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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, rocks one of Princess Diana's favorite color combos

We thought this looked familiar...
/ Source: TODAY

Anyone wearing red and purple together is making a very colorful, very bold fashion statement. But when you're the former Meghan Markle, now Duchess of Sussex and married to Prince Harry, it's more than just fashion.

The color combination, as it turns out, was also a favorite of the Duchess of Sussex's late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.

Meghan Markle and Princess Diana
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during her visit to Birkenhead in northwest England Monday.Getty Images

On Monday, Meghan (who is expecting her first child this spring) was spotted out and about in Birkenhead, England wearing a long red coat by Sentaler, with matching heels. Beneath that, she looked radiant in a rich purple dress from Babaton by Aritizia. She was also carrying a Gabriela Hearst bag.

Princess Diana, who died in 1997, was known for adoring the colors. She wore a lovely purple skirt and red jacket (along with a matching hat) on a trip to Hong Kong in 1989.

Princess Diana In Hong Kong
Diana, Princess of Wales, arrives to Hong Kong for her official visit on November 7, 1989.Getty Images

She later appeared at the Taj Mahal in India in 1992 wearing the same ensemble. The color combo was also seen in her evening wear choices. In 1988, the princess attended a dinner in Bangkok, Thailand in a Catherine Walker red dress with a purple single-shoulder sash.

Meghan Markle and Princess Diana
Princess Diana in Thailand in 1988 and India in 1992, awash in rich reds and purple.Getty Images

This isn't the first time Meghan has echoed the mother-in-law she never met: At Queen Elizabeth II's 92nd birthday celebration last June, she wore a pale pink dress by Carolina Herrera that drew comparisons to Diana, and paid tribute to her during a Sydney, Australia visit in October by wearing Diana's butterfly earrings.

As The New York Times noted, purple is often associated with wealth, power and royalty, but apparently in the 16th century Queen Elizabeth I forbade anyone other than close royal relatives to wear purple.

Fortunately, the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II doesn't seem to mind, and in any case, the duchess is now part of the family!