© Photo: Getty ImagesIt's got to be pretty daunting, arriving for your first solo royal engagement, right? Let alone deciding what to wear - now that's a big wardrobe decision. Of course, the event dictates the dress code, but no doubt the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Sussex and the Countess of Wessex wanted to make a certain impression when they stepped out on their own for the first time. We're taking a look back through all our favourite royals' first solo engagement outfits - let us know your favourite!
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Duchess Kate chose a formal Amanda Wakeley gown for her first ever lone event - and it must have been a pretty last-minute outfit decision, since she actually stepped in for her new father-in-law Prince Charles! The future King had asked Kate to host a private charity dinner at Clarence House on his behalf, as he needed to fly to Saudi Arabia to offer his condolences following the death of the kingdom's Crown Prince Sultan. The champagne reception was held at Clarence House for the donors and sponsors of Prince Charles' charity, In Kind Direct. Since it was just six months after Kate and Prince William's royal wedding, we reckon she did an amazing job!
© Photo: Getty ImagesDuchess Meghan's first solo engagement came in September 2018, with a visit to the Royal Academy of Arts for the opening of its 'Oceania' exhibition. She chose to wear her favourite designer, Givenchy, opting for an ultra-chic black midi dress and her matching Aquazzura Deneuve heels.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen, at eighteen years old, addresses an assembly at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children as their President, during her first solo outing in 1944. We love that chic scalloped hat!
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Duchess of Cornwall chose a gorgeous pastel pink two-piece for her visit to Southampton Hospital's Osteoporosis Centre in May 2005. She and Prince Charles had married just a month earlier in April.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Countess of Wessex arrived at her first ever solo engagement in April 2002, for a visit to Heatherside Pre-school Spring Fair in Surrey. She wore an elegant houndstooth jacket and pearl jewellery for the occasion. Though she married Prince Edward in 1999, she didn't become a full-time royal until years later, leaving her job in a PR firm to support the Queen alongside her husband.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrincess Diana visited the Royal Marsden Hospital alone in December 1982, over a year after her royal wedding to Prince Charles. It was the first of many visits to the cancer centre. She wore a gorgeous pencil skirt suit by Donald Campbell, with a silky teal shirt underneath.
© Photo: RexSarah, Duchess of York's first solo engagement came in October 1986, just months after her royal wedding day in July. She attended the Martini Royal Photographic Contest wearing a chic skirt suit, with her hair back in a power ponytail.
© Photo: Getty ImagesQueen Letizia of Spain made her first solo appearance as the country's monarch in June 2014, following her husband King Felipe's accession to the throne. She wore an elegant floral dress to visit a modern painting exhibition at the National Prado museum in Madrid.
