Today, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined Her Majesty the Queen for the Queen’s Young Leader Awards at Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace shares that …”the Queen’s Leaders Programme was launched in 2014 in honour of the Queen’s service to the Commonwealth – a global network of 53 countries and 2.4 billion people, of whom 60% are under 30 years old.”
Image via Royal Family Facebook Feed
Meghan and Harry were on hand to assist Her Majesty with the handing out of Awards, mingling with guests and learning about the exciting initiatives that they have underway. Meghan and the Queen both looked on with pride as Harry presented, which was a cute moment to watch!
Image via Pool
In a neckline that has become almost a signature for Meghan – the boatneck – and her second outfit with buttons like this, many were left blown away by Meghan’s natural beauty, but puzzling as to the choice of look – specifically how her style has deviated from her “pre-marriage” look. We think that part of the reason for a deviation ties to the fact that all the engagements she has been on have been with senior members of the Royal Family. Meghan is trying to figure out her new role, new style and blending it with her fabulous self. We’re still hopeful that we’ll see the “Meghan Markle” we all know and love step back out in some of her solo/couple engagement looks – like on the upcoming visit to Northern Ireland – and as she finds her confidence, we’ll see it permeate into all engagements of her new royal life.
Image via Kensington Palace
Dress: Custom Prada
Shoes: Aquazzura Deneuve Black Suede Shoes
Clutch: Prada Convertible Leather Clutch
Earrings: Vanessa Tugendhaft Parisienne Carousel Earrings
Bracelet: Possibly Vanessa Tugendhaft Cross Bracelet, currently unidentified.
Image via Pool
I never like to be one to disagree with her style or fashion. But, since becoming Duchess, I’m not a fan of the outfits (save for her beautiful working woman dress out with the Queen). I wasn’t a fan of the first blush dress, nor the second, and now this one. Maybe it’s the pretty pink, the curls, or the makeup. I love her uniform, neutral style, but the blush and overall look of the three pink outfits is more English Rose – more Kate. I hope we get to see more of “her” style on more walkabouts with Prince Harry or later this year at Invcitus Games.
For me, the outfits are becoming a bit boring because they are predictable – neutral tones, off-the shoulder/boat necklines, dress with a belt. That said, the dress is nice.
I can see that! I guess for me it’s that these pink dresses are too “precious” – Meghan has always done the perfect blend of polish balanced by something undone. I don’t mind neutral because that’s just her. I guess these dresses are boring to me not simply because they’re predictable – but because the first versions didn’t quite work.
True. I suppose most of her recent engagements were with the Queen so we may see more of her style when it’s just her or her and the Duke.
I hope so! Maybe she’ll add in some more variety and color for you too. 🙂 I think with the Queen, she’s more concerned with getting it “right,” deflecting attention and controversy, than embracing what all us fashionistas would want! I’m sure we’ll see some more interesting outfits soon.
I don’t think it’s really necessary for every outfit to be bespoke couture.
The belted short sleeve jacket looks super dated, but st the same time it was never truly fashionable. I don’t get it. And the skirt looks like it has a high-low hem which is an odd choice for a suit. I don’t get it.
So dated. I had an outfit with double-breasted buttons like this in the early 90s. I am fine with her neutral color palette but can we see ANOTHER neutral besides this beige/blush thing she has going on? She looks great in navy. Sigh.
Yeah, agree w the predictability. I’m eager to see her outfit but then let down, of late it’s been unexciting. I enjoy seeing throw back pics more, if I think about it. Hopefully she’s just playing it safe for now and will go back to elements of her style before being a royal.
If you are looking to be entertained by her outfits then it’s going to be hard to follow her. I do not that’s her goal right now to entertain people with her dressing.
I agree – it’s been quite predictable. I do enjoy that she’s bringing in classic ‘working lady’ elements like these covered buttons and that cape on the previous dress. This one isn’t a win for me, but I could see her setting trends for women who work. When it’s so outdated (think 30 years, early 90s) then it’s possible that it’s actually BACK in fashion or that Meghan will haul it back in. Some other royal ladies like to pull out a trend from 10 years ago that is just flat outdated and leaves me wondering why they’re not even trying!
Beautiful outfit, very elegant Duchess of Sussex! I like her pretty style and elegance. Simple and wonderful! Thank you Duchess for joyful appearance.
LBD (little blush dress) yawn!
Hilarious
I Like it!!
As predicted, a lot of people are going to be disappointed by what Meghan chooses to wear. When she was just engaged to Harry she was wearing too much black and not enough dresses. Now, she’s wearing too much blush and she’s too predictable. But it’s clear she sticking to style profile aka neutrals and although she is wearing designer clothes as she did when she was engaged, she has chosen what is her “uniform or office look” which I believe is her attempt to keep focus on the work rather than what she’s wearing. She definitely has no intention of “taking style tips from Kate” as the media would want us to believe and I’m very happy about that.
We don’t really know what goes on behind closed doors so cannot speak definitively about the relationship between the Duchesses; it may actually be contrary to what you think ?.
Do you think she’s dressing like Kate? Because I don’t think so. This is not a slam against Kate but I think we are looking a two different personalities and senses of style and the attempts in the media that say that Meghan is taking tips from Kate are off base and wrong.
While I agree this Prada is not the most exciting choice, I do love neutrals on Meghan and I think the dress was perfect for the occasion. The shoes are what stole the show for me though! I absolutely love the cut and the bow detail on the back. Again, she’s wearing the hose, which seems to be what she will be doing when she’s on engagements with the Queen, which I understand. Her hair also has more of a bouncy curl, which is a nice change as well.
I agree with Imogen above and have had enough of the ultra-high-end thing Meghan has been doing, certainly since her marriage but even during her engagement. Let’s see something from an affordable clothing store next, please.
The high end thing doesn’t bother me in and of itself. But for goodness sake, if you are going to spend that kind of money on custom couture, please get something semi-interesting and fashionable. Obviously she isn’t going to wear things that come down the runway but there are far more stylish yet appropriate routes to take. If she is just going to wear a series of boring oatmeal dresses, then why pay fashion houses top dollar?
Agree with the other comments, I love the dress, but it is a bit predictable…I am also not a fan of the heavier blush, I tend to prefer the more natural look. Hopefully we will see a bit of the old Meghan when the events are so “high stakes” as the ones she has been attending lately. I think we all have to give it some time to see the true evolution of the Duchess of Sussex 🙂
I like her outfit but I miss the old (pre Duchess) Meghan. Hair not perfect and fashion forward.. She seems to be wearing the “royal uniform” now.
I think she’s getting her wardrobe selections exactly right. Realize a great deal of thought is going into everything she wears. Her “role” is not to be a fashionista. It’s to blend in , which is hard for a new and beautiful bride, and support the Queen and her husband. She’s doing that very well. In time she will break out and take some risks but she is dressing the part and doing it properly. Her choices have a tiny edge which is quite enough at this stage of the game. I’m just relieved the messy bun seems to be gone.
In my opinion she has looked like herself through out this process. She isn’t here to be anybody’s personal mannequin. The spotlight on her is very bright and she is trying not to make a misstep and be a clothes horse. I have ZERO issues with her outfit choices, She isn’t here to break the mould to suit some folks or bring “edge” to satisfy others. She is new to the job and will do as the Royal family guides her to do. The outfit fit the occasion, she was accompanying the queen , she is not meant to be the star. Most Royals wear bespoke for formal type occasions, she will wear High street fashion when necessary I am sure. Harry and Kate will guide her for sure.
Why would Harry and Kate guide her fashion choices? Harry seems as though he needs a stylist to guide him at times. Kate is much too busy with her family; and wasn’t Meghan assigned a personal assistant? I think Meghan is dressing the way she feels a woman of her status is expected. She has access to top designers and chooses to wear very expensive, custom clothing; albeit someone must be whispering in her ear as they tally the receipts.
Her edge is completely gone. She wears cream and washed out pink to every event. The current outfit is very dated looking. I wore something like it (not as expensive of course) in the late 90s. It’s like she’s trying to fade into the background.
Agree, but maybe she thought that weird origami skirt and the thick covered bon-bon type buttons were making a statement.
Some of you guys are so annoying. She is a royal now and has to dress a certain way. She can’t dress how she use to. She has a protocol that she has to follow being a duchess. The days are gone of the easy breezy Meghan we’re use to. For the role she’s playing now, she’s dressing for that part.
Thanks to the editors, the commenters here generally share their different opinions respectfully – that’s what blogs are for. However, if the alternate view points annoy you so much, there are other blogs out there you know.
Gee no kidding genius of the year. I can still express my annoyance just like people can express their dislike for Meghan’s wardrobe. You might not to go back and forth with me sweetie…..
Ok.
I’m with Lisa. Also, there’s no need for veiled threats from behind a phone/computer/tablet screen.
Just a reminder to please keep it civil in the comments! We don’t necessarily have to agree – but we can all respect each other please.
Thanks!
Sorry, but being a royal doesn’t mean she has to dress in 1980s/90s style colorless suits and frocks. There are PLENTY of royals (even those of a higher rank than her) that dress both stylishly and appropriately. Princess Charlene, Crown Princess Mary, Queen Letizia, and Princess Sofia of Sweden usually walk that line. I had hopes for Meghan, particularly when she wore that sharp black pants suit post-engagement (obviously I know that is not appropriate for this event). But I fear she is falling into the same trap Kate did, which is rather than elevating her style to her position, she is allowing her position to take over her style.
Well put!
It’s interesting seeing her figure out her style as a working member of the royal family. I agree it’s getting quite repetitive (‘safe’ is another way of putting it), and I’m looking forward to seeing her style evolve in this new role. I suspect the neutral colors are to allow the Queen, and her super bright outfits, to take center stage. Her shoe game is strong! As an aside – if I had her father (in the news yet again today), I’d wear something exceedingly neutral and hope to fly under the radar!
Like most everyone else, I’m a bit bored with the predictable looks that don’t quite seem like Meghan. But that being said, I can’t even imagine the pressure and scrutiny she is under while trying to find her way. Aside from the blue/white floral she wore to the family wedding, there hasn’t been anything “wrong” with her choices. But I definitely think she’s playing it very safe in the early days and more concerned with not offending the royal circles than she is with winning A+ marks in the fashion department. Hopefully she’ll relax into her role and find a way to be royal while not losing her personal sense of style. On a more positive note, thank goodness the media is giving less and less attention to her crazy siblings! LOL And Amen to keeping kindness on the blog! 🙂
All the pink/ blush outfits are fine, it just seems that she’s wearing them in the wrong order. Today’s outfit would have been fine for the Trooping of Colors, the off the shoulder for the wedding and the blush dress from Goat for today’s event. Given the on going comments in some of the UK papers about the royal family being financed by taxpayers, Meghan may want to consider more affordable brands.
She seems thinner, her collar bones are very prominent. I understand that she has worked hard all her life and planned to be a working royal from day one, but it’s possible she underestimated how stressful the adjustment period would be. I wish she would take some time off, away from prying eyes to adjust and then ease herself into the role.
I agree with Myr, clothes are fine, she’s just not wearing them to the correct events.
She certainly brings a unique edge to her outfits! Not only is it high-low, but it’s asymmetrical. That is a cool feature! Working woman, polished and appropriate for royal duties. She brings such an interesting style to royal duties. How does she find all these great fashionable details to put twists on classic silhouettes?
Pale pink and ivory are not the only neutrals that MM could wear. Tan, gray, navy, red, chocolate brown would all look beautiful on her and not take away from the event she is attending. Like most of us, it takes time to find our own style and MM has a huge task ahead of her as her clothing is an exstention of the event she is representing.
Hi all!! Thanks MM for another great post!! At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m really liking this outfit on Meghan and those shoes, oh my goodness I must have them now!!! I seem to be in the minority here but I like this pale pink/dusty rose color on Meghan and I’m rather jealous that it looks so good on her. Also, I second all those here who believe that the clothes we’ve seen Meghan wear recently are outfits chosen for her engagements with HM, which I’m believing will differ from outfits she’ll wear when it’s just her and Harry visiting charities and such. I’ve noticed that several of Meghan’s dresses don’t always photograph well but when seen in motion the perception of ill-fitting or too large a size seems to disappear.
Here’s an article I thought everyone might find interesting, I know I did.
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a21347613/meghan-markle-is-not-breaking-royal-protocol/
I think that the color choice is chosen specifically to “blend in”. She was not there to stand out or to be a main focus of the event, the Queen and Harry was.
I like the shoes and the skirt, and hope they are a sign of her own style peeking out, while still trying to fit in to upper echelon british society events. A better fitting top with smaller butons/other design elements would have made the outfit chicer, in my opinion.
Hopefully she will find her own way!
Hi Everyone!
I have to agree the large buttons are meh, not super flattering, but I agree that Meghan’s choices seem to be extremely safe and not wanting to attract attention away from the causes, which I feel is EXTREMELY respectful and appropriate. We will see more of Meghan’s style that we loved pre-marriage, but I can’t say I blame her for not pushing the limits when her majesty is present! Her shoes are beautiful!