Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle's had very different styles during their first solo engagements. Pictured: Middleton, Markle applaud ahead of the Ladies' Singles final match between Serena Williams of The United States and Angelique Kerber of Germany on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2018 in London, England. Getty Images/Michael Steele

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle’s first solo outing attires were recently compared with each other.

People noted that what the Duchess of Cambridge wore in October 2011 was so different from what the Duchess of Sussex donned during Tuesday’s engagement.

Years ago, Middleton wore a sleeveless aqua dress with silver detailing designed by Amanda Wakeley to the art exhibition on behalf of Prince Charles’ charity In Kind Direct. The mom of three paired her attire with her Jimmy Choo heels.

Prince Charles was supposed to attend the art exhibition, but he suddenly had to go to Saudi Arabia to pay respects to the royal family following the death of Crown Prince. Prince William was unable to take over the event because of his RAF Search and Rescue commitments.

Meanwhile, Markle’s attire at the Royal Academy of Arts in London event was similar to most of the clothes she has worn in recent months. The Duchess of Sussex wore a black Givenchy dress with billowing sheer sleeves and her black Aquazzura pumps to the engagement.

Markle let her hair down during Tuesday’s gathering, while Middleton tied her hair in a half-bun years ago.

Other than their clothes, Middleton and Markle’s first solo engagements were compared to Princess Diana’s first solo outing from 1982. The Princess of Wales’s first royal event was held at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey.

According to The Telegraph, this visit marked the first out of the many times Princess Diana went to the hospital to check the sick patients. The mom of two’s first solo engagement also foreshadowed her commitment to the sick. In the years that followed, Princess Diana also became an advocate for HIV/AIDS patients.

In 1987, the Princess of Wales was photographed shaking hands with an HIV patient. This move helped people realize that HIV and AIDS cannot be transmitted through hand-shaking.

“If a royal was allowed to go in and shake a patient’s hand, somebody at the bus stop or the supermarket could do the same. That really educated people,” a nurse at the hospital who witnessed Princess Diana’s visit told BBC.

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