Kate Middleton channeled Meghan Markle at the races

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

After meeting the Queen of Spain at the Order of the Garter, Kate Middleton headed over to Ascot with Prince William and the Queen to enjoy the races.

All the royals clearly got the memo, as they wore light blue for the day. The Queen wore a pastel coat dress and a statement hat adorned with fabric flowers.

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a light blue lace Elie Saab dress, with a full skirt and pussy bow neckline.

She also took a lead out of Meghan Markle's book by opting for a hat that was very similar to the one the Duchess wore to Trooping the Colour last year: wide-brimmed and worn at an angle.

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

The Duchess of Sussex was one of the few royals not present at the races, as she is still on maternity leave. Her outing for the Queen's birthday was a brief exception.

As to the reason everyone wore blue, it could simply be a coincidence, however it's a colour that has oft been associated with royalty and the military, so it could also be a simple nod to that.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.