WHEN Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle step out in public, their outfits tend to sell out in hours – but some of their iconic looks have been altered just for them.

A fashion expert has revealed how Princess Kate tends to tweak clothes to be more modest, but that isn’t always the case for Meghan.

Princess Kate dazzled filming for the A Berry Royal Christmas television programme in 2019Credit: PA

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Kate tweaked the neckline of a £1,455 Alessandra Rich dressCredit: Alessandra Rich

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We recently saw Meghan Markle at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) Gala in LA in a dress she has worn beforeCredit: The Mega Agency

Meghan appears to have removed the detachable overskirt that we saw on her Carolina Herrera silk gown in 2021Credit: Getty
Fashion editor Amber Graafland, who has 25 years experience in the industry, told Fabulous: “While their individual styles are unique, one thing they do share is a penchant for altering existing clothing items.

“Kate Middleton is unquestionably the master of this, often altering clothes to make them look more modest, and in line with royal protocol.

“This clever up-cycling  of gowns allows her to make more sustainable and appropriate fashion choices, and she’s become very adept at it.”

Meghan too has altered clothes to be less revealing, but appears to be making the most of her new-found freedom having stepped back as a senior working royal.

Amber added: “While Meghan isn’t averse to making outfits more modest, she deployed this technique for her royal tour of Australia by sewing up two rather revealing side slits on a Veronica Beard dress, the restrictions on what she can and can’t wear are far less rigid these days.

“Take the red Carlina Herrera gown that she altered for the LA Children’s Hospital Gala earlier this year.

“First debuted in 2021, the gown originally consisted of a bandeau style dress fitted with a flowing overskirt.

“Meghan upcycled the dress by removing the overskirt to reveal the figure-hugging silhouette underneath.

“This clever tweak transformed the gown from a conservative style to one exuding red carpet-worthy glamour.

“Now that Meghan is no longer restricted by royal protocol, she doesn’t have to watch her necklines or her hemlines.

“While Kate’s seamstress is busy making sure her clothes don’t ever reveal too much, Meghan only has to worry about looking her best and maximising her camera angles.”

We previously saw Kate tweak a gold sequinned Jenny Packham gown – her iconic look for the premiere of James Bond’s No Time to Die in 2021 – where the neckline was altered to make it less revealing.

Another example was an Elie Saab panelled gown, worn to the wedding of Crown Prince Al-Hussein and Rajwa Al Saif in Jordan, where sheer panels were replaced with opaque fabric to make it more modest.

Meanwhile, an Alexander McQueen gown, first worn to the Baftas in 2017, that was modified with sleeves for a gala at the National Portrait gallery two years later.

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Meghan stunned as she visited Wellington, New Zealand, as part of her first royal tourCredit: Getty – Contributor

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Meghan wore a blazer dress by New Zealand-based designer Maggie Marilyn and personalised the £485 item by having the long sleeves removedCredit: Maggie Marilyn

What is Princess Kate’s signature fashion style?

WHEN it comes to dressing for public engagements Princess Kate has formulated a highly successful signature style, according to fashion expert Amber Graafland

The princess knows exactly what styles flatter her figure and while she may mix her favourite designers with the odd bit of high street, the basic principles remain the same.

The biggest benefit of this confident approach is that it allows her to recycle outfits.  Kate is often seen re-wearing bespoke outfits by go-to designers McQueen, Ellis Saab and Jenny Packham.

The other huge plus side is that it has allowed her to amass an impressive handbag collection.

While the exact grand total has never been revealed, it is estimated that Kate owns at least 110 styles.

For most mere mortals that sounds like a huge amount, but if you consider that the princess attends upwards of 100  public engagements a year, it’s not actually that ridiculous.

Kate’s collection includes styles by Jimmy Choo, Prada, McQueen, Chanel, Asprey, Aspinal of London and Ellie Saab to name but a few.

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Who can forget Kate’s dazzling James Bond look at the No Time To Die World Premiere at Royal Albert Hall in 2021Credit: Getty

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The neckline of her £4,000 Jenny Packham dress was raised for modestyCredit: Jenny Packham

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Kate was a vision in pink at the wedding of Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Princess Rajwa al Hussein in 2023Credit: Rex

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Kate changed the fabric of Elie Saab’s autumn/winter 2017 collection dress so it was less opaqueCredit: Gamma Rapho via Getty

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Meghan did make her outfit more modest as she visited Tupou College in Tonga in 2018Credit: Getty

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Meghan wore a £470 Veronica Beard blue shirt dress that originally featured two thigh-high slits but the royal had them partially sewn up for a more modest lookCredit: Veronica Beard

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Kate also had this Alexander McQueen’s tiered jacquard dress altered which she first wore to the 2017 BaftasCredit: Getty – Contributor

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Two years later at a gala at the National Portrait Gallery, she had given the dress an off-the-shoulder necklineCredit: Getty