Two's a crowd in wedding wardrobe faux pas

Fellow guest turned up to a society wedding in the same coat chosen by the Duchess of Cambridge

It is the type of sartorial solecism to strike dread into the heart of any guest at a wedding.

So spare a thought for the unfortunate woman who found she was wearing the same outfit as none other than the Duchess of Cambridge.

The guest, who shares mutual friends with members of the Royal family, wore the same distinctive fitted Missoni coat to a society wedding over the weekend as the Duchess, who has been recognised as one of the most influential trend-setters in the world.

The coat, from a 2010 collection, has already been worn by the Duchess during several public
appearances, and appears to have become a staple of her wardrobe which flatters her petite figure.

While most could be forgiven for fearing the inevitable comparison with the future queen, her fellow wedding guest – who has not been named – carried the occasion off with grace and good humour

Other attendees politely overlooked the accidental clash, with the mother of the bride diplomatically pronouncing them both “absolutely fabulous”.

Both women had been attending the wedding of Lucy Meade and Charlie Budgett in the village of Marshfield, Gloucestershire on Saturday.

Miss Meade, 29, is the sister of James Meade, one of the Duke of Cambridge’s school friends from Eton, and the best man at the Royal wedding.

Their father, Richard Meade, 75, became the first British rider to win an individual equestrian Olympic gold medal in 1972. Her brother, Harry, is also an international three-day eventer and a close friend of Prince Harry’s.

The wedding was attended by numerous members of the Duke and Duchess’s close-knit circle of friends, including Prince George’s godmother Emilia Jardine-Paterson, Princess Beatrice and Prince Harry.

Also on the guest list were Jecca Craig, Olivia Hunt and Rose Farquhar, who have been romantically linked with the Duke in his younger years, Prince Harry’s close friend Tom Inskip and Tom and Missy van Straubenzee.

Prince George was not in attendance, remaining in the care of family members or his new Spanish nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo.

The Duchess has worn the coat on at least two other occasions, including at Fortnum and Mason during a visit with the Queen and Duchess of Cornwall in March 2012.

She was also photographed in it in Nottingham three months later, when she attended the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in the city.

She is understood to have bought the coat during a shopping trip to the discount fashion outlet Bicester village in Oxfordshire, paying considerably less that the original retail price of £765.

When asked about the fashion faux pas, mother of the bride Angela Meade, 66, remained diplomatic, saying: “I thought they both looked absolutely fabulous, I’m not saying anything else.”

Fortunately, the pair accessorised the coat differently, with the Duchess choosing a black hat and purse, while her likeness carried a white clutch bag.

A crowd of about 100 well-wishers had gathered outside St Mary’s Church in Marshfield to catch a glimpse of the royal couple as they arrived.

Among them was 17-year-old Seb Turner, who said: “It was a bit surreal.”