When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their engagement, a lot of negative attention clouded the happy news, such as harassment from the paparazzi, racist remarks towards the famous actress, and an overall distaste for a woman who had done nothing wrong – falling in love was her only “crime.”

With that being said, I think that there is a greater amount of people that support the new duchess and married couple. Meghan, who had a successful career long before meeting a prince, has always had a keen eye for fashion, lived a healthy lifestyle, and rocked the “foodie” label given to her – all of which was once documented on her personal blog, The Tig, before she shut it down upon entering the Royal Family (along with her other social medias).

But that hasn’t stopped people from still wanting to know all about Meghan. When she carried an Everlane tote and sported Finlay & Co. sunglasses to the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto with Prince Harry, both items became backordered for months. A few months ago, Meghan wore a $33 H&M maternity dress – which is still currently out of stock.

Any time she wears something, it sells out within the hour, and she’s not the only one: her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, also experiences the same fashion attention. And let’s not forget, either, about their mother-in-law, Lady Diana, whose life and fashion choices were excessively monitored by the press.

So what is it about the Royals that makes the public want to emulate them so badly?

This question, phrased a little differently, was one that my mom asked when I woke up at the crack of dawn to watch Meghan and Harry’s wedding: why do you care so much? While I can only speak for Americans, I think we care so much and become invested in the British Royal Family because we really don’t have that kind of history or influence in our society, despite the California-cool celebrities that flood our Instagrams. It’s a different kind of popularity and it stretches back for generations, so when one of our own marries into that fairy tale – of course we’re going to eat it up.

But the 20th and 21st century royals are not the first to start trends. Take a walk down the path of history to 1840, and you will find a young, 20-year-old woman, standing in front of her mirror and getting ready to walk down the aisle to marry Prince Albert – all while wearing a white, silk wedding gown. Queen Victoria’s choice to wear a “subdued” dress, as opposed to dripping in diamonds and gems, really set the bar for weddings, for if the Queen of England can wear something as simple as white on her big day, then why shouldn’t everyone else?

And just like that: a new trend was born. Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to them, one thing is for certain – we owe a lot to the Royals in terms of fashion. From something as big as a wedding dress to something as small as a pair of sunglasses, it is safe to say that the Royal’s influence won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.