Duchesses Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have long been pitted against each other by the media. Not surprising considering their similar positions as major royals and commoner-to-royalty stories.
But it looks like their rivalry may have a winner finally emerging. It seems like the Duchess of Cambridge has been dethroned from her post as the most influential royal style icon, according to data collected by the fashion company Lyst.
Crunching the Numbers
It’s official: Markle has surpassed Middleton when it comes to fashion influence as shown by figures generated by Lyst. According to the online fashion retailer, they determined this by analyzing over 20 million searches within the last two years.
Their goal was to see which duchess influenced the more online queries for the clothes they wear in public appearances.
‘The Markle Effect’ still appears to remain in full force as her outfits led to a 216% increase in searches while Middleton’s only led to a 119% increase.
True Fashion Influencers
The former Hollywood actress’ flair for fashion was first noticed by the public after her 2017 engagement to her now-husband Prince Harry.
Since then, her fashion choices have influenced those of the regular women who wish to copy her style. She’s also been credited for putting relatively unknown designers on the map for simply wearing their clothes according to Elle magazine.
Still, both remain quite influential. For example, Middleton’s red coat dress by Catherine Walker, which she wore at a public appearance at Westminster Abbey a few months ago, resulted to an increase of 225% in searches for similar dresses.
A distinct difference in the way the two women influence other women has also been noted by Lyst. Apparently, Middleton’s style tends to generate more searches for the designers she wears. Meanwhile, Markle’s choices lead to an increase in searches for certain colors like navy, beige and white.
‘Extravagant Spending’
However, Markle’s known preference for designer clothes isn’t well-received by all. The 37-year-old has been labeled as ‘extravagant’ by a royal expert because of her spending habits.
According to Angela Levin, knowledge of the Duchess’ $514,000 estimated expenses in 2018, didn’t really go down well for British taxpayers. This is further aggravated by the fact that the Queen herself is known to be frugal, Levin added.
Some of Markle’s most expensive purchases include the $71,000 dress she wore for her engagement photo shoot with Prince Harry. More recently, there’s also the couple’s reported $3.8 million renovation costs for their home, Frogmore Cottage. This, amidst rumors that they’re planning to make the move to Africa anyway.