Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 70th year on the throne just months before passing away at the age of 96, bringing her historic reign to an end and establishing Prince William and Kate Middleton as the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry flew from Montecito to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games before returning to the UK to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.
And, as usual, the royals drew our attention with their outfit choices for all of these engagements.
From Kate’s first tiara as a princess to Meghan’s Diana nod at the Ripple of Hope Gala, Here are the 10 best royal fashion moments of the year 2022.
Queen Elizabeth II’s colorful tribute to Prince Philip
During her Jubilee celebrations, Her Majesty made a surprise appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony, wearing a Stewart Parvin dress and coat in a vibrant shade of green — famously the favorite color of her late husband, Prince Philip, who died in 2021.
The Queen also paid tribute to her late husband by wearing a prominent black pin on her Rachel Trevor Morgan hat, which is thought to be a symbol of mourning.
Meghan Markle’s dressed-up denim
Later in the Invictus Games, the Duchess of Sussex wore a faded and cuffed pair of Moussy Vintage jeans with a black tweed Celine jacket, chain-handled “Triomphe” bag, gold Linda Farrow aviator sunglasses, and cap-toed Chanel ballet flats.
Kate Middleton goes green
The princess rented her look for the Earth shot Prize ceremony in Boston in December, pairing her bright green Solace London gown with Diana’s emerald-and-diamond choker, which she famously wore as a headband in 1985.
Kate Middleton, pretty in pink
The Princess of Wales chose a shimmering pink gown by The Vampire’s Wife for a reception in Belize during her royal tour of the Caribbean with Prince William in March. The celebrity-adored label is also responsible for the emerald cocktail gown Kate wore on a trip to Ireland in 2020, which was later immortalized in her first official portrait with the Prince of Wales.
Prince Louis’ hand-me-down sailor suit
Even the royals wear secondhand clothing! With his funny face and familiar-looking outfit, Prince Louis stole the show at Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June.
Kate Middleton’s crowning glory
Kate chose the Lover’s Knot headpiece — a favorite of Diana’s — for a state banquet to welcome South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in November, her first time wearing a tiara as the Princess of Wales.
The pearl-encrusted accessory was worn by the royal with a white Jenny Packham gown with a sleek cape and plenty of embellishment, as well as a pearl bracelet and earrings once owned by Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana, respectively.
Meghan Markle’s suited style
The former “Suits” actress wore a bright white, double-breasted Valentino suit ahead of the 2022 Invictus Games in the Netherlands in April, accessorizing with a delicate Catbird hand bracelet ($238), her beloved gold Cartier Tank watch, and a Sophie Lis Love Pendant ($366) engraved with “+ qu’hier” (“more than yesterday”) and “- que demain” (“less than tomorrow”).
Kate Middleton’s “Top Gun” glamour
At the May premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick” in London, Kate looked stunning in this off-the-shoulder Roland Mouret gown, which she paired with sleek center-parted hair, an Alexander McQueen clutch, and starry Robinson Pelham drop earrings.
When the Duchess of Sussex wore a similar black-and-white jumpsuit by Gabriela Hearst a few months later, royal fans couldn’t help but draw parallels.
Meghan Markle’s Diana-inspired Dior
Meghan Markle was also in attendance for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and she looked stunning in an all-white Dior Haute Couture look that paid homage to Princess Diana, who was a huge fan of the fashion house.
While she was not photographed carrying it, the Duchess of Sussex was said to have carried her own version of the Lady Dior bag, which was renamed in honor of the late Princess of Wales in the 1990s.
Meghan Markle’s aquamarine bling
The Duchess of Sussex wore Princess Diana’s aquamarine ring, which she famously wore as her “something blue” at her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, to the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala in New York City in December.
The ring may have been chosen with purpose, as Maxwell Stone of UK jeweler Steven Stone told Page Six Style at the time, “The aquamarine’s light blue color symbolizes feelings of sympathy, trust, and friendship.”
Markle completed the bridal look by wearing a white Louis Vuitton gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline similar to her Givenchy wedding gown.
