Today, Meghan marked her formal introduction to the Commonwealth with the attendance at the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey, the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom. She joined Prince Harry and other senior members of the Royal Family to commemorate the special day.
This was by far the most formal event we have seen Meghan attend to date – the Royal procession included Her Majesty The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Countess of Wessex, the Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Alexandra.
Highlights of the service included a special musical performance by Liam Payne and a reflection by Dr. Andrew Bastawrous, an eye surgeon who turned a smartphone into an examination tool which works to combat avoidable blindness in developing counties.
Following the service, Meghan and Harry joined William and Kate to attend a reception focusing on children.
Dress: Amanda Wakeley “Springsteen” dress
Coat: Amanda Wakeley Cream Sculpted Crombie Coat
Hat: Bespoke White Fascinator by Stephen Jones Millinery
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik BB Pump (Toro Heel) in Navy Suede
Purse: Mulberry Darley Small Satchel in Navy
Earrings: Adina Reyter 14k Gold Three Diamond Amigos Curve Post Earrings
She looks very happy and excited to be attending her first major event with the royal family. I think she always looks stunning, but her coat sleeves seemed too long, and it looked very loose around her waist. I wonder if this coat was purchased some time ago, and it fit then, but like any future bride, she seems to have lost some weight, which is entirely understandable. I hope she will look into having her ready to wear clothes tailored like the Duchess of Cambridge does.
Overall I like this look. The popped collar on the white coat is a cool detail. But ugh on the shoes and clutch…they are so Kate (they might even be wearing the same shoes) and so boring. I know that for this occasion she can’t wear any crazy shoes or anything but surely she has a pair of navy pumps that are more interesting looking? I just have always hated Kate’s footwear game and hope Meghan does not go down that path, lol.
I felt the same, but I contributed the pumps and *gasp* pantyhose to the fact that this was an official event with the Queen present. I am hoping more that she doesn’t go down the pantyhose route all of the time, I hate that look.
LOL – that was my reaction as well – please, please Meghan, don’t go the boring shoes route! Same with the clutch. Meghan’s shoe/bag game is usually strong. Not today. The popped collar on the coat is the kind of cool girl detail she seems to find and pull off so well. I do hope she gets the number of Kate’s tailor (the coat looked a bit big), and loses the number of Kate’s shoe / bag person / people. I’m 100% behind pantyhose, though. I love the way they make MY legs look. She doesn’t appear to need them (I’m crazy pale and my legs look blotchy without them, plus I cannot wear shoes with bare feet without getting blisters).
I, too, love pantyhose and love seeing the royals wearing them. I couldn’t tell if Megan was wearing them or not. If she is, it’s probably the first time in years that she has! I’m on board with them!
This is the best fitting coat she has worn to date! I love everything about this ensemble! I love the BB shoes she tends to favor. Blahnik is a comfortable brand and so classy. Her fascinator is a good start to all the has she will be wearing in the future. She nailed this one!
I absolutely love the color and cut of the coat and her hat is perfect for her face shape and personality.
I did notice that due to, (can someone confirm this?) the rule about women in the royal family having to wear pantyhose to official events, that Megan is wearing hose…and they are not the most flattering shade.
I see how similar Megan and Kate’s shoes are, but I don’t mind and love the navy color.
That is one sharp coat. I love the drop-waist tailoring, so very Meghan to have something slightly off-key and in this case perfectly executed. Also love how she wears a dark dress underneath rather than making it more uniform by sticking with the same colour, the contrast is snappy. I don’t like the thin stiletto on the Blahniks but then maybe I’m still getting SATC vibes off that label. Impressed that she’s carrying her bag clutch style. Absolutely adore the cheeky beret, perfection!
thanks for pointing out the drop-waist on Meghan’s coat as that was my only quibble about this beautiful ensemble, I would have preferred a more nipped in waist but knowing that it’s a different type of style it makes perfect sense.
Hi Lauri, I thought the whole coat had been designed with the oversize trend in mind, but on a tasteful scale. I’m just ecstatic we don’t have more over-sized lapels and another tie-belt 🙂
Hi Bertie, I hope for your sake that her wedding dress doesn’t have a tie-belt on it 🙂
Is it a drop waist by design though? It doesn’t appear to be from the link to buy. I think it’s just big on her. I like it, I just think it’s big!
I wonder if perhaps Meghan has bought her coats a bit larger to accommodate sweaters and layers that she would have had during her time in Canada? I have several coats that do look a bit big on me but that’s because I needed to have them bigger to accommodate the added sweater bulk.
Good point lawmom I was beginning to wonder how low the waist was meant to be. It works as a low set waist at least as it seems to start at the waist and then down into the skirt, about the point where a peplum might be. Like yourself I like it anyway. I also like that the dress hem is just below knee – very sophisticated 🙂
I squealed like a piglet when I saw her outfit! I loved it and she looked so happy and was so sweet to the children when she and Harry walked out. But I have a question….how are you able to identify her clothing so quickly?
Ahahha omg Tecla I had the EXACT same reaction!
“Wow” was the only thing that came to my mind when I first say Meghan this morning! Well that and the fact that she certainly has the face shape for hats, this one is just darling on her.
This coat is stunning! I love the tipped up collar, it really makes this coat more interesting. I noticed that she didn’t have it closed when leaving the service, any thoughts on that? I did love being able to see her dress but it seemed maybe a bit “casual” to me. My only quibble about this coat, as I said above, is that I would have preferred an more nipped in waist but as Bertie pointed out this is a drop-waist so no nipping allowed 🙂
Stellar showing by our Duchess-to-be! It’s making me more and more excited for the wedding!
Hi completely agree Lauri, Meghan’s hat is perfection!! I love the chic almost beret-like style! I know a lot of people didn’t like the hat she chose for Christmas (I liked it!) so I’m glad this one will be a universal hit for her! I don’t think we have to worry about Meghan being boring with her fashion choice, I think there are some events though that due to her status as a duchess she’ll go more the traditional route! Did everyone read that there are more sources saying that her Wedding Dress Designer will be Ralph and Russo? I think it will be!
Hi Iris, I did read about the possibility of Ralph and Russo designing her wedding dress and I’m so thrilled! Her engagement dress was simply stunning so I think having them design her wedding dress would be fabulous. Frankly, I’m just glad to hear that it might not be McQueen as that would invite so many comparisons between her and Kate and I’m already tiring of that.
Yesssss!! I completely agree!! The two women are clearly very fond of each other and are unique, no need to compare them every step of the way! I would love something new too! I was surprised when McQueen took over at the polls!
My least favorite look of hers yet. So far she has dressed in a modern stylish way, but this looked like something Catherine would have worn. I am not a fan of coat dresses that are not coats, this one didn’t fit properly and it was a style that requires a perfect fit to photograph well. She overall looked lovely and happy of course but the look wasn’t working and I think she may have been wearing pantyhose/tights, ugh.
Royal fashion rule, ladies must wear tights/ hose when on official engagements especially when HM present and particularly in church also a hat in church. Fait accompli.
I don’t think you’ve identified the shoes correctly. To me, the heel looks skinnier and more tapered–and more centered–than the Blahniks.
Hi Jessica – the shoes are the Manolo Blank BB “Taro” heel version, which is a modified version of the same shoe. Simply put, some seasons the heel is more tapered, some seasons it is more straight – hope that makes sense! Thanks for your comment!
LOL 🙂
I can’t be the only one who got Mary Tyler Moore vibes from this.
I loved Meghan’s look today! Do you think these may be the earrings she was wearing?
https://adinareyter.com/collections/14k-gold/products/3-diamond-amigos-curve-posts
Not sure why some people criticize this look for being boring. Meghan and her stylist know that she needs to dress differently for each occasion. This was a more formal, conservative event and the attire matched appropriately. I love the look –it’s classic and pretty. It’s nice to see her be able to adapt to the circumstances. I look forward to watching her fashion choices after the wedding when she officially takes up royal duties.
i am not a fan of Meghan’s hat choices, this looked like a white pancake and the other brown hat she wore to Christmas services looked too big. Long hair is difficult to navigate with hats and Catherine seems to have mastered the look. So glad to see she ditched the wide floppy lapel coats.
Agree, not a fan of hats generally, they either look like lampshades or satellite dishes, though I thought a beret was a nice departure from the norm, very french.