The Princess of Wales and Melania Trump showcased coordinated outfits during their meeting at Frogmore Gardens. Photo / Getty Images
The Princess of Wales and Melania Trump showcased coordinated outfits during their meeting at Frogmore Gardens. Photo / Getty Images
For the sartorially inclined, it was always going to be one of the most intriguing moments of the Trump state visit: the Princess of Wales and the First Lady striding out side by side in the bucolic setting of Frogmore Gardens on the Windsor estate.
Judging by their strikingly contrastingstate banquet ensembles – Melania in bright yellow Carolina Herrera, Catherine in a couture silk crepe and gold Chantilly lace Phillipa Lepley creation – it looked like coordinated dressing was firmly off the cards.
First Lady Melania Trump arrives at the State Banquet. Photo / Getty Images
Prince William and Princess Catherine at the State Banquet. Photo / Getty Images
The pair stepped out to meet the Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields, and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels programme in outfits so in sync they could almost have been planned together. There were rich autumnal tones, suede fabrics, nods to Scouting uniform and even a touch of much-anticipated transatlantic “diplomatic dressing”.
Catherine’s brown melange tweed midi skirt and crocodile-effect belt were by Ralph Lauren, as was Melania’s belted lamb suede jacket. The latter is a riff on the American designer’s safari-inspired pieces, first seen on the catwalk in 1984, and comes straight out of the “buy American” style playbook Melania has been sticking to during her husband’s second presidency.
Catherine's Ralph Lauren look. Photo / Getty Images
Melania Trump during a visit to Frogmore Gardens. Photo / Getty Images
Ralph Lauren certainly seems the right man to back; as Lisa Armstrong noted in her review of the designer’s New York Fashion Week show earlier this month, the eponymous brand is thriving – up 8% in the first half of 2025 at a moment when many others have stalled.
In many ways, Ralph Lauren is also something of a sartorial bridge brand, epitomising the best of UK-US relations. Just look at Wimbledon, that most British of summer events, where plenty of high-profile names from both sides of the Atlantic are dressed by the brand each year.
This summer, Sienna Miller achieved boho 2.0 in a crochet top and a flowing white skirt, while pop star Olivia Rodrigo made the case for the gingham revival in a vintage dress. Both looks were Ralph Lauren, and both seemed quintessentially British, with a touch of preppiness that is distinctly American.
Sienna Miller, wearing Ralph Lauren. Photo / Getty Images
But as well as a celebration of this sartorial special relationship, there was also a good deal of support for British design today in Frogmore Gardens courtesy of Catherine.
Like Melania, the princess wore a suede jacket, clearly still the style of the moment, from British favourite Me+Em. The dark forest green cropped military-style piece gave a subtle nod to the Scouts uniform, layered over a chestnut brown cashmere vest, which is also from Me+Em and is still (at the time of writing) in stock for $195.
Perhaps the most significant tribute to the British fashion industry came in the form of Catherine’s scarf, a coordinating green and deep mauve silk piece from Sudbury Mill. This is the family-run Suffolk silk mill the princess visited earlier this month, where she watched the production of the silk jacquard and helped with the weaving.
All in all, it was a refreshingly stylish moment after a morning of mixed fashion messages.
Earlier in the day, during a tour of Windsor Castle’s Royal Library and Queen Mary’s Doll’s House, Melania wore a caramel-hued leather skirt suit by Louis Vuitton, while the Queen opted for a white dress with black trim by Fiona Clare.
Queen Camilla and First Lady Melania Trump tour Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and the Royal Library. Photo / Getty Images
Thanks to a shared taste for Ralph Lauren and a few British design gems, the two women in the state visit spotlight gave a surprisingly harmonious display.
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