Royals know their outfits make headlines. But over the weekend Princess Delphine of Belgium found her wardrobe in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Delphine, the half-sister of King Philippe of Belgium and illegitimate daughter of former king Albert II, wore a vibrant design by Atelier ExC, a high-end Belgian label, on Friday for the annual National Day festivities. The dress was a psychedelic clash of colors: swirls of pink, orange, red, and yellow, topped with azure blue trims.
Yet the problem lay in its apparent similarity to another royal ensemble: the Andrew Gn coatdress worn by Kate Middleton to Trooping the Colour. The likeness was enough to spark outrage from Singaporean designer Gn, who has also designed for Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. In an Instagram story, which has since been deleted, according to Vanity Fair Spain, Gn described the design as a “shameless copy” of his own look.
The stylist who helped dress Princess Delphine responded by saying the dress was inspired by vintage Chanel. “For Princess Delphine’s dress we were inspired by the Chanel style of the ’60s,” Jody Van Geert said, according to Vanity Fair Spain. “Both the designer of Kate’s dress and Atelier ExC copied from the best. Therefore, it is purely coincidental that the dresses are similar. And, in fact, there are differences, like the ruffles on Princess Delphine’s dress.” The debate has also been picked up by Instagram accounts specializing in documenting royal fashion.
It is not unusual for royals to wear similar silhouettes—or even the same outfits, as this gallery shows.
Throughout her childhood Princess Delphine of Belgium believed that her mother’s husband, Jonkheer Jacques Boël, a wealthy industrialist, was her father. It was only when she was 17 that she learned the truth: that she was the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of Belgium, with whom her mother had an 18-year affair.
She now joins her half-brother at official engagements, like the National Day celebrations that took place on Friday. King Philippe’s daughter and heir, Princess Elisabeth, looked every inch the poised queen-in-waiting as she joined her siblings and parents at the high-profile occasion.
This article first appeared on Tatler.
