Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Both Looked Incredible in Pastels at the Queen's Trooping the Color Celebration
The royal family and a lot of the public came together in London on Saturday for Trooping the Color, a.k.a. Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday celebration. Crash royals course: If you happen to be the Queen of England, you get two birthdays. She celebrated her actual 92nd birthday in April, but the real party—her public birthday—is in June, specifically on the second Saturday of the month.
Although it’s only been three weeks since the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, it’s beginning to feel like it was a lifetime ago since we were able to get our royal fashion fix (those hats!). Luckily the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex—that’s Kate Middleton and Markle respectively—did not disappoint. The two wore blue and pink pastels for carriage rides around Buckingham Palace that culminated with an appearance on its famous balcony.
Middleton appeared in the lead carriage with Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla, who herself is the Duchess of Cornwall. The two were coordinated in light blue, with Middleton opting for a dress from one of her favorite design houses, Alexander McQueen. (She famously wore McQueen for her own wedding, Prince Harry and Markle’s wedding a few weeks ago, and even for Trooping the Color last year.)
According to What Kate Wore, her intricate hat is by Juliette Boterill.
Markle chose a peachy-pink look, topped off with a disc-shaped hat somewhat reminiscent of the one she wore for her first post-wedding appearance celebrating Prince Charles’ 70th birthday. But she decided against her now-signature messy bun for today’s occasion, wearing her hair down and in loose waves instead.
Her designers of choice? Carolina Herrera for her bespoke dress and, for the hat, the go-to milliner-to-the-stars Philip Treacy. But there’s another significant detail to her look: According to the Sun, Markle broke royal protocol by wearing an off-the-shoulder dress.
This isn’t the first time, either: Markle’s been breaking royal protocol with her fashion and hair choices since she and Harry officially started dating (we even kept a running list of tradition-breaking moments from her wedding to Prince Harry). Technically, even Markle’s famous messy bun is a royal no-no. Hello, royal refresh.
Of course, we can’t forget the Queen on her big day. Sticking to her tradition of bright colors, she went with a bright turquoise for her celebrations.
After the processional, the family gathered on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to the crowds and watch the Royal Air Force flyover—frankly, though, we like to think it’s so we can get a better look at the great outfits.
Happy official birthday, Queen Elizabeth!
Related Stories
For Fashion Brands, the ‘Meghan Markle Effect’ Is Already Very Real
This Bag Meghan Markle Wore Sold Out in 11 Minutes