silhouette and she kept the navy accents of Diana's outfit as well as the blazer, but this time just draped it over her shoulders for a modern take on the '90s jacket style. These women are just such fashion icons in their own ways.
Tartan in Scotland
It was never more appropriate for Diana to wear the traditional Black Watch tartan than while at the Highland Games in Scotland in 1987. Unlike purple and red, dark green and blue are colors that go really well together, so it's not surprising that both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have brought the pattern back over the years.
Tartan Round 2
The blue and green plaid style made an appearance on Meghan Markle in 2018 — also while on a trip to Scotland. The duchess's cashmere tartan coat is a Burberry design with the tartan of the Black Watch, intended to honor various "clans and tribes of the British Isles," according to Vogue. Such a thoughtful fashion choice.
Diana's Black Suit
Long before Meghan Markle was on a show called Suits, Princess Diana was all about the '90s skirt suit style. She wore this chic outfit in 1997, shortly before her death. She has just made a speech for her landmine removal efforts, and she likely wanted to be taken seriously. This suit ensured just that.
Meghan's a Suit Pro
The Duchess of Sussex obviously wore quite a few suits while acting on Suits, but she also kept the style as part of her wardrobe long after leaving the show. She wore this fashionable black pantsuit while on a tour of Ireland in 2018. Like Diana, Meghan has never shied away from traditionally "masculine" clothing styles.
White & Lacy
The royal women look great in white, but Diana still took quite a fashion risk when choosing this outfit for a gala. It's sheer up top, which is usually a royal no-no. But Diana ignored many of the royal fashion guidelines during her time as princess, so what was one more protocol breach in the name of fashion?
Meghan Brought the Style Back
This picture was taken in 2013, well before Meghan and Harry got together. At the time, Meghan didn't have a royal family to please and could wear whatever she wanted. She went with this white lacy dress that looks a lot like Diana's. The princess was just a long-term trendsetter, huh?
