For the occasion, the first time the event had been held since the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020, the duchess paired an elegant blue coat dress with tanzanite jewelry, a blue fascinator hat and a pair of shoes which have proven to be a favorite style of Meghan’s.

Kate wore with her outfit a pair of Aquazzura’s “Love Link” slingback high heels in a royal blue silk with crystal linked embellishment on the heel strap.

Meghan owns two similar pairs of Aquazzura slingbacks with crystal heel straps in a matching blue colorway and also a pair in black suede.

The aesthetic similarities between the two royal duchesses comes after Meghan made her first public visit to the U.K. since stepping down as a full-time working royal in March 2020 and moving to the U.S. with Prince Harry.

The visit by the Sussexes was undertaken to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s historic Platinum Jubilee in June and also to introduce their youngest child Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor to her namesake great-grandmother. Lilibet was named in honor of the queen whose family nickname is the abbreviated form of Elizabeth.

During the course of the jubilee weekend, royal watchers waited to see if Meghan and Kate would interact with each other in public. This would have marked the first public reunion of the two royals since Meghan’s landmark interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 during which she claimed Kate made her cry before her wedding day.

At the national service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on June 3, those hoping to see a royal reunion were disappointed as there was no interaction between the sisters-in-law or between brothers William and Harry. For the occasion, Meghan wore a striking light colored haute couture Christian Dior ensemble with a sculpted 1980s style wide brimmed hat.

Kate’s Garter Day slingbacks are not the only pair of Aquazzura heels that the royal has worn in recent years. The brand became closely associated with Meghan in 2017 when she wore a pair of cross strap heeled sandals for the announcement of her engagement to the press at Kensington Palace.

Since her marriage, Meghan has worn multiple pairs of the Florence based luxury footwear company’s styles, with a particular favorite being the house’s signature “bow tie” style. The royal owns this style in multiple colors and textiles, even wearing a flat version to a baseball game in London.

Prior to Garter Day Kate most recently wore Aquazzura heels on her widely publicized tour of the Caribbean in March. The duchess debuted a pair of the brand’s “Cece” pumps in white leather with statement gold cut outs for her arrival in Jamaica.

The royal also wore a pair of Aquazzura “Bow Tie” pumps in nude suede leather for a reception for G7 leaders in Cornwall in 2021.

The slingbacks worn on Garter Day are a riskier fashion choice for Kate who usually sticks to more conservative closed pump style heels from British shoemaker Jimmy Choo. The duchess’ go-to style is the brand’s “Romy” style which, like Meghan with Aquazzura’s “Bow Tie” pumps, she owns in multiple colorways and textiles.

The daring crystal embellished slingbacks are described by Aquazzura’s founder Edgardo Osorio as “pure sensuality,” adding that: “These pumps will make you feel sexy and seductive in every occasion.”

The “Love Link” style closely resembles the “Portrait of a Lady” style which Meghan owns and wore to a special London concert commemorating the First World War in September 2018. The duchess then wore a black variation of this style to the premiere of Disney’s live action remake of The Lion King in July 2019.

Meghan and Harry attended only two of the four days of planned celebrations for the queen’s jubilee, choosing to mark their daughter’s first birthday at their home in Windsor Great Park on June 4 with an intimate party attended by family and friends.

The couple reportedly left Britain with their family before the end of the weekend, returning to their home in Santa Barbara.