In her Netflix series with husband Prince Harry, Meghan Markle said she wasn’t allowed to wear the same colour as other senior royals – but Kate Middleton and Zara Tindall seemed to hit back at that with subtle move

Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry have made a number of allegations against the royal family since stepping down in 2020.

Despite the numerous claims made by the couple, most notably in their Netflix documentary series – the royals have maintained a dignified silence, in keeping with their famous adage, ‘Never complain, never explain’. But royal watchers did wonder whether Princess Kate was sending a subtle message to Meghan when she stepped out for her Christmas Carol concert at Westminster Abbey in 2022.

In the third episode of their documentary, Meghan had claimed that she purposely opted not to wear bright colours during her time as a royal, saying that her usual colour palette of ‘camel, beige, white’ was a deliberate choice.

Meghan said there were rules she had to follow when it came to her clothes ( 
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“There was thought in that. To my understanding, you can’t ever wear the same colour as Her Majesty if there’s a group event,” she said. “But then you also should never be wearing the same colour as one of the other more senior members of the family.”

She doubled down on the claim in episode five, adding: “Until that last week in the UK, I rarely wore colour and I never wanted to upstage or ruffle any feathers, so I just tried to blend in. But I wore a lot of colour that week. I felt, ‘Well, let’s just look like a rainbow.'”

However, several royals appeared to turn that theory on its head by sending a subtle message with their sartorial choices at Kate’s Christmas service. The Princess herself opted for a festive deep burgundy coat from Eponine London, which she paired with a matching colour clutch bag and shoes.

The Princess chose to wear deep burgundy for her Christmas carol concert following Meghan’s comments ( 

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And she wasn’t the only royal wearing the hue. William and Harry’s cousin Zara Tindall wore a coat in the same shade, as did Kate’s daughter Princess Charlotte . The Princess’s sister, Pippa Matthews, also joined in on the theme, sporting a coat in the same deep red.

When it came to the men, Prince William opted for a burgundy tie, as did Zara’s husband Mike Tindall . The Waleses have a tight connection with the Tindall family. William and Zara grew up together and have remained close – something that has been passed down a generation.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, while Zara and Mike Tindall share Mia, nine, Lena, five, and Lucas, two. The second cousins – who are just years apart – often attend royal events and socialise together.

William’s cousin Zara stepped out in the same shade for Kate’s carol concert ( 
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Getty Images)

Their sweet friendships were especially evident on Christmas Day as the royals came together at St Mary Magdalene’s Church. Louis was spotted smiling and holding hands with Mia as they walked, and Charlotte and Mia also appeared very close, giggling in conversation at Sandringham.

Younger sister Lena was pictured walking just behind William and Kate, holding hands with her mum and dad. And former England rugby player Mike was later captured affectionately ruffling Prince George’s hair after the service.