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A royal makeover! How Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are following in Princess Diana’s footsteps and recycling older outfits

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A royal makeover! How Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are following in Princess Diana’s footsteps and recycling older outfits

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Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, at the 2024 CHLA Gala at LA Live Event Deck

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Meghan Markle, known for her love of designer outfits and personalized jewelry, dazzled on the red carpet in Los Angeles last night as she stepped out in an upcycled dress.

The Duchess of Sussex looked stunning for the gala at LA Children’s Hospital in the bright red dress, which she paired with matching accessories. The royal mother-of-two styled her hair in loose waves for the outing and beamed as she posed for the cameras. The duchess previously wore the dress at a 2021 gala in New York City to celebrate the military on the eve of Veterans Day in the US and Armistice Day in the UK.

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a 2021 gala in New York

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The Duchess of Sussex removed the train from the original dress for her second appearance

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For last night’s outing, Meghan opted to remove the excess train from the dress and transform the look into a skin-tight, bodycon dress for her second red carpet appearance. It’s a step that numerous royals take regularly, including the Duchess’s sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales. Most recently, Kate chose to upcycle a Jenny Packham ensemble for Trooping the Color. The outfit, which she last wore in 2023, featured a solid bow at the neck and an updated belt.

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1989: Diana, Princess of Wales attends a dinner hosted by the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah, at Al Shaab Palace, Kuwait City, Kuwait. She is wearing an evening dress by Catherine Walker

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1992: Charles and Diana attend a South Korean presidential state banquet at the Blue House in Seoul. The princess rewore the dress and altered the skirt to create a slimmer silhouette

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The Princess of Wales has often updated her outfits with new accessories, necklines and hemline changes. In 2019, Kate decided to rewear a black floral Alexander McQueen dress that she first saw in 2017, altering the cap sleeves of the top to change the off-the-shoulder shape. She made a similar change for the 2023 Baftas, rewearing a dress she originally wore for the 2019 ceremony. The dress was altered with Kate removing the floral corsage and adding a modern pleated bow in its place.

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2017: Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the 70th EE British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) at the Royal Albert Hall

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2019: The Princess wore the dress again to attend the portrait gala

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Perhaps both the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex are looking to their late mother-in-law Diana for inspiration for the changes. During public appearances, Princess Diana often redesigned her dresses by removing details, tweaking necklines and altering skirts.

Here, Tatler brings you the very best moments when a royal reworked a look for a second appearance…

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1986: Diana, Princess of Wales, wears a Victor Edelstein dress and a Frederick Fox hat as the royal party arrives at Epsom Racecourse in Surrey for Derby Day

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1987: Diana during a polo match in Windsor

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1986: The Princess with the Emir of Qatar

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1990: Princess Diana and Prince Charles arrive at a banquet during their royal tour of Cameroon. The princess wears a dress designed by fashion designer Catherine Walker. It was originally designed with sleeves and later adjusted

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2011 Prince William and Kate Middleton visit the University of St Andrews as part of the 600th anniversary celebrations...

2011: Prince William and Kate Middleton visit the University of St Andrews as part of the University of St Andrews’ 600th anniversary celebrations

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2017: Catherine, the then Duchess of Cambridge, wore the altered outfit, tweaked to create a longer hem, for the Place2Be Big Assembly with Heads Together for Children’s Mental Health Week at Mitchell Brook Primary School

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2012: Prince William and Catherine attend an official dinner hosted by Malaysia’s head of state Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah of Kedah

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2020: The Princess wore the slightly altered dress again to attend the 2020 EE British Academy Film Awards

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2019: Catherine, the then Duchess of Cambridge, wore a Jenny Packham outfit to attend a special reception hosted by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan at the famous Pakistan National Monument as part of his royal tour of Pakistan

Karwai Tang

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2021: Catherine made slight alterations to the dress, including removing the cape detail, when she attended the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall

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2019: Catherine, the then Duchess of Cambridge, attends the EE British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall

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2023: The Princess of Wales changed the details of the dress for a second appearance as she wore the dress at the 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards

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2023: Kate, Princess of Wales, meets well-wishers as she walks the Mall outside Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation of Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla

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2024: Catherine attends Trooping the Color in the same dress, which has undergone a number of alterations including the belt details and the addition of a bow

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