KATE V MEGHAN: WHO WEARS THE COOL CROWN?
They’re both gorgeous, glamorous and adored by princes, but how does glossy good girl KATE MIDDLETON measure up against sassy Suits star MEGHAN MARKLE? Lucy Lawrence pits the brothers’ partners against each other
GIRL POWER
KATE has never had a real job, having spent her 20s waiting for her prince. The strategy worked, but would you suggest to your own e daughter that she take such a route to her happy ever after?
MEGHAN’s ‘made it’ moment was never going to be walking down the aisle in a tiara – it was being cast as smart, sexy paralegal Rachel Zane in cult US TV series Suits. Meghan has said that girls need to ‘focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings’. Harry loves an ambitious woman, and Meghan strikes us as the kind of gal who could manage both slippers and ceilings. SOCIAL MEDIA KATE The duchess has never been seen with a mobile phone, although one can always find her photos of George and Charlotte on the carefully directed @KensingtonRoyal Instagram account. We hope that, like Harry, she has a secret account that she trawls while lying awake in bed. It was those glimpses of her and Hazza’s matching beaded bracelets on her Instagram account that ultimately broke their cover, but apart from some spooning bananas (cheeky), this gal isn’t giving much away. She has clocked up 1.4 million followers – 40 per cent more prying eyes than in her pre-Harry days – but still trounced by @KensingtonRoyal’s 1.7 million. CANINE COMPANIONS
KATE Photogenic Lupo has won the hearts of a nation, not least for taking on the role of Prince George’s best friend.
MEGHAN Bogart and Guy are rescue dogs who, we’re guessing, wouldn’t say no to a pootle around Green Park with the royal corgis. Meghan’s ‘Adopt Don’t Shop’ policy is just another reason why we’re falling for her as hard as Harry did.
FAMILY
KATE Thank God for Uncle Gary (left), the naughty, Ibiza- dwelling brother of mum Carole who, far from causing scandal, simply made the picture-perfect Middletons seem more real. You could argue that sister Pippa’s book on how to be a party host caused more embarrassment. half-sister Samantha sold a story accusing Meghan of abandoning her family upon finding fame and fortune, while half-brother Thomas – who refuted Samantha’s claims – was recently arrested on gun charges in the US. STYLE
KATE has an unfathomable habit of dressing herself old. We know the future queen is not going to parade around in Topshop Daisy Dukes, but we’ve always felt that Kate is far more fun than her clothes are letting on. There were some signs of sartorial sunshine in 2016 – notably a lipstick-red Preen dress (left) and an off-the-shoulder Barbara Casasola number. With Meghan nipping at her heels, we’re hoping for more.
is clearly a fan of the shorts suit/killer heel combo, which says ‘I mean business’ and ‘I’m gonna spice things up’. She recently launched a clothing line for Canadian store Reitmans, featuring Rachel Zane-inspired tight leather skirts and knits. We imagine such collaborations would be ruled out were she to become an HRH, but we do hope the shorts suits will stay. ARM CANDY
KATE has never been seen with large bags of stuff because she favours clutches designed to accommodate little else than tissues and Tic Tacs. Like Queen Elizabeth and her trusty Launers, Kate’s LK Bennett clutches (occasionally upgraded to a Jimmy Choo or Anya Hindmarch) are a non-negotiable part of any outfit.
MEGHAN Ms Markle has been spotted with Mulberry’s new Zipped Bayswater bag. Although we fancy her upping the fashion stakes with a JW Anderson Pierce bag, the Mulberry is a safe choice – it will carry all the stuff she needs while flitting across the Atlantic and look as good in BA’s first- class lounge as it will in a countryside gastropub. THE MEN
KATE It’s hard to dislike Prince William but even harder to get excited by him. Yes he’s the future king and thus lumbered with the role of Goody Two Shoes, but after that fairy-tale wedding why did it all have to get so middle-aged? It’s easy to see why Kate and Wills have been dubbed Duke and Duchess Dowdy, but we’re sure it’s nothing the arrival of an American TV star won’t fix.
MEGHAN Sources claim that Harry’s had his eye on Meghan since glimpsing her in an episode of Suits. When they met he got more than just his pin-up and she got more than a prince charming: they share the same charitable passions and they both love Africa. She’s an advocate for the UN and World Vision and his Sentebale charity just celebrated ten years. Combined, they have the glamour and goodwill that could out-watt the Cambridges.