Sorry Meghan but you can't beat the Kate effect: How the Princess of Wales transformed the fortunes of British designers - but the Duchess has had her own impact on the fashion world

As a working royal, the Duchess of Sussex was renowned for her love of expensive designer labels such as Givenchy, Dior and Oscar de la Renta.

But this week, with, some might say, a certain level of self-importance, she has revealed she wears labels that she wants to put in the global spotlight — to boost their sales.

'I support designers that I have really great friendships with and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven't gotten the attention that they should be getting,' she told the New York Times.

When Meghan, 43, became a member of The Firm in 2016, there's no doubt she boosted the fashion industry – but the Princess of Wales, 42, had been highlighting British brands long before her. 

Market analyst Mintel estimated that the 'Kate Effect' was responsible for a £1 billion boost in public spending in the year after her wedding.

So, which of the two women – the classic working royal or the Californian actress-turned-humanitarian – has had the biggest impact on the fashion industry?

Strathberry's £17 million turnover can certainly be credited to Meghan, who carried the Scottish brand's £495 Tricolour Midi Tote on her debut walkabout with Prince Harry in 2007

The brands Meghan has boosted

Strathberry 

Strathberry's £17 million turnover can certainly be credited to Meghan, who carried the Scottish brand's £495 Tricolour Midi Tote on her debut walkabout with Prince Harry in Nottingham in 2017. The bag sold out within 24 hours and changed the lives of husband-and-wife team Guy and Leeanne Hundleby overnight, catapulting the fledgling firm into the big league.

The Kate Effect was equally potent: the £295 Multrees Chain Wallet also sold out within hours when she stepped off a train in Cardiff carrying one in December 2020.

Leeanne Hundleby says diplomatically : 'Any carry from Royals generates interest in the brand and a surge in traffic to the site.'

Winner: Meghan

The £295 Multrees Chain Wallet also sold out within hours when Kate stepped off a train in Cardiff in 2020

Aquazurra 

In June 2016, Meghan posted a photograph on her now-defunct lifestyle blog The Tig of 39 pairs of her shoes, neatly arranged side by side and worth an estimated £20,000.

Six of them were Aquazurra, designed by Colombian Edgardo Osorio, who said at the time: 'She likes strappy, sophisticated, sexy shoes, which is very much our style. Her look tends to be elegant, simple and sleek, and she always accentuates with a beautiful pair of shoes.'

So, it was natural that she would wear his £420 Matilde crossover stilettos when she announced her engagement to Harry on November 27, 2017.

Since then, she has inspired a generation of royal women to wear the brand including Kate, who wore Aquazzura's £645 bow-tie 105 suede pumps at the National Portrait Gallery in 2023, as well as Beatrice, Eugenie and Zara.

Winner: Meghan

Meghan wearing Aquazurra's £420 Matilde crossover stilettos when she announced her engagement to Harry on November 27, 2017

Kate wore Aquazzura's £645 bow-tie 105 suede pumps at the National Portrait Gallery in 2023

Veja 

It was Meghan who discovered the company Veja, which was set up by two Frenchmen Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Mori-llion, who created the world's first environmentally friendly trainer. Meghan wore their £120 white design, with a black V logo, to the Invictus Games in 2018, while Kate wore the same sneaker, with a gold V, out and about in London in 2022.

Winner: Meghan

Meghan wearing Veja's £120 white design, with a black V logo, to the Invictus Games in 2018

Kate wearing the same sneaker, with a gold V, while out and about in London in 2022

And how Kate has transformed the fortunes of these British designers

Emilia Wickstead 

Kate definitely set the trend when she wore an Emilia Wickstead £1,150 green coat dress at a St Patrick's Day Parade in 2012.

A firm favourite with the Princess, she has a wardrobe crammed with Wickstead designs. Other royals have followed in her footsteps, including the Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Beatrice and Meghan, who wore a custom green dress – a mix of several styles from the designer – to her last official royal engagement at Westminster Abbey in March 2020.

Winner: Kate

Kate definitely set the trend when she wore an Emilia Wickstead £1,150 green coat dress at a St Patrick's Day Parade in 2012

Meghan wore this custom green dress – a mix of several styles from the designer – to her last official royal engagement at Westminster Abbey in March 2020

Self-Portrait

Malaysian designer Han Chong's label Self-Portrait has become a favourite of the Royal Family, but it was Kate who discovered him first, wearing his £320 white lace dress to the premiere of A Street Cat Named Bob on November 3, 2016. That year Selfridges sold a Self-Portrait garment every six minutes and the brand has continued to grow.

Chong found out the Princess had worn his dress when someone tagged a blurry photograph of her on Instagram. 'I couldn't sleep that night,' he said. 'I was too excited. I could always see her wearing Self-Portrait, but I never thought it was going to happen.' Meghan followed suit, wearing his £300 green floral midi dress to the Invictus Games reception in 2018.

Winner: Kate

Kate first discovered Han Chong's label Self-Portrait, wearing his £320 white lace dress to the premiere of A Street Cat Named Bob on November 3, 2016

Meghan wore his £300 green floral midi dress to the Invictus Games reception in 2018

Reiss

When Kate wore a cream Reiss £159 Nanette gown in her official engagement photograph, the brand's website went into meltdown and crashed for two hours. The upmarket High Street brand re-released the dress – only for it to sell out again. 

Ever thrifty, she is pictured wearing it again in Canada in 2011. Fast forward several years, and the black and white £185 Reiss Azzura dress that Meghan wore on International Women's Day in 2019 did not cause the same stir.

Winner: Kate

Kate wore a cream Reiss £159 Nanette gown in her official engagement photograph, sending the brand's website into meltdown

The black and white £185 Reiss Azzura dress that Meghan wore on International Women's Day in 2019 did not cause the same stir

Monica Vinader

Monica Vinader's bohemian jewellery is catnip to actresses but it was when Kate wore her £745 Riva collection earrings and £2,000 necklace to a gala at the Natural History Museum on October 21, 2014, that the designer hit the jackpot. They sold out in the US straight away. 

'I was on holiday in Florence, sitting outside a cafe,' she said at the time. 'The friend I was with suddenly looked over at a man reading a newspaper and said: 'Isn't that the Duchess of Cambridge wearing your earrings on the front page?'

'It was the most surreal moment – I was thrilled.'

It was not until 2020, that Meghan first wore her £125 Linear Friends bracelet in public. By then, the brand was established.

Winner: Kate