When Danish Queen Margrethe II announced she would abdicate on January 14, it was the country's first abdication in 500 years.
It also marked a joint step to protect the Danish monarchy. By promoting her son, Crown Prince Frederik, the Queen hopes to strengthen not only the Crown but also, crucially, the marriage of Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, which was recently rocked by allegations about Frederik's close relationship with a Mexican socialite .
Often called the Danish royal family's “greatest asset,” Mary, a 51-year-old Australian, is loved by her queen and her adopted country, where her cheerful attitude, tireless work ethic and impeccable style have earned her endless praise.
It reminds us all quite a bit of another princess: our own Princess of Wales. Like Mary, Kate is a “common man” who married an heir to the throne. Like Mary, Kate transitioned into her role as royal wife and mother with grace and dedication.
Suits you: Mary (left) in teal Massimo Dutti in 2022 and Kate in Burberry in 2023
Pastel princess: Mary in 2015 and Kate in 2018, both wearing an Emilia Wickstead dress now called 'The Kate'
Copycats: Mary wears a £572 dress from British brand Beulah in 2019, while Kate wears the same design in July 2020
But these parallels are not nearly as striking as those between their wardrobes. They may live 800 miles apart, but their styles are so similar that it's tempting to imagine them sharing a closet. Even the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld once called them “royal sisters.”
At 41, Kate may be ten years younger than Mary, but both women are brunettes and have slim, athletic builds to match similar colors, prints and styles. Just how similar it is is nothing short of incredible.
Of the millions of dresses in the world, it seems amazing that they choose identical dresses for so many occasions. During a visit to Norfolk in 2020, Kate wore the same £572 blue dress from British brand Beulah that Mary had worn in Indonesia a year earlier.
Then, in June 2021, Kate wore a £720 pale pink button-down dress from Beulah to Wimbledon, following Mary, who had worn the same design in cream to open an art exhibition last year.
Pale and interesting: Mary in Beulah in 2020 and Kate in a pink version of the same outfit in 2023
Two Graces: Mary wears a Jesper Hovring lace dress in 2022, following Kate in 2019, when she wore a £4,000 guipure lace Alexander McQueen dress
Shades of Grey: Mary in 2019 and Kate, wearing a Cefinn tank top by Samantha Cameron, in 2023
These are not the only cases of twinning. In 2018, Kate wore a £1,350 lilac Emilia Wickstead dress to a mental health summit in London, three years after Mary wore the blue version in Japan.
While Mary may have worn this style first, Kate has it in cobalt, olive green and teal, and Wickstead has now named her design 'The Kate' in her honour.
If Mary has noticed these stylistic dupes, she hasn't let them affect her easy camaraderie with Kate, as was evident when the latter visited Copenhagen in February 2022. Both women seemed as eager to share a joke as they were to share a love for drop earrings. .
Team Tartan: Mary in 2019 and Kate last year
Red stars: Mary in a dress she first wore in 2019 and Kate in Alexander McQueen in 2023
If the cap fits: Mary in Under Armor in 2018 and Kate's equally sporty look in 2022
Rather than deliberately copying, it's more likely that the two women are aware of which outfits work well in their public roles, favoring slim-fit tailoring and bold prints.
Like tartan: when Kate visited Liverpool with Prince William in January 2023, she wore a tartan coat from Holland Cooper that was reminiscent of Mary's Baum und Pferdgarten coat, worn in 2019.
The two princesses also own a black lace dress: Mary's Jesper Hovring (£1,000) and Kate's Alexander McQueen (£4,000) are examples.
As for what 2024 will bring them, one thing is certain: both will set the standard for what a queen should look like in the 21st century.