Since becoming members of the royal family, The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex have built a strong fanbase for their stylish appearances at official events and engagements.
One of the main showcases for their high-fashion choices is an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Traditionally there is one event each year that involves a royal balcony appearance, the Trooping the Colour celebrations marking the sovereign's official birthday. Other occasions where the royal family has made balcony appearances throughout the year have been jubilees, coronations and military anniversaries.
Meghan has not made a balcony appearance since stepping down as a working royal in 2020, alongside Prince Harry. Today, only working members of the family and their children are photographed at the palace for the large-scale events.
Despite this, between 2018 and 2020, Meghan made three high-profile balcony appearances alongside her husband's family, including sister-in-law, Kate, whose fashion choices for such occasions have been equally celebrated.
Here, Newsweek looks at six of Kate and Meghan's most stylish Buckingham Palace balcony moments.
Balcony Debut
For her first appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following her marriage to Harry in May 2018, Meghan wore a classic silhouetted outfit in blush pink designed by Carolina Herrera.
The duchess took part in the Trooping the Colour celebrations and was photographed chatting on the balcony with father-in-law, King Charles (then the Prince of Wales) and Harry.
High-Fashion Duchess
One month after her balcony debut, Meghan was photographed on the famous spot a second time, to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Air Force alongside Queen Elizabeth II and other senior royals.
For the occasion, Meghan wore an haute couture dress designed by the Paris fashion house of Christian Dior in midnight blue.
Bold Block Colors
Another midnight blue high-fashion creation was worn by the duchess for the 2019 Trooping the Colour celebrations.
To take part in the traditional carriage procession and balcony appearance, Meghan wore a cape and dress designed by Clare Waight Keller from the French fashion brand, Givenchy. Waight Keller previously made Meghan's wedding dress.
Kate Middleton's Jubilee Statement
One of the Princess of Wales' standout balcony fashion moments was made during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Elizabeth in June 2022.
For what would turn out to be the queen's final appearance on the famous balcony, Kate and her family appeared alongside the monarch, with the princess wearing a raspberry pink dress with wrap-bodice detail and statement sleeves designed by Stella McCartney.
Coronation Chic
One of the most important royal balcony appearances that Kate has made in her 12 years as a member of the royal family was to mark the coronation of her father-in-law, King Charles III.
For the historic day of celebrations, Kate wore a couture white silk gown with silver floral embroidery designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
Over the dress, the princess wore the mantle and regalia of the Royal Victorian Order and to accessorize she wore diamond and pearl jewelry and a silver crystal headdress.
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria.
90s Inspired Showstopper
One of Kate's standout outfits in recent months was worn for the Trooping the Colour celebrations in June 2023.
The princess strayed from her usual style rule of dressing in British designers for major royal events by wearing a green silk coat dress made for her by Singaporean fashion designer, Andrew Gn.
The 1990s silhouetted coat dress with statement buttons was paired with sapphire and diamond earrings which had formerly belonged to Princess Diana, and a large brimmed hat made by milliner, Philip Treacy.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
