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Queen Mary Just Copied Kate Middleton’s Most Shimmery Gown to Date

The Jenny Packham design is a stunner

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It was a glimmering event for Queen Mary in Copenhagen this past week in more ways than one: She and her husband King Frederik hosted an Arts and Culture Ball at Christianborg Palace, taking over a tiara-worthy tradition started by the king’s parents in 1976. The queen’s gown of choice? A sparkly pink Jenny Packham design—and the same one worn by Kate Middleton for many a royal occasion.

But here’s the sartorial surprise: Despite Kate’s well-known history with the dress, Queen Mary was actually the first royal to don the design. Back in 2022, she wore the “Georgia” style for her 50th birthday portrait.

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Kate has since been pictured wearing the sequin-covered gown for two different black tie royal events. The first being a summer 2023 banquet for Crown Prince Hussein’s wedding to Princess Rajwa in Amman, Jordan; the Princess of Wales also chose this dress for the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace in December 2023.

Both royal women styled the gown elegantly—Queen Mary opted to wear hers with her Edwardian tiara; Kate has frequently styled the dress with the Lover’s Knot tiara, a favorite of the late Princess Diana.

Still, this week marked a more noticeable overlap, with the Danish queen styling her hair very similarly to how Kate wore hers with the gown in Jordan. (Like Kate, Queen Mary also added a pair of statement earrings, a noticeable change to how she styled the dress for her birthday in 2022.)

Let’s give credit where credit is due: It’s a stunner of a dress, no wonder they both want to wear it on repeat. But it’s also a fun twinning moment for two different royal households.

Besides, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery—here, here.



rachel bowie christine han photography 100

Senior Director, Special Projects and Royals

  • Writes and produces family, fashion, wellness, relationships, money and royals content
  • Podcast co-host and published author with a book about the British Royal Family
  • Studied sociology at Wheaton College and received a masters degree in journalism from Emerson College