Princess Kate’s French Fashion Outfits Have Harry and Meghan Link

Princess Kate welcomed Emmanuel Macron to Britain wearing Dior and Givenchy—two French luxury fashion brands with a link to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The Princess of Wales mostly wears British brands, but the arrival of the French president and his wife Brigitte Macron gave her an opportunity to branch out.

Dior was at one stage rumored to have a partnership with Harry, while Meghan wore Givenchy on her wedding day.

However, Kate’s Givenchy look was by her own wedding dress designer Sarah Burton, who had previously been creative director of Alexander McQueen.

Princess Kate’s Dior Look

Kate looked elegant at the official welcome for Macron and his wife in Windsor, where she wore the 30 Montaigne Rose Des Vents Bar Jacket by Christian Dior.

The piece sells for £3,400 (around $4,600).

Harry wore Dior to King Charles III‘s coronation in May 2023, leading to the fashion house posting on X: “Tailoring fit for royalty. Dior is honored to have dressed Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, for the coronation of King Charles III in a custom design by Kim Jones.

“Seen arriving at Westminster Abbey, gain an insight into the savoir-faire of his three-piece suit next.”

The post sparked rumors of an advertising partnership between Harry and Dior, though no further examples materialized publicly.

Kate’s jacket was from Dior’s 2024 Collection, but reimagined a jacket first created in 1947 by Christian Dior himself.

Princess Kate’s Givenchy Look

For the state banquet at Windsor Castle Tuesday night, Kate wore a dark red, creponne caped evening gown, designed by Sarah Burton.

Burton was at Alexander McQueen when she designed Kate’s wedding dress for her fairy-tale ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 2011. In 2024, she moved to Givenchy.

Meghan’s wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller, then at Givenchy but now at high street brand Uniqlo.

Kate paired her dress with a lily of the valley embroidered clutch bag, earrings from Queen Elizabeth II‘s collection and the Lover’s Knot tiara.

Wearing Burton will have been easier for Kate while the designer was at famous British brand Alexander McQueen, but Macron’s visit gave her the perfect justification to go back to one of her favorite designers.

Analysis

In Kate’s case, the decision to wear both Givenchy and Dior on the same day on the one hand reflects a desire to signal to the French delegation a love of the country’s fashion and culture.

On the other, it highlights the fact she usually sticks to British brands to promote homegrown fashion from houses like Alexander McQueen, for example.

Meanwhile, the fact Meghan wore Givenchy on her wedding day shows she felt less obliged to showcase British fashion, and the same goes for Harry who, had he kept to tradition, would have been expected to wear a bespoke suit from world famous London street Savile Row to the coronation.

Harry’s military uniform on his wedding day, for example, was made by famous Savile Row tailor Dege & Skinner, which has a history dating back to 1865 and has held a royal warrant since 1984, under both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles.

It was therefore a doubly risky move on Harry’s part—he wore a French designer to the coronation of Britain’s king and allowed Dior to promote his choice on social media, before heading straight to the airport immediately after the ceremony.

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.