In 2018, both Kate and Meghan opted for a royal blue column dress that hit just below the knee. Kate's trumpet-sleeved midi was by one of her go-to designers, Jenny Packham; while Meghan wore a sleeveless Jason Wu version. Taking the block colour to its full potential, the Queen was seen in a royal blue coat and coordinating hat for the unveiling of the Iraq and Afghanistan memorial in March 2017 – accessorised, of course, with a brooch from her collection.

Never one to shy away from the bright and bold, the Queen took the hat-and-coat-coord in canary yellow to the Royal Ascot in 2016. The perfect summer hue was picked up again by Meghan in 2018, wearing a sleeveless Brandon Maxwell to attend the 'Your Commonwealth' Youth Challenge reception; while Kate followed suit just 10 days later, in a Dolce & Gabbana dress at Wimbledon.

Dressing for red-carpet events comes with the territory as a royal, and nothing says evening wear quite like sequins. Kate chose an embellished Jenny Packham dress, again, for a black-tie dinner hosted at the British Embassy in Paris in March 2017. Meanwhile in 2019, Meghan wore a design by her friend, Roland Mouret, for The Cirque du Soleil premiere of Totem, in support of Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale. Of course, the Queen wore it first though, disembarking HMY Britannia in pale blue, full-length sequins, on her way to a banquet in Bergen, Norway, during a state visit in 1969.

Kate is a fan of multiple wears – in this case an elegant Alexander McQueen coat-dress, worn for the third time in 2017, on a visit to the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium (previously seen at Princess Charlotte’s christening in 2015, and Trooping the Colour in 2016). Meghan wore something similar by London designer Amanda Wakeley – collar-up, and paired with a Stephen Jones beret – at a Westminster Abbey service in 2018. But it was Her Majesty that started this regal white coat trend, over 50 years ago, arriving at Khartoum Airport, Sudan, for a state visit in 1965.

Simple silhouettes in striking hues are the Queen’s M.O., and both Kate and Meghan recognise a classic colour-block when they see one. Kate wore a pillar-box red Preen by Thornton Bregazzi dress on the Royal Tour of Canada in 2016 –accessorised with a diamond maple leaf brooch, given to her by the Queen. Meghan did a double take the same year, wearing Jill Stuart for an appearance on the Today Show in New York. As always, Her Majesty committed to the colour first (even down to the lipstick), seen here visiting St Anne's Church in 1989.

The Queen wore this specific shade of blue – with hat to match, naturally – for a royal visit to Poundbury, Dorset, in 2016. Just two years later, Meghan selected from the brighter end of the spectrum, in a shirtdress by Veronica Beard (which she rewore in 2019, on a state visit to South Africa); while Kate went for the subtler hue, in a belted and caped Mulberry coat for a visit to Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

Both Kate and Meghan chose checked blazers for official outings in October 2018: Kate's was a fitted cut by Smythe, for a visit to Basildon Sporting Village in Essex; while Meghan's boyfriend-style was by her friend Serena Williams, worn on the Australian Royal Tour. For the Queen, the checked jacket has long been a favourite off-duty look, worn here with riding gear at the Windsor Horse Show in 1988.

The Queen in turquoise green, brooch as ever firmly fastened to the collar, is seen here at Newbury Racecourse in 1990. Almost two decades later, in 2019, Kate wore a custom emerald Alexander McQueen coat to visit the 1st Battalion Irish Guards at their base on St. Patrick's Day. Meanwhile, Erdem’s bouclé swing coat was the perfect cut for Meghan's growing bump at a Commonwealth Youth Day event in March the same year.

Kate paired this Gucci pussy-bow with wide-leg trousers for one of her most fashion-forward looks to date, on a visit to the Henry Fawcett Children’s Centre in March 2019. (Rumour has it she styled the blouse backwards, but it looks incredibly chic nonetheless.) Meghan's pussy-bow body suit by Tuxe, under an Alexander McQueen trouser suit, made a statement for her first black-tie event with Prince Harry, at the Endeavour Fund Awards in 2018. While the Queen wore an original '80s iteration of the pussy-bow, on a visit to the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Hat, check. Coat, check. Brooch, check. The Queen completed the blush pink look, on her Slovenia state visit in October 2008. In 2016, Kate chose the same shade, wearing an Alexander McQueen peplum dress to view her portrait in the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition, at London's National Portrait Gallery. Meghan echoed this look down to the shoes, in a Brandon Maxwell dress and matching blazer at the National Theatre, while pregnant with baby Archie in 2019.