Is it Meghan or Kate? Read on to find out who gained the highest number of Internet searches for her style and outfits

In the spotlight since her move to the United States, where she now lives with Prince Harry, Meghan Markle is definitely not everyone's cup of tea when it comes to British opinions, who prefer the discretion and serenity associated with Kate Middleton. However, there is one area in which the Duchess of Sussex beats her sister-in-law to the punch: fashion.

She is now considered the most iconic member of the royal family when it comes to style.

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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge stands with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Pippa Middleton in the Royal Box on Centre Court after the Ladies Singles Final between Simona Halep of Romania and Serena Williams of the United States on Centre Court during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on July 13, 2019 in London, England.
Above Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge stands with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Pippa Middleton in the Royal Box on Centre Court after the Ladies Singles Final between Simona Halep of Romania and Serena Williams of the United States on Centre Court during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on July 13, 2019 in London, England. Photo: Getty Images

All it takes is a pair of shoes that is a bit out of the ordinary, a dress that is considered too casual, or a hat that is a little eccentric for British and international media outlets to seize on Kate Middleton's style either with praise or criticism. Scrutinized since her arrival in the royal family, the Duchess of Cambridge can't go anywhere in public without being the subject of painstakingly thorough analysis of her look, whether it's ultra casual for a shopping trip or highly sophisticated for an official event. 

A fact that could have been reassuring to Meghan Markle when she in turn took up a role in the inner circle of the royal family, but quickly after she married Prince Harry, a number of controversies—at least in the eyes of the media—came to be associated with the daily lives of the two duchesses. As a result, the two young women were involuntarily pitted against one another in a real battle of style in the tabloids and other media outlets. In this regard, Kate Middleton has long held the upper hand, but the trend was recently reversed.

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KING'S LYNN, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 25: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2018 in King's Lynn, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Above Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2018 in King's Lynn, England. Photo: Getty Images

According to a survey conducted by PrettyLittleThing, relayed by the Daily Express, it is now Meghan Markle who can lay claim to the title of most iconic member of the royal family, in terms of style. Based on the volume of searches of the outfits worn by members of the royal family, which also includes Sophie of Wessex and Princess Anne, in the United Kingdom and the United States, the study reveals that the outfits of Archie's mom were the subject of 148,550 searches, in contrast with "only" 145,400 for the outfits of Kate Middleton.

Nevertheless, both are considered extremely influential in the fashion world, with their outfits selling like hotcakes in England. The study also reveals that the number of searches for Meghan Markle's style has doubled in the last year, while Kate Middleton's has increased by 84 per cent. Impressive figures for a year spent partly in lockdown, which proves that public interest in the royal family hasn't diminished despite the controversies rocking it this past year.

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