Meghan Markle stepped out for a milestone charity event this month, and instead of praise for her outfit, she’s facing a new nickname fans didn’t see coming.
The Duchess of Sussex joined Prince Harry at the David Foster Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Celebration in Victoria, British Columbia, on August 7. It was a high-profile night out for the couple, marking four decades of the foundation’s work supporting families of children needing organ transplants. Meghan’s fashion choice for the occasion was meant to be a highlight. Instead, it’s sparked a familiar debate.
Meghan’s Gown Draws Comparisons to Kate’s Wimbledon Look
Meghan wore a floor-length black gown by Canadian label Greta Constantine, the “Fabrizio” style, reportedly priced around $1,795. The design featured a one-shoulder asymmetric neckline with a dramatic sweep of fabric across the shoulder and down the back.
That shoulder detail is exactly what caught people’s attention, because Kate Middleton wore a bespoke olive-green Emilia Wickstead dress with a similar cape-style overlay to the Wimbledon men’s final just weeks earlier. The timing was close enough that some people started calling Meghan the “Copycat Duchess,” according to one Royal source.
“The timing has inevitably led to Meghan being called a ‘Copycat Duchess’ because Catherine had only recently made headlines with that dramatic cape effect. The dresses are certainly not identical, but when two hugely scrutinized royal women wear such prominent shoulder draping within weeks of each other, people are going to make comparisons,” the source told Radar.
The two looks aren’t identical. Different designers, different colors, different lengths. But both center the drama of the outfit on sweeping shoulder draping, and that overlap was enough to reignite the ongoing comparisons between the two royal women’s styles.
This isn’t new territory for either of them. Fans and commentators have gone back and forth for years over who’s supposedly borrowing from whom, from one-shoulder gowns to piano performances in matching blue dresses.
Meghan rounded out her look at the gala with Princess Diana’s butterfly pavé diamond earrings and a Cartier Love bracelet, a pairing that added its own layer to the conversation given the family history involved.
Whether the ‘Copycat Duchess’ label sticks or fades by next week, it’s the latest sign that every red carpet appearance from either duchess gets picked apart in real time.