Princess Catherine’s first official visit to Scotland’s Isle of Bute should have been a fairly straightforward royal engagement.
She and Prince William played shinty, met volunteers, helped with a beach cleanup, visited a community-owned pub and spent time greeting residents in Rothesay on September 17. It was the couple’s first official visit to the island, and the day was designed around community, volunteering and environmental work. (ITVX)
Instead, one seemingly ordinary part of Catherine’s appearance became social-media ammunition in the never-ending comparisons between her and Meghan Markle.
Catherine lingered with members of the public, posed for selfies and kept chatting long enough that William eventually came back, pointed toward his watch and jokingly told her she needed to speed up. (People.com)
Some online critics connected Catherine’s increasingly informal public style with Meghan and revived an old accusation: Is Kate copying her sister-in-law?
The evidence is considerably less dramatic than the headline.
Catherine and William Arrived on the Isle of Bute for a Historic First
In Scotland, William and Catherine use different titles.
They are the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.
That made their visit to the town of Rothesay particularly fitting. Despite carrying the titles for years, September 17 marked their first official visit to the Isle of Bute itself. (ITVX)
Their itinerary began at Bute Shinty Club, where generations of islanders have played the traditional Scottish sport.
William and Catherine met senior and youth players before trying the game themselves. They later traveled to Ettrick Bay, where they joined Beachwatch Bute volunteers collecting litter, and William even got behind the wheel of a tractor. (Repubblica)
There was also a visit to the Anchor Tavern in Port Bannatyne, a pub that local residents helped revive as a community hub. (Madame Figaro)
It was a decidedly hands-on royal day.
And Catherine dressed accordingly.
She Ditched the Formal Royal Uniform
Rather than a structured dress and heels, Catherine arrived in a long brown Burberry coat over an olive knit, skinny trousers and practical boots.
As the Scottish weather changed, she added a cap and umbrella. (InStyle)
The relaxed styling fitted the itinerary: playing an outdoor sport, cleaning a beach and visiting a pub hardly called for a tiara.
But the clothes weren’t what produced the most interesting footage.
That happened during the walkabout.
Kate Simply Wouldn’t Stop Talking
Royal walkabouts operate on schedules.
There may be dozens or hundreds of people waiting to meet the royals, while another engagement is scheduled afterward.
Catherine nevertheless became engrossed in conversations.
She shook hands.
She listened.
She posed for photographs.
And she gradually fell behind William.
Eventually, the Prince of Wales returned.
Video captured him pointing at his watch and telling his wife:
“You’ve got to speed up, you’ve got to get all the way down there before you go.” (AOL.com)
Catherine didn’t exactly leap to attention.
She continued talking.
William stood behind her smiling as she worked her way through the remaining crowd.
And It Wasn’t the First Time William Had to Wait for Her
The moment may have looked spontaneous, but Catherine has a long history of lingering during walkabouts.
PEOPLE noted that she has fallen behind while talking to members of the public on previous occasions, including Christmas appearances with the Royal Family. (People.com)
In other words, there is no evidence that Catherine suddenly adopted the habit after Meghan returned to Britain.
She has been doing it for years.
That matters because the “copying Meghan” narrative relies heavily on interpreting ordinary overlaps between two women who perform — or have performed — very similar public roles.
Both have hugged people.
Both have taken selfies.
Both have worn trousers.
Both have adopted less formal clothing for certain engagements.
And both have sometimes interacted with crowds in ways that are less stiff than traditional royal appearances.
None of those things, by itself, establishes copying.
But the ‘Copying Meghan’ Accusation Didn’t Begin in Scotland
The criticism actually predates the Bute appearance.
Catherine has faced repeated social-media claims this year that her evolving public presentation resembles Meghan’s.
In July, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram account published a “Summer Rewind” montage mixing photographs and videos from recent engagements.
Some social-media users immediately compared the format with the casual photo-dump style Meghan has used online and accused Catherine’s team of borrowing from her. (Reality Tea)
Supporters pushed back, arguing that photo dumps and seasonal recap posts are common social-media formats and hardly distinctive to Meghan.
Then came fashion.
Even Catherine’s Clothes Have Been Pulled Into the Debate
During a trip to Italy earlier in 2026, Catherine wore a neutral ensemble that again triggered comparisons.
Some commenters argued that Meghan had previously worn similar silhouettes and colors, leading to another round of “Kate is copying Meghan” posts. (SheFinds)
The difficulty with those comparisons is obvious.
Beige tailoring, monochrome outfits, long coats, midi skirts and trouser suits are not unique to either woman.
Fashion influence can certainly exist.
But two public figures wearing similar contemporary clothing doesn’t prove one deliberately imitated the other.
And Catherine’s wardrobe has changed repeatedly throughout more than 15 years of royal life.
Meghan Did Help Change Expectations Around Royal Style
There is, however, a reason people make these comparisons.
When Meghan became a working royal, she frequently favored clean tailoring, trousers, neutral palettes and slightly more relaxed silhouettes.
Her public style differed from some of the more traditional royal dressing audiences were accustomed to seeing.
Catherine’s own wardrobe has also become increasingly relaxed over time.
She wears trouser suits far more frequently than she did during the early years of her marriage.
She has swapped formal dresses for blazers, sneakers and boots at many engagements.
And her public interactions can appear noticeably less ceremonial.
Whether Meghan influenced any of those choices is something Catherine has not publicly established.
Calling it deliberate copying therefore goes beyond the available evidence.
There’s Another Problem With the Theory: Catherine Was Informal Before Meghan
Catherine joined the Royal Family years before Meghan.
Long before the Sussexes’ 2018 wedding, Catherine was already taking part in sporting events, racing William, hugging children and getting physically involved in engagements.
Her competitiveness with William became something of a running royal joke.
She has sailed against him.
Raced him.
Played cricket, tennis, soccer and rugby.
And the Isle of Bute visit continued that pattern when the couple picked up shinty sticks and tried the traditional game.
The supposedly questionable new behavior therefore sits within a much older Catherine pattern: she often becomes particularly relaxed when an engagement involves sports, children or extended conversations with the public.
The Scotland Visit Showed That Side of Her Repeatedly
At Bute Shinty Club, Catherine laughed after initially missing the ball before connecting on another attempt.
Later, she put on practical gear to join volunteers cleaning Ettrick Bay.
At the community pub, William and Catherine spoke with residents involved in saving the venue after its closure.
And during the walkabout, Catherine’s conversations became long enough to create that amusing watch-pointing exchange with William. (InStyle)
One resident even thanked Catherine for her work surrounding early childhood.
Catherine replied that it was a subject very close to her heart. (Madame Figaro)
The overall engagement therefore wasn’t built around a sudden attempt to become more casual.
It was explicitly designed as a community-focused day.
Meghan’s Return Makes Every Comparison More Loaded
There is another reason this particular moment generated attention.
Meghan and Prince Harry are back in Britain.
The Sussexes returned to the U.K. with Archie and Lilibet in August after spending six years primarily based in California. Meghan recently shared a casual family montage showing them fishing, walking through the countryside and spending time outdoors. (ITVX)
That means Catherine and Meghan are once again living in the same country.
And virtually anything either woman does can now be interpreted through the other.
A social-media video becomes competition.
An outfit becomes imitation.
A public hug becomes a statement.
A selfie becomes evidence of somebody changing strategy.
But those conclusions usually require far more evidence than the photographs themselves provide.
Meghan Wasn’t Even at a Public Engagement That Day
While Catherine and William were in Scotland, Harry was preparing for his first major public appearance since returning to Britain.
He attended the inaugural Invictus Spirit Gala Dinner and Awards in London.
Meghan did not join him.
Reporting indicated that she remained focused on settling Archie and Lilibet into their new school routine. (People.com)
So the idea that Catherine’s behavior in Scotland was some immediate reaction to Meghan simultaneously working a competing engagement doesn’t fit the day’s actual schedule.
Meghan wasn’t publicly appearing at all.
William and Catherine Haven’t Publicly Engaged With the Sussex Drama
Harry and Meghan’s return has inevitably renewed questions about the brothers’ relationship.
But William and Catherine have not publicly discussed the Sussexes’ move.
During their Bute engagements, they stuck to the purpose of the visit: local organizations, volunteering and community life. (People.com)
Reports about what William privately thinks of his brother’s return rely heavily on unnamed sources and should be treated as such.
What can be observed publicly is much less dramatic.
William and Catherine have continued their schedule.
Harry has resumed his own independent public work.
Meghan has focused initially on her family’s move.
And there has been no public announcement of a reconciliation between the brothers.
Catherine and Meghan Have Always Been Compared More Than Either Woman Probably Needs
Since Meghan joined the royal orbit, coverage has frequently presented the two women as opposites.
Kate versus Meghan.
Traditional versus modern.
Future queen versus American outsider.
Formal versus relaxed.
Then, when their styles overlap, the narrative flips:
One must be copying the other.
It’s an unusually restrictive way of describing two women whose public roles inevitably contain similarities.
Both married sons of King Charles.
Both became mothers.
Both represented charitable causes.
Both spent years attending highly photographed engagements.
And both have wardrobes shaped partly by the practical requirements of being photographed internationally.
Overlap is inevitable.
Catherine’s Role Is Also Changing
Catherine today occupies a very different position from the young Duchess of Cambridge who entered royal life in 2011.
She is now Princess of Wales.
William is heir to the throne.
Their eldest son, George, has begun a new stage of his education.
And Catherine has returned gradually to public duties following her cancer treatment; she announced in January 2025 that she was in remission. (ITVX)
Her approach to public life has understandably evolved over 15 years.
That evolution does not require Meghan as its explanation.
Nor does it rule out the possibility that modern royal figures learn from one another and from broader changes in public communication.
The problem comes when speculation is presented as proof.
The ‘Questionable Move’ Was Actually Pretty Ordinary
So what did Catherine actually do in Scotland?
She talked to people for too long.
She posed for selfies.
She continued chatting after her husband jokingly reminded her that they were running behind.
That’s about it.
PEOPLE specifically noted that lingering with well-wishers isn’t new behavior for Catherine. (People.com)
There was no protocol crisis.
No palace reprimand.
No evidence that Catherine had been instructed to imitate Meghan.
And no statement from Catherine connecting her approach to her sister-in-law.
The viral “copy Meghan” framing comes from social-media interpretation rather than a documented royal strategy.
William’s Reaction May Have Been the Best Part
If anything, the most revealing part of the footage wasn’t Catherine.
It was William.
He came back.
Pointed at his watch.
Told her she needed to speed up.
Then essentially accepted that she wasn’t going to.
Catherine continued talking while William stood behind her smiling. (AOL.com)
It’s hardly evidence of a royal scandal.
It’s closer to a familiar married-couple scenario: one person is ready to leave, while the other has somehow started another conversation.
So, Was Catherine Really ‘Copying Meghan’?
There is evidence that social-media users have repeatedly accused Catherine of borrowing elements associated with Meghan — from fashion choices to the style of social-media posts. (Reality Tea)
There is not evidence establishing that Catherine’s behavior on Bute was deliberately modeled on Meghan.
The documented explanation is far simpler.
William and Catherine were conducting a community-focused engagement. Catherine lingered while speaking to residents, something she has done at previous walkabouts, and William jokingly tried to hurry her along. (People.com)
Everything beyond that is interpretation.
And perhaps the Scotland footage reveals something less dramatic but more interesting than another chapter in the Kate-versus-Meghan narrative.
After 15 years of royal engagements, Catherine appears increasingly comfortable ignoring the clock for another conversation.
William, apparently, has learned to go back and fetch her.
For more royal family insights, check out these explosive claims about King Charles’ reaction to Princess Diana’s death. Or, for a different kind of story, read about Maureen McCormick’s life beyond Marcia Brady and see Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas’ daughter, Stella, all grown up.
