Does Victoria Starmer take inspiration from Kate for her style? The Prime Minister's wife has taken inspiration from the Princess of Wales's clothes (and she doesn't pay for her either!)

Victoria Starmer has consistently scored top marks for style since she stepped into the public spotlight 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 opposition leader – and before the “Wardrobegate” scandal hit the headlines – Lady Starmer, 50, won praise from the fashion world when she wore a beautiful pearl-studded dress to a state banquet for the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Just ten days later, the occupational health expert slipped into a red, A-line dress with a cinched waist as Labour's landslide victory was announced – but the ME+EM edition sold out within hours of her appearance.

While there's no doubt that Victoria knows how to dress, many of her recent ensembles look familiar.

Whether it's the polka dot outfit she wore to a London Fashion Week show on Monday 16 September or the floral midi dress she was spotted in on the campaign trail, Lady Starmer seems to have taken some fashion inspiration from the Princess of Wales.

Victoria Starmer (left) wore a polka dot two-piece by Edeline Lee to the designer's London Fashion Week show this week. Her outfit was reminiscent of the polka dot dress Kate Middleton (right) wore to Royal Ascot in 2022.

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

POLKA DOTS AND PUSSY BOWS

Lady Starmer made her London Fashion Week debut at Edeline Lee's show on Monday, opting for a striking navy and white polka dot set reminiscent of an outfit worn by 42-year-old Kate at Royal Ascot in 2022.

But the similarity between Victoria's look from Canadian-British designer Lee's Spring/Summer 2025 collection and Kate's £1,970 dress by Italian-born Alessandra Rich went beyond the polka dot pattern.

Both Victoria's blouse and Kate's dress featured a feminine bow design and both outfits were made from airy fabrics.

Just as the skirt of Kate's dress had movement, the wide trousers that made up the bottom half of Victoria's two-piece also created a voluminous aesthetic.

Like Kate's flattering dress, Victoria's two-piece is accentuated by a barely-there belt at the waist, creating a feminine silhouette.

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

Lady Starmer's red A-line dress by British brand ME+EM (left) sold out within hours of her appearance on the morning of July 5. It appeared to be inspired by the red empire dress by LK Bennett (right) that Kate wore at Wimbledon almost a decade ago.

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

Purple and laced

One of Victoria Starmer's most famous looks to date was the red A-line dress she wore on the morning of July 5, 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 particular ME+EM style she opted for suggests she took inspiration from the Princess of Wales.

Not only is Kate a long-time fan of affordable British brand ME+EM—the princess was photographed wearing a shirt dress from the label back in 2023—but she also seems to have a penchant for crimson clothing, having chosen the color red for numerous outings in recent years.

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

With its thick waistband and cap sleeves, Victoria's modern midi dress was reminiscent of a £250 empire line dress by LK Bennett that Kate wore at Wimbledon almost a decade ago in July 2015.

Although Lady Starmer's dress, which sold out within hours of her appearance, featured white topstitching, it had many features in common with Kate's 2015 dress, including its length and vibrancy.

Thanks to the accentuated waist, the ME+EM bestseller flattered Victoria's figure in a similar way to Kate's empire dress.

FITTED AND FLORAL

During the election campaign, Victoria caused a stir in a pink floral dress by Parisian brand The Kooples (left). It bore a striking resemblance to Kate's Beulah London dress (right) from 2020.

Lady Starmer’s “victory dress” was not her only campaign look that caught the attention of fashion connoisseurs.

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

When the former lawyer hugged her husband on stage, she caused a stir – not least thanks to her pink, pleated midi dress by Parisian fashion brand The Kooples.

Victoria's £225 dress was both elegant and trendy, but not entirely original.

The pink floral dress was reminiscent of one the Princess of Wales wore years earlier when she participated in community service work during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.

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

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

Cape effect and decorated

Lady Starmer's embellished Needle & Thread dress (left) won praise from the fashion world in June. Two years earlier, Kate dazzled in an embellished Jenny Packham dress (right) at the first state banquet hosted by King Charles.

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

The romantic, lattice-embroidered dress by London-based brand Needle & Thread, costing £725, was undoubtedly one of her most successful looks and earned Lady Starmer plenty of fashion points.

Although the embellished dress with the glamorous cape was a convincing look for Victoria, the feeling still lingered: “Haven’t we seen this before?”

The Needle & Thread dress bears a striking resemblance to the stunning Jenny Packham dress that Kate wore to King Charles' first state banquet.

The royal event took place in November 2022, two months after King Charles' accession to the throne, during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's state visit to the United Kingdom.

The jewelled, caped floor-length white dress by Packham, one of the Princess of Wales' favourite designers, was a real eye-catcher.

The Japanese monarchy's state banquet in June, less than two weeks before the UK election, was an important occasion for Lady Starmer.

By replicating Kate's typically royal look – which in turn was reminiscent of the look Princess Diana wore during an official visit to Hong Kong in 1989 – Victoria showed that her husband was not the only one ready for the big number.