This is a halcyon time in royal fashion. The Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex — Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle — set trends and sell products as never before.

Tabloids and Vogues alike hang on their every clothing choice, parsing the messages sent: about sustainability or diplomacy, affordability and British industry. Devoted websites list how to get their looks.

Just last weekend there they were, in black Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney coats, modeling a modern approach to the monarchy at Remembrance Sunday.

Yet while we tend to label our fascination with every item they wear as part of the Insta-condition, a symptom of influencer culture and an increasingly visual world, really, it was ever thus.