Meghan Markle’s red carpet dress hack is very clever – but Princess Kate did it first

Last month, the stunning  Duchess of Sussex looked absolutely gorgeous in a red Carolina Herrera pencil dress, with a plunging neckline. She lit up the red carpet at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala and all eyes were on the dress of dreams. 

We knew we had seen it before; Meghan actually wore the same style in 2021, not long after her and Prince Harry’s daughter, Lilibet was born.

But, she upcycled it, removing the full ball gown skirt it came with in 2021, and embraced the thigh-split style. So clever!

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This fashion hack is something the Princess of Wales has done many times before, so perhaps was inspired by her sister-in-law?

 After all, Kate’s been switching up her dresses for big events since 2011.

Kate’s the revamp queen

Back in 2017, the 42-year-old wore a dazzling, off-the-shoulder gown by Alexander McQueen to the 2017 BAFTAs. The style featured a Bardot neckline, skimming bodice and full-length skirt with chic ribbon detailing and a gentle floral print.

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Two years later in 2019, at the National Portrait Gallery, Kate transformed the same dress into a short-sleeved gown. It gave the entire frock a truly modern look.

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Kate looked fabulous in LA back in 2011. She accompanied husband Prince William at the BAFTA Brits to Watch event. Turning heads, the royal wore a lavender bespoke gown, designed for her by, of course, Alexander McQueen.

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The Princess’ beautiful diamond bracelet and earrings are believed to be a present from then-Prince Charles after William and Kate’s marriage. We loved the pretty white belted detail too, which accentuated her waist and added a bit of sparkle.

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The brunette royal loved the dress so much that she wore it again in 2021, with a special twist of course! Kate was at the Earthshot Prize Awards that year, and undoubtedly chose to rewear an existing dress for the environmentally-focused event as per the awards’ dress code, which asked attendees to “consider the environment when choosing their outfit”. The mother of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis appeared to have added a different sparkling belt to the look – this time it was silver and it gave the dress a whole new kick.