Two royals have now worn this H&M ballgown

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton aren't the only royals who love a bit of the high street it seems. While both Duchesses have worn items by M&S and Zara in the past, other Princesses (and Queens) across the pond can't seem to get enough of H&M.

Queen Letizia of Spain has just embarked on a tour of Sweden with her husband King Felipe, and both attended a State Banquet on the first evening to celebrate their arriaval.

While she was bedecked in diamonds, her ballgown was much more affordable, since it was courtesy of H&M's Conscious collection.

The navy dress featured a sheer top and ruffled skirt and looked like it could've come straight from the catwalk. If it looks familiar to you, it's because you might have already seen it on another royal, back in 2020.

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Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden chose the H&M tulle dress for one of her official 10th wedding anniversary portraits in June 2020, though hers featured sheer sleeves. Both royals accessorised with tiaras and sashes.

queen victoria of sweden

Photo: Elisabeth Toll/Kungl. Hovstaterna

If you were hoping to get your hands on the party dress for the festive season, sadly you're out of luck, since it was part of the SS20 Conscious Collection which has long since sold out. Shame really, as it only cost £229.99.

Both Queen Letizia and Crown Princess Victoria are advocates for sustainable fashion and this is the perfect example. The collection was made from futuristic materials including VEGEA™ (a vegan leather made from discarded grape skins), CIRCULOSE® (a fabric created from 100 per cent upcycled clothing and fashion waste), RENU™ (a high-quality recycled polyester), recycled glass beads and denim made from 100 per cent undyed organic cotton.

So it's very easy to see why Queen Letizia of Spain would want to rewear the dress over a year after purchase.

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.