Is Victoria Starmer Taking Style Inspiration From Kate? The Prime Minister’s Wife Echoes The Princess Of Wales’ Fashion Choices (And She’s Not Paying For Them Either!)

Victoria Starmer has consistently scored high on style since she was thrust into the public eye as the wife of British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

In the run-up to the general election in July, when her husband was still leader of the opposition – and before “Wardrobegate” hit the headlines – Lady Starmer, 50, won praise from the fashion world when she wore a beautiful beaded dress to a state banquet for the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Just ten days later, the occupational health worker donned a red A-line dress with a cinched waist for the announcement of Labour’s landslide victory – but the ME+EM issue sold out within hours of its appearance.

But while there’s no doubt that Victoria knows how to dress, several of her recent outfits look a little familiar.

Whether it was the polka-dot outfit she wore to a London Fashion Week show on Monday, September 16, or the floral midi dress she was spotted in on the campaign trail, Lady Starmer appears to have taken a leaf out of the Princess of Wales’ fashion playbook.

Here, FEMAIL reveals the fashion choices that suggest Victoria took style inspiration from Kate Middleton…

WASHING PEAS AND KNOTS

Lady Starmer made her London Fashion Week debut on Monday at the Edeline Lee show, opting for a striking navy and white polka dot ensemble reminiscent of an outfit Kate, 42, wore to Royal Ascot in 2022.

But the resemblance between Victoria’s look from British-Canadian designer Lee’s spring/summer 2025 collection and Kate’s £1,970 dress designed by Italian Alessandra Rich went beyond the polka dot pattern.

Victoria’s blouse and Kate’s dress both featured a feminine pussy-bow design, and both outfits were made from floaty fabrics.

Just as there was movement in the skirt of Kate’s dress, the wide-leg pants that formed the bottom half of Victoria’s ensemble created a voluminous aesthetic.

Much like Kate’s flattering dress, Victoria’s ensemble was cinched in at the waist with a barely-there belt, creating a feminine silhouette.

Lady Starmer completed her look with a pair of high-heeled pumps, similar in style to those worn by Kate in June 2022.

But while the Princess of Wales opted for brown suede, the Prime Minister’s wife preferred white leather.

PURPLE AND CINCHED

One of Victoria Starmer’s most famous looks to date was the red A-line dress she wore on the morning of Friday 5 July, after Labour’s landslide victory ended 14 years of Conservative rule.

While it’s no surprise that the mother-of-two chose a red dress for the occasion, the specific ME+EM style she selected suggests she took inspiration from the Princess of Wales.

As well as being a long-time fan of accessible British brand ME+EM – the princess was photographed in a shirt dress from the label in 2023 – Kate seems to have a penchant for crimson clothing, having chosen red for many outings in recent years.

But the £275 dress Victoria wore when she joined her husband outside 10 Downing Street on the morning of Labour’s victory was not just any red dress.

With its chunky waist and short sleeves, Victoria’s modern midi dress was reminiscent of a £250 LK Bennett empire dress that Kate wore to Wimbledon almost a decade ago, in July 2015.

Although Lady Starmer’s dress, which sold out within hours of its appearance, had white stitching, it had much in common with Kate’s dress in 2015, including its length and vibrancy.

With its cinched waist, the ME+EM bestseller flattered Victoria’s figure in the same way Kate’s empire style did.

FITTED AND FLOWERED

Lady Starmer’s ‘victory’ dress wasn’t her only campaign look to catch the eye of fashion insiders.

Just over a month after the general election was called, Victoria joined Sir Keir at a major campaign event at the Royal Horticultural Halls in central London.

The former lawyer turned heads when she kissed her husband on stage – thanks in part to her pink pleated midi dress from trendy Parisian label The Kooples.

Both elegant and on-trend, Victoria’s £225 dress wasn’t entirely original, however.

The pink floral print dress was reminiscent of one the Princess of Wales wore years earlier to take part in community outreach during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

While Kate’s £550 Beulah London dress had contrasting broderie anglaise cuffs and a white collar, Victoria’s dress had short puffed sleeves and a V-neck.

Despite these design differences, both dresses with their subtle floral print and feminine touch could easily have come from the same collection.

CAPE AND EMBELLISHED EFFECT

Another Victoria Starmer ensemble that was surely inspired by Kate Middleton was the off-white, beaded dress she wore to the state banquet for Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan in late June.

Undoubtedly one of her most successful looks, the romantic £725 embroidered lattice dress from London label Needle & Thread earned Lady Starmer serious fashion points.

But even though the gown with its glamorous cape was a winning look for Victoria, there was a lingering feeling of ‘have we not seen this before?’

The Needle & Thread dress bears a striking resemblance to the stunning Jenny Packham gown that Kate unveiled at King Charles’ first state banquet.

Held in November 2022, two months after King Charles ascended to the throne, the royal event took place during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state visit to the UK.

Embellished with jewels and featuring a cape, the floor-length white gown created by Packham – one of the Princess of Wales’s favourite designers – was simply breathtaking.

The June state banquet for the Japanese monarchy, which took place less than two weeks before Britons went to the polls, was a significant opportunity for Lady Starmer.

By emulating Kate’s quintessentially royal look – which itself was reminiscent of that worn by Princess Diana during an official visit to Hong Kong in 1989 – Victoria showed that her husband wasn’t the only one ready for number ten.