Meghan Markle channels her inner Diana as she wears copycat sweater from iconic 90s paparazzi snap

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

So perhaps it is no surprise to see the Duchess of Sussex very much channelling the iconic mother-in-law she never got the chance to meet.

In a social media post yesterday ahead of the launch of her new Netflix series – With Love, Meghan – Prince Harry’s wife uploaded video footage of her walking around the couple’s California estate wearing a distinctive purple sweatshirt from Northwestern University in Illinois, US.

It was quickly spotted to be almost identical to one worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, almost 30 years ago.

Meghan was formerly a student at the US college, where she was a ‘double major’ in theatre and international studies, graduating in 2003.

The princess was gifted her sweater when she visited the university’s campus in Illinois to raise money for a cancer centre in 1995, and was frequently seen wearing it on outings to the gym.

And it is not the only time Meghan has curated outfits favoured by Harry’s late mother, a style icon in her own right.

At the Invictus Games this month she was seen in a herringbone jacket with a brown velvet collar that bore a striking resemblance to a coat worn by Diana in 1984.

Meghan wore a sweater from Northwestern University matching her late mother-in-law’s from the 1990s in an Instagram video titled: ‘A small break from work to soak in the weekend sunshine’

Princess Diana wore a matching jumper in 1996 having visited Northwestern the year before to support a cancer fundraiser

Then there was the divisive red evening dress sported by the duchess to the Freedom Gala in the US in 2021, which had a notably similar neckline and straps to the stylish red Catherine Walker cocktail gown worn by the princess in 1995 to a dinner in Argentina.

A chic cream sleeveless dress, accessorised with gold jewellery and nude shoes, worn by the duchess in Australia in 2018 was a carbon-copy of Diana when she visited Rome in 1996.

Even dressed casually Meghan appears to echo the late princess, who loved nothing more than a crisp white open-necked shirt tucked into 1980s light wash jeans and nude flat pumps for a more practical business look.

Meghan has sported a similar head-to-toe style on a number of occasions, including a lunch date in Montecito last year.

She also regularly wears a number of pieces of jewellery left by the late princess to her son, including her iconic gold Cartier Tank Française watch and her signature ‘butterfly ‘ earrings.

The former royal has also been seen with a Lady Dior handbag that was so loved by Diana, that it was even renamed in her honour – the Lady D-Lite.

Meghan’s, however, had the monogram DSSOS – short for Duchess of Sussex – emblazoned on hers.

The duchess’ latest social media blitz on her new Instagram account was entitled ‘a small break from work to soak in the weekend’ and featured a series of clips shot in the sunshine-dappled gardens of her £10 million Montecito home.

In 1995, Diana wowed in a strappy scarlet dress by Catherine Walker for a swanky dinner in Argentina. Meghan opted for a Carolina Herrera dress with a similar neckline at the 2021 Salute To Freedom Gala in New York 

Meghan’s simple, figure-hugging dress, worn in 2018, echoed one that her late mother-in-law showcased in 1995

Meghan has adopted Diana’s trademark off-duty style, pairing a white shirt with mom jeans and flat pumps 

In line with much of the promotion so far for her forthcoming make-or-break lifestyle streaming series, it includes carefully-controlled clips of her children: this time it is Archie who is helping her to water their flowers and can be heard asking: ‘mummy, I can do it if you want me to?’ 

Similarly Harry can be heard giggling as his wife squeezes an orange into a glass.

The series – which will also apparently be accompanied by a line of merchandise – will premiere on Netflix next Tuesday.

It is widely being touted as the Sussexes’ last chance to save their lucrative deal with the streaming giant following the commercial flops of their most recent projects.