Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle were encouraged to dress like the late Princess Diana, a new royals tell-all book reveals.
In an advance copy obtained by Page Six, journalist Omid Scobie writes in “Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival” that Markle and Middleton “regularly replicated” Diana’s “iconic looks,” oftentimes wearing the accessories “once owned by the late princess.”
Scobie notes that given the fact that Markle and Middleton are married to the royal’s sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, it “makes sense” that the two women are given pieces owned by her.
“But while finding a trend untouched by Diana’s iconic style is almost impossible, the huge amount of effort that goes into channeling her exact look sometimes goes beyond the pale,” he writes.
“During the past thirteen years, Diana cosplay has become a royal staple,” the longtime royal expert adds.
Speaking with a royal insider who “worked with” Harry, 39, and William, 41, Scobie says that the “decisions” that went into dressing the Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales with Diana in mind were “always discussed with [William or Harry].”
“‘Were there gentle pushes from others? At times, yes. It had been known for someone to go back and pull images of Diana at a certain place or time for ideas,’” the royal insider said, per Scobie.
“At the right moment this can be a sweet gesture, but there is also a slightly queasy feeling when you realize it’s often orchestrated within the same system that contributed to her living misery, and an institution that still wants some of Diana’s shine to rub off on them,” the editor-at-large writes.
Diana died in a tragic car accident in August 1997 after attempting to evade aggressive paparazzi in Paris, France.
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Since Middleton, also 41, and Markle, 42, have joined the royal family, the two have been spotted wearing bits of their mother-in-law’s legacy.
In May, Markle was spotted wearing Diana’s Cartier watch on a hike while her husband was across the pond attending King Charles III’s coronation.
Middleton has also been seen a handful of times channeling Diana.
In 2019, she stepped out wearing her mom-in-law’s iconic sapphire earrings. However, as we previously reported, she put her own twist on the classic piece.
Middleton also gave a nod to Diana in July, wearing a mint green blazer at Wimbledon that resembled a dress the late former royal wore in 1981.
The royal wives’ outfits are one of many topics Scobie hits on in his forthcoming novel, which hits the shelves Tuesday.
He also writes on Markle and Middleton’s contentious relationship over the years, claiming that the latter “jokingly shivers” when the “Suits” alum’s name is brought up.
The controversial journalist claims that the ladies have had “almost zero direct communication” even before Markle and Harry embarked on “Megxit” in 2020.
A source told Page Six that the upcoming book is by no means helping the Duke of Sussex and his wife — who are “meant to be on their reconciliation tour.”
However, per Scobie, there is “no going back” in Middleton’s relationship with her brother- and sister-in-law.
An insider alleged in the tell-all book, “She was close to Harry, and she will always look back fondly on those moments … and the relationship he had with their children … but to her there is no way she could ever trust them after all their interviews.”
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