Meghan Markle's Bold Purple and Red Color Combo Was Also a Favorite of Princess Diana!

Meghan Markle‘s colorful outfit may have been royally inspired — by none other than Princess Diana.

Rather than stick to her signature dark shades of black and navy, the Duchess of Sussex opted for a double pop of color when she visited the town of Birkenhead, Merseyside, with Prince Harry on Monday. She paired a purple Babaton by Aritizia dress under a red wrap coat by Sentaler, worn with a belt tied just above her growing baby bump.

The color combination is definitely unexpected, but it’s been done before. Harry’s mother Princess Diana blended the bold hues on several occasions, most memorably during a 1989 trip to Hong Kong when she paired a purple skirt with a red cardigan topped by a hat featuring both shades.

Diana also wore a one-shoulder evening gown featuring the eye-grabbing colors to a dinner in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1988.

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Diana even pulled a royal rewear with the Hong Kong ensemble, again sporting a purple skirt and red jacket when she posed in front of the Taj Mahal in 1992.

For Monday’s outing, Meghan followed in her mother-in-law’s fashionable footsteps and recycled two pieces she’s used before – but in different colors. The royal mom-to-be, 37, previously wore the long wide collar wrap coat by Sentaler for her Christmas walk debut in 2017, opting for the piece in camel. In addition, Meghan carried the Gabriela Hearst Demi leather tote in brown, the same purse she carried in green when she and Prince Harry visited their namesake county of Sussex for the first time in October.

The Duchess of Sussex pointed out in a 2015 interview for InStyle that her character on Suits, Rachel Zane, changed the color of her wardrobe based on her moods.

“You’ll notice that in season two when she’s falling in love with Mike, I wear more blush tones. And season one when she’s really all about business, I wear more charcoal grays and blacks,” Meghan told InStyle. “I think our clothes are such a reflection of how we’re feeling.”