Kate Middleton and Charlene, Princess of Monaco, who are often compared to each other as royal icons as well as for their style statements, came face to face at a lunch at Windsor Castle on Friday.

Kings, queens and royal families from around the world, including the Monaco royal couple Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II, were invited to a lunch hosted by Queen Elizabeth II to mark her Diamond Jubilee.

Princess Charlene arrived at Windsor in a new glam avatar - blonde chopped hairdo, which she had done in April. The princess, who tends to opt for monochromatic dresses at public engagements, donned a baby blue, including the stilettos, ensemble. Her knee-length skirt paired with a full-sleeve, blazer style top added to her elegance and looked apt for a royal event.

Charlene's counterpart, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, on the contrary, dazzled in a baby pink outfit, as she greeted the royal guests and, along with Princess Charlene, charmed one and all during the pre-reception party. The pleated Emilia Wickstead dress made her look like a bubbly young girl, as she mingled with her guests. The Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge were seen sharing a few jokes and some laughter with Princess Charlene and Prince Albert.

Charlene and Kate Middleton share quite a few similarities and so, comparisons are inevitable. They were both commoners who married into royal families in the same year. Kate Middleton married Prince William in April while the Monaco royal couple tied the knot in July.

The royal lunch at Windsor Castle was one stop in a year-long celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen. However, the luncheon party had its share of controversy.

While most prominent royal families in the world attended the lunch, Spain's Queen Sofia - a distant relative of the Queen - was asked, a mere 48 hours before the event, by her country's government to turn down the invitation. The Spanish government wished to protest against Prince Edward's scheduled visit to Gibraltar, a controversial British overseas territory that Spain claims sovereignty over, next month.

The row between Britain and Spain notwithstanding, check out photographs of the Princess Charlene and Kate Middleton at Windsor for the Queen's lunch...