Royals Why Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Both Wore Muted Colors for Their Outings with the Queen Queen Elizabeth's colorful wardrobe is very deliberate – so fans can easily spot her in a crowd By Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit Stephanie Petit is a Royals Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 20, 2019 11:13 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are not afraid to sport a brightly colored outfit — Meghan’s bold red and purple combination earlier this year was a vision, while Kate’s closet is a complete rainbow —but there’s only one reigning Queen of color. Kate, 37, joined Queen Elizabeth for their first-ever joint outing on Tuesday, visiting the Strand campus of King’s College in London. For the occasion, the 92-year-old monarch stuck with her bold signature style, a Stewart Parvin pink cashmere coat (accessorized with her pink sapphire and diamond brooch!) over a silk printed dress and a matching wide-brimmed hat. Meanwhile, Kate opted for a grey Catherine Walker coat dress and one of her go-to black fascinators. When Meghan, 37, had her first solo outing with the Queen in June 2018, the Duchess of Sussex stuck to a light beige pencil dress with a cape top by Givenchy, while the monarch stuck out in a lime green suit dress by Stewart Parvin and a matching hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan. There’s a sweet reason that both Meghan and Kate chose subdued colors for their joint outings with their grandmother-in-law: to ensure they don’t steal the spotlight from the monarch! Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty; Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton. Paul Grover/WPA Pool/Getty Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth. Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock Color Queens! Kate Middleton Is Following Queen Elizabeth’s Trick to Stand Out in a Crowd Queen Elizabeth‘s colorful wardrobe is very deliberate. She typically wears a rainbow of bright clothes so her royal fans can easily spot her in a crowd. In the documentary The Queen at 90, the Queen’s daughter-in-law, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, said: “She needs to stand out for people to be able to say ‘I saw the Queen.’ Don’t forget that when she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, 10, 15 deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the Queen’s hat as she went past.” Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Alex Lentati/WPA/Getty; Mark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty; REX/Shutterstock Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Kate has followed the stylish trick to stand out in the crowd, rocking every color from bubblegum pink to regal red. Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock While Meghan typically prefers neutral colors like white, blush or navy, she’s been known to occasionally experiment with bolder colors, like her gorgeous light blue caped gown during a reception in Fiji or a bright yellow sheath dress.