  Rapid development of topological concepts in photonics unveils exotic
phenomena such as unidirectional propagation of electromagnetic waves resilient
to backscattering at sharp bends and disorder-immune localization of light at
stable frequencies. Recently introduced higher-order topological insulators
(HOTIs) bring in additional degrees of control over light confinement and
steering. However, designs of photonic HOTIs reported so far are solely
exploiting lattice geometries which are hard to reconfigure thus limiting
tunability. Here, we elaborate a conceptually new mechanism to engineer
higher-order topological phases which relies on the dual nature of
electromagnetic field and exploits both electric and magnetic responses of the
meta-atoms. Hybridization between these responses gives rise to the difference
in the effective coupling which is controlled by the meta-atoms mutual
orientations. This feature facilitates us to tailor photonic band topology
exclusively via particle alignment and to flexibly reconfigure the topological
phase. Focusing on the kagome array of split-ring resonators, we experimentally
demonstrate topological edge and corner states in the microwave domain. Our
findings provide a new promising route to induce and control higher-order
topological phases and states.
