ONE is the queen of reality TV and the other is a bonafide royal star.
But over the years, Meghan Markle has been well and truly keeping up with Kim Kardashian, from building an eerily similar media empire to snapping up LA mega mansions and even sending out identikit Christmas cards.
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This week, we revealed another sign that the Duchess of Sussex is morphing into the superstar, after hiring her former bodyguard to protect her.
The mystery guardian was snapped walking behind Meghan, 41, near her £14million home in Montecito, California.
Previously, he worked for Keeping Up With The Kardashians star Kim, 42, in 2016 — before and after she was robbed at gunpoint in Paris.
And it’s far from the only similarity between two of America’s biggest stars – particularly since Meghan moved to the States with Prince Harry in 2020.
Media empire
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It didn’t take Harry and Meghan long to establish a media empire across the pond, quickly signing a Netflix deal worth a rumoured $100million.
Their bombshell documentary series, which aired last year, followed their controversial departure from royal life to pursue a new life in the US.
While the couple told of their “modern fairytale” romance, it was their take on their bitter row with the Royal Family that gripped fans.
In true celeb fashion, the pair moaned about how small their former resident, Nottingham Cottage, was, and claimed Meghan caused “upset” by “stealing the limelight” during their time as working royals.
Ahead of the show’s release, comparisons were made with Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the no-holds-barred look at the turbulent life of Kim, her four sisters and mum Kris Jenner.
But it’s not the Sussex’s only iron in the fire as they build a media empire, with the couple also striking a rumoured £18million deal with Spotify.
Meghan’s podcast Archetypes topped the charts when it was released last year – but suffered a blow after Kim released her own hit show.
The reality star’s podcast The System: The Case Of Kevin Keith, which looked at the case of an Ohio man sentenced to death over a triple murder, topped the charts in October, knocking Meghan’s down to number four.
Style queens
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How do you get that Kim/Meg Hollywood glow? By using the same hair and workout gurus, of course.
The pair have both worked with hairdresser Michael Silva.
He styled the Duchess during her time in US TV drama Suits and was also behind Kim’s sleek Met Gala look in 2017.
Meanwhile, Meghan swears by the fitness videos of personal trainer Tracy Anderson — who Kim worked with while she was pregnant in 2013.
While Kim loves to flaunt her curves on Instagram, in the rare instances she does keep her clothes on her wardrobe could easily pass for Meghan’s.
Both women wore Givenchy wedding dresses, Kim’s a slimline lace number and Meghan’s an off-the-shoulder gown.
But the fashionable pair have actually modelled the exact same dress before, though in different colours.
Kim wore the Jackie O dress by LA-based label Black Halo in white in 2007, before Meghan wore it in black at a 2018 reception at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London.
And the pair were pictured in eerily similar styles during their pregnancies, favouring long coats in matching colours, figure-hugging dresses and floor-length floral gowns.
LA mega mansions
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Her and Harry’s £11million Montecito mansion boasts nine bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, a tea house, two-bedroom guest house, wine cellar and huge swimming pool.
Like with Kim’s own Calabasas home in California worth £18million, Meghan has opted for neutral tones throughout, with a white stone table in her home office.
Kim plumped for the minimal look because: “I find there’s so much chaos out in the world”.
Snap chats
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Kim was a regular on Ellen DeGeneres’ long-running chat show after shooting to fame on her own reality show in 2007.
In 2018 she accidentally revealed the gender of the child she was expecting – youngest daughter Chicago West – and often talked with Ellen about life as a mum of four.
Meghan’s appearance on the show in 2021, to promote her flop children’s book The Bench, was encouraged by Prince Harry, who wanted her to show her “fun side”.
But the stunt backfired when Meghan was taking part in a prank, which saw her following instructions relayed through a hidden earpiece by the host.
She was made to eat a tortilla crisp like a chipmunk, refer to herself as “mummy” in a conversation, tell jokes and hold a crystal up to her face.
Afterwards the Duchess was reportedly upset by the backlash to the show, which broadcast its final episode last May.
Harry and Meghan also followed in Kim’s footsteps when they chose to give their first big interview in the States to Oprah Winfrey. Kim also chose Oprah in 2012 to talk about her infamous sex tape and her 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries.
Bum deal
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If there’s one pose that shows the two women are sisters under the skin, it’s Meghan’s famous yoga pose in a bikini.
Look closely, if you really want to, and you can see her rear is covered in sand.
Kim, whose bum is arguably the most famous in the world, was snapped having sand dabbed all over it for a shoot in 2014.
The Xmas kard
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It’s not Christmas until the annual Kardashian family portrait takes over our social media feeds — but they have faced stiff competition from the Sussexes.
Meghan and Harry shared a beaming snap in front of a Christmas tree, with baby Archie taking centre stage.
Even so, they have a way to go to keep up with the Kardashians, whose flamboyant cards have seen them pose in tartan ties and Kylie balance on a ladder in a red tutu.
They ramped it up in 2013, with the family standing under neon lights, surrounded by gossip mags and huge dollar signs.
Taking the mic
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Kim often uses her mega-stardom to back causes she believes in.
She even lobbied in the White House including in 2018 when she spoke about prison reform and successfully petitioned for the release of Alice Marie Johnson, who had spent two decades in jail for a first-time drug offence.
Similarly, the Duchess has been dubbed the Meg-aphone for using her fame to preach about issues close to her heart, including women’s rights.
Both have also been branded climate change hypocrites for backing the cause while living a gas-guzzling, luxury lifestyle.
Fans slammed Kim for jetting all over the country in a £120million private jet.
And Meghan and Harry were also lambasted after making a hard-hitting speech at the Global Citizen Live climate change event in New York – then flying home in a private jet.
Bothersome brothers
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As well as her very public fallout with dad Thomas, Meghan’s life has been plagued with the antics of her brother, Thomas Markle Jr.
His ex-wife, Tracy Dooley, says he struggles with alcohol addiction, and in 2017 he was arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on his girlfriend.
In 2019, Thomas Jr was arrested on suspicion of drink driving – but said it was due to medication he was on. It was said he was homeless.
Rob Kardashian also missed his sister’s 2014 wedding to Kanye because he was suffering from “body issues”.
He has had his own brushes with the law too – for allegedly attacking a photographer – and was suspended from Instagram for posting explicit photos of his ex, Blac Chyna.
Charity gigs
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While it’s all champagne and caviar prepared by private chefs for the Sussexes and the Kardashians, both enjoy a public display of handing out food to the needy.
Kim performed her modern-day feeding of the 5,000 in 2011, when she turned up to serve a Thanksgiving meal at a homeless mission in Los Angeles.
Meghan stirred up a pot or two at the Hubb Community Kitchen in West London seven years later, where she helped launch a cookbook written by survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire.