Kate Middleton’s Latest Look Had a Small Detail That May Have Been a Jab at Meghan Markle & Rose Hanbury

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If you’re as obsessed with Kate Middleton’s fashion as we are, then chances are you noticed her new look on June 20. As Patron of the National Portrait Gallery, Kate arrived in style for the gallery’s re-opening ceremony on June 20. Along with her tweed, monochromatic Chanel and Self-Portrait look, fans instantly noticed her shoes: the Aquazzura bow-tie suede heels (also known as the heels worn by Meghan Markle and Rose Hanbury)! This subtle detail has split the internet, with some convinced this was a jab.

And in retrospect, no, it probably wasn’t a jab, but we will break down the situation for you.

If you’re a loyal royal fan (and especially one who’s obsessed with royal fashion), then you probably instantly recognized these shoes. Kate first debuted these shoes at the Prime Ministers Lunch before King Charles III Coronation. But before this, they were known as Meghan’s go-to heel, and merely days after Kate debuted these shoes in her closet, Hanbury wore them to the Coronation.

When this happened, an all-out conspiracy war started on the internet, with fans convinced this was a subtle fashion brawl between the three.

Since then, we haven’t seen any of them wear the iconic heel until now, and many think it’s a subtle jab towards Meghan and Hanbury. A subtle “I win,” if you may. DailyMail threw more flames into the fire by naming the story “Copy-Kate strikes again! Princess of Wales re-wears £645 Aquazzura heels favoured by Meghan Markle to reopen National Portrait Gallery.”

However, more people are in the group that are saying, “They’re Kate’s favorite shoe brand; she’s just wearing them because they match.” One fan wrote, “They are Aquazzura shoes, not Meghan Markles shoes. She did did design them nor did she lend them to Catherine 🥴.”

And it’s true that they’re one of her favorite shoe brands. Per Kate Middleton Style Blog, she owns over half a dozen pairs, and even the Creative Director of the brand Edgardo Osorio has praised the Princess of Wales on multiple occasions for wearing the brand.

Before you go, click here to see more of Kate Middleton’s best royal fashion moments.