Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got up bright and early this morning to attend the dawn service for Anzac Day. Anzac Day is a day of commemoration for the Anzac landings at Gallipoli by Australian and New Zealand troops. It’s a military-remembrance commemoration, like D-Day, basically. Prince Harry often gets tasked with these kinds of military and military-adjacent events, and I guess Meghan will be attending many of them too, because here she is, at the dawn service, greeting Maoris and dignitaries even though she’s not even officially part of the Firm yet.
The point of this wasn’t the fashion, but people will want to talk about the fashion anyway, so let’s get into it. Meghan’s Mirror – a fansite tracking her fashion – doesn’t have a confirmation on Meghan’s coat, but their guess is that it’s a bespoke Matthew Williamson. I have my doubts that this is bespoke, just because everything about the fit suggests that this was off-the-rack. Yeah, I really dislike this. The beige-grey shade is not good, the coat is much too bulky and MY GOD THE BUTTONS. Is there some kind of pro-button tutorial given to royal women or something? Is Big Button in bed with Big Duchess? Meghan accessorized her look with a Gucci clutch and Sarah Flint pumps.
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan announced their music choices for their wedding. They’re going to have a gospel choir and some actual people of color involved!
The music will be under the direction of James Vivian, Director of Music, St George’s Chapel, including the Choir of St George's Chapel, and a selection of choral groups, soloists, and musicians: pic.twitter.com/FjBvyW5FwE
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 24, 2018
19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, winner of 2016 @BBCYoungMus. Last June, Prince Harry saw Sheku play at an event in London in support of the work of Antiguan charity the Halo Foundation. pic.twitter.com/C3QSfcbXJl
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 24, 2018
Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir. The Choir is made up of a group of British artists dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share, and has been performing both nationally and internationally for over 20 years. pic.twitter.com/tae19p6G6E
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 24, 2018
Photos courtesy of WENN.
POC always have to work twice as hard and I hope both she and Harry keeps up this momentum after the wedding. It’s nice to see.
I was just trying to think this morning of how many events Kate did pre-wedding. There are 5 that I can recall easily off the top of my head (an event in December, the event at St. Andrews, the boat christening, the event in Belfast, and the event with the navy blue suit right before the wedding.) I feel like I may be missing one or two? But it seems that Meghan is off to a stronger start than Kate.
In all fairness, Kate is a Brit and had been on the scene for nearly a decade by then.
Meghan is about to become a duchess in a country she has lived in for less than six months’ time, via a relationship that was, no matter which timeline you believe, fairly short, and most of which the two of them spent apart.
I think all of these engagements have as much to do with people getting used to Meghan, and bridging quite a wide gap, as much as possible before they tug their forelocks to her (metaphorically speaking).
Kate did 8 before the wedding (1 of which was not listed in the CC).
http://gertsroyals.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/2018-royal-wedding-q.html?m=1
Meghan’s on 32 so far. I’m not sure whether she’ll have any more before the wedding.
http://gertsroyals.blogspot.co.uk/2000/06/prince-harry-main-page.html?m=1
But Kate and William had been dating around 10 years before they got married. Kate accompanied him to some events during their dating years and I´m pretty sure that she got Princess training behind the scenes.
Meghan and Harry are only dating for about 2 years. She is brand new to the family, lifestyle and protocol. I wouldnt say she is off to a stronger start- she just needs to learn and she does in doing all these events. Plus they seem to enjoy doing these things together. This is what her future life will look like, so why wait until after the wedding.
@Beluga
Looks like you’ve counted her attending the Polo last May and/or the 3 appearances she made at the Invictus Games 2017 as part of your total. The tally should really begin once the engagement is announced, otherwise Kate could have a few more events added to her tally with the events she attended in the dating years.
Fair point, whatever, I’d just looked at the totals. That takes her to 27 between engagement and wedding. I can’t remember what official events Kate did before her engagement, so that’s probably the most fair way of counting.
“In all fairness, Kate is a Brit and had been on the scene for nearly a decade by then.”
What an interesting excuse for Kate Middleton’s pre-wedding laziness. All the other people marrying in started doing engagements right away, more than KM. It was only KM who chose to do so little. Setting the stage for her laziness from the start.
Yes she is and I think its just part of her work ethic, as an actor you can’t rest on your laurels you have to hustle hard.
And I don’t buy the whole ‘but Katie Keen was on the scene for 10 years’ BS. Waity did nothing but wait for those 10 years – she didn’t have a job/career, her ‘charitable endeavours’ I could count on 2 fingers, she did nothing but shop, vacation with her family and wait for William to call her. She could have spent that time preparing for the role or had a career but she didn’t – she never had any interest in doing anything to prepare her for the role she chased after for 10 years and it showed. It still shows, even after all the ‘princess training’ she alleged received after the engagement.
Can we please stop with the comparing and contrasting of these two women as though it is a competition, which it is not!
Comparing the pre-engagement figures makes no sense. All the appearances made by Meghan and Kate are/were conjoined with their fiancees. 8 or so years ago when Kate was engaged neither William nor Harry were working royals and did very few appearances. Hence why her pre-engagement tally is low, had Meghan got engaged then, it would have been the same for her since Harry wasn’t doing them either.
Now after the wedding its a different story but the pre-engagement comparison is unfair.
All the royals are compared based upon the amount of work they do. In the BRF that means engagement totals rather than days worked, because that’s the way they do things. They are also compared based on how well they perform in these jobs, because guess what? These are jobs.
Fact is, Meghan is working harder than Kate Middleton did during the same period in their lives. She has always worked harder, as KM basically never worked, so this is no surprise.
The constant excuse that William wasn’t “full time” remains ridiculous. He is second in line to the throne. He was publicly introducing the (potential) future Queen Consort to the nation. A woman who had been openly mocked for years in the press for her blatant laziness and workshy nature.
They should have been all over the place, creating opportunities to get her seen as official after the Decade O Dating. She did very few engagements in comparison to any other people marrying in (and marrying in lower down the line of succession). Preparing us for the 8 years of lies, excuses, empty promises, and laziness.
I saw this on another blog. When William and Kate got engaged, William was a “part time royal” so even he wasn’t as active as Harry is now, 7 years later. If Kate and William got married now, I could see Kate doing more events since Will is busier. Just something to keep in mind.
Again ridiculous fandom excuse. Sophie and Edward were never meant to be working royals. All engagements they did were on the side willingly in addition to running their businesses. They still did more during those unofficial years than W&K have done any year since their marriage – when S&E weren’t even supposed to be working royals at all!
William is second in line, he was introducing the future (potential) Queen Consort. And they gave us a taste of the laziness to come. This was particular egregious as we kept getting leaks out of SAR that William wasn’t working, nor was he doing royal engagements. But he kept getting caught on vacation. Again a foretaste of his EAAA games.
@NotASugar
Ridiculous fandom excuse? No simply an unbiased opinion. Had Meghan got engaged 8 yrs ago to Harry, would she be doing as much? No? Then the case is closed.
You can be a meghan fan without continuously dragging down another woman, you know.
None of the “work” done by these royals whether one or a hundred engagements make much of a difference anyway, they turn up look pretty , give the appearance of doing important work then go back to enjoy their benefits. Plenty of countries function perfectly well without them.
There is no such thing as a ‘part-time’ royal. William happily told various reporters including an American morning show that he was doing everything he could to avoid his royal life.
He found the perfect partner in Kate because the public could pretend that it was perfectly reasonable of her NOT to work as he wasn’t doing much royal work. Nevermind that he was actively avoiding it.
Harry was in the army. Actively engaged by all accounts. There are many reports of William shirking his military duties to extent that he nearly lost his wings for not maintaining his minimum flight hours which are 15hrs PER MONTH!!!
A comparison between the two couples leaves WK falling short. The record speaks for itself.
I’ve criticized W&K for their laziness for years, long before Harry and Meghan started dating. Throne Idle and his lazy wife have been earning my disrespect for years.
The Malta Lie was spun as gospel by the fandom. I find the excuses about laziness and not working tend to originate in their most ardent fans. The ones who insist these two should not have to work at all until their children turn 18.
Harry is not required to work as much as William, just as Andrew, Edward, Anne are not required to work as much as Charles. Anne occasionally does more engagements per year, but what she does pales in comparison to all the work Charles also put into The Princes Trust, The Duchy, Dumfries House, etc.
William is the second in line to the throne, his wife is the (potential) future Queen Consort. That means he is required to work more in exchange for the 50 room palace and the 10 bedroom country mansion. That is how the cookie crumbles. William has always ducked his responsibilities, including the decade plus of dodging royal work. He takes all the perks of the second in line but has yet to work anywhere near as much as he should.
The work done by some royals does matter, but I’ve found it is a typical fandom excuse to say, “None of it matters, leave them alone, they shouldn’t have to do anything, they’re rich leave them alone, their lives are so hard.”
The work (what counts as royal work) does matter to many, as multiple people have explained on here for years. That W&K refuse to see the value in it, and refuse to do the work expected? Typical.
Isnt all this hand wringing about Will and Kate’s laziness a tad OTT? They aren’t doing much and yet the UK has not collapsed. It just goes to show that their work is largely pointless. Either the UK decides to collectively do away with the monarchy or just accept giving away vast sums of money to uphold this farce.
The only people who care what royals do or don’t are people like us reading stuff like this. It almost as if people here resent them for not upholding their end of the bargain, as if in exchange of money/prestige they need to put on a horse and poney show for our benefit.
Sophie managed to get in more engagements in when she first married in while also maintaining her PR firm. If anyone was considered part time it would be someone keeping their pre royal life job. Sophie and Edward have zero chance of succeeding to the throne.
As for this having no impact, well Brexit is changing a lot. And when you have children who can’t get government child benefits because they are number three, and that decision is based on the government not having enough money for it, then people start to look at where the money is going and the BRF is a huge money suck. Doing engagements is really the bare minimum for the royals to earn their riches and even that is too much for Will and Kate. Right now there is inertia because the Queen has been around longer than most people currently alive, but when she is gone, everyone will be scrutinized and as it stands the second in line and his wife have very little to recommend themselves to justify all the taxpayer money they receive.
MrsBump: It’s ironic that you dismiss what you call their dog and pony show when that is the way *they* justify taking our taxes and staying in place.
Nevermind what we want, a republic is the last thing *they* want. To that end they employ daily OTT PR to ensure the public doesn’t turn away. Private life events eg weddings, christenings, births and deaths and cosy documentaries in their gardens etc are employed. And those dog and pony shows that you think are ridiculous.
I like the history they represent, but i resent the taxes and the PR lies they tell, and i rail against those 2 aspects repeatedly.
MrsBump: Yes, it’s a complete farce and a colossal waste of public money to plow it into the BRF. As LAK said, they suck up millions and sustain their position by infiltrating Brits’ lives through PR everywhere on a daily basis. Is the charity ‘work’ necessary? No, it is not. It’s there to give relevance and visibility to the royals. If you limited royal showings to state events it would be very part-time for the monarch and maybe someone else. Should be paid for as modest honorariums and that’s it. It is ridiculous to sustain this fantasy called ‘royal’ (no such thing) and that they are anything but bog ordinary people.
Meghan’s watching Harry play polo in early 2017 is called an official engagement on that site?? That is just silly. So is her engagement interview and photocall. Scotland – one day is listed at three, including her lunch. This is just silly!! I would like to see her actual, sanctioned events listed somewhere, It is NO WHERE near 32.
If we are going to compare Kate and Will’s events, use actual events where Meghan represented the royal family, not went to see her boyfriend play polo and her visits to Invictus in Canada. That site is absurd.
And I think all of these events are because Harry is trying to sell Meghan to the people who will support them, many of whom aren’t happy about paying for a big wedding, her second, with huge security costs. It is a big PR push.
No offense LAK, but what exactly are you or anyone else going to do about Will and Kate’s laziness? Vote them out?
People who care about such things can complain all they want, it won’t make an iota of difference unless the UK decides to call for a republic. The irony is really that Britain upholds an intrinsically unfair system and complain about unfairness when said people dont work
MrsBump: Rome wasn’t built in one day. I am here to educate people about the PR lies and the taxation. Once more people are educated, we can remove these people.
Also, i guess you are too young to remember how we forced the Queen to start paying tax in 1992. That was an education in people power against them. Ditto Diana’s death.
The family has since gone to great lengths to cover up their public financial affairs including exempting themselves from FOI, but we will get there in exposing this fraud.
And if you think it’s an impossible task, let me introduce you to one of my friends who took on parliament and exposed their misuse of public funds on expenses.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_parliamentary_expenses_scandal
It was a long process, but she got there in the end.
Shrugging and claiming it’s impossible was not an option. That type of defeatist attitude is the reason the system doesn’t change.
I am very impressed with how much Meghan has worked before the wedding. Although as some people have mentioned here, Kate was dating William for many years so went to some events at that time, it was not in the capacity as a “working royal” until the engagement. Just in terms of sheer volume, we are seeing Meghan follow through on hitting the ground running. I hope that if/when she gets pregnant the press and family give her leeway to step back a bit.
Also, love the inclusion of people of colour in the ceremony. She is using her platform to amplify other people of colour. Yes to all of this!
As to the coat, do not love it. It for sure needs to be more tailored. It is a real annoyance finding coats that don’t swallow you up as a slender woman. But honestly, she has the resources to find coats that fit. I love the hat though
Agree 100%. Also, SHE IS TOTALLY WEARING HOSE. She is. No one else is saying anything, but I’m calling it. When I saw the photos this morning the first thought I had was “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” and the second thought was “pantyhose.” They photograph differently than skin.
@notasugarhere agreed – I would think that Kate being a Brit who had been “on the scene” for a while would have meant that she would have started off stronger. Instead she didn’t do that many events while engaged, didn’t do that many for the first few years of her marriage, etc. Even if you count the few official events she attended prior to her engagement, they were as William’s girlfriend, not a working royal, so I’m sure the expectations were very different.
I wasn’t excusing Kate’s laziness. I’ve always been critical of Kate’s work ethic.
The poster I was responding to made a comparison to Kate, and I answered from the point of view that Meghan having more engagements in her time as a fiancee seemed to have just as much to do with making a smoother transition from just moving to the country, to being engaged, to being a royal, as it did to do with work ethic.
In that particular regard, no one had to get to know Kate the way they’ve had to get to know Meghan in a much shorter period of time.
Kate was known as a lazy party girl and falling drunk out of bars four days a week. Not the best way for her to be perceived.
Becks, especially as we got all the promises in the engagement interview that she knew what she was getting in to, she was the most prepared royal bride ever, she was going to hit the ground running.
Bar is now so low for her working as much as she should that, as LAK has written, the bar is now buried deep underground.
Kate was in college and several years after college when she was “falling out of bars,” etc. That is what many of were doing at her age. So what??? Why crucify her for this, which you do over and over and over. What was Meghan doing at that age? Shall we explore that??
I am NO fan of Kate and William’s work ethic. It is disgraceful. But so is Harry’s, and folks here continually make excuses for him, and also his racism and his entitlement. And Meghan seems to have worked hard in her life, but she is hardly the paragon of all that is perfect that her fans make her out to be.
I like objective observation. Seems like that many here don’t.
“I like objective observation. Seems like that many here don’t.”
Don’t think you know what “objective” means.
@Veronica
To be fair I think the reason we weren’t ‘introduced’ to Kate in any official capacity before the engagement is because she probably wasn’t meant to be official. She was known as the ‘mattress’, William treated her abysmally and if it wasn’t for her utter lack of self respect and clinging family she’d have been long gone. She was simply the last one standing, the only one who’d put up with his mess. Didn’t the Queen or Charles tell William to either make it official or over? I’m sure left to William he’d have preferred an aristo like Isabella, but they wouldn’t have him and Kate was always, always there..
Harry and Meghan? They are in the first stages of infatuation, it’ll pass but right now they want to do this together and it’s sweet. He wants to show her off, that’s why we’re seeing this.
Pretty much it’s what Kate was allowed to do versus what Meghan is allowed to do. It’s not like anyone can just say they want to do something. The fact that people don’t realize that is both humorous and taxing.
The idea that Meghan as the fiancée of the spare would somehow be “allowed” or required to do more than the future queen consort is ludicrous; Kate and William didn’t do a lot of engagements pre wedding because neither of them is very interested in working plain & simple. If either couple had valid reasons for being otherwise engaged or needing adjustment time, it’s certainly not Will & Kate. Meghan basically stepped off the set of Suits and right into a steady clip of engagements, meanwhile prior to CHOGM Will took a month off with no explanation.
@Starryfish,
In fairness, now both kids are in school its rumored that William and Kate take them to Amner Hall during the school holidays. Its where they were rumored to be during the last school holidays (a week in February) and they were definitely there during the Easter Holidays (March 29th- April 15th). Williams last engagement was on March 25th (i think) and his first engagement back was on April 16th. So the dates kind of line up, although he did give himself a few extra days off but perhaps he was doing Duchy of Cornwall stuff as was rumored or maybe the kid’s schools broke up earlier than March 29th?
Royals set their own schedules, as frequently reiterated by courtiers and royals themselves. Kate chose to do next to nothing during the engagement period, Megan is choosing to do more. This is why Charles needs to take over and force centralized scheduling, to organize, get the lazies to work, and to decrease costs associated with duplicated effort.
Funny thing, whatever. The taxpayers in the UK manage to have small kids, work 50 hpw, and support themselves. All the other royals managed to live in the country, raise their little kids, and work more than W&K. The excuse of them having small kids just doesn’t fly, particularly with the amount of taxpayer-funded home help they have.
I don’t mind this overall look – it appears very appropriate for the occasion – but if I look too long at any of the pictures I find things I dislike. Overall though its nice.
Buttons themselves don’t bother me, its when Kate ALWAYS wears them (and lots of them) that I start to loathe them. As long as we don’t start seeing them on Meghan every appearance or every other appearance), I’ll be okay lol.
The coat definitely is too big for her though and she does need to start getting them tailored. I gave her the benefit of the doubt for the first few months – maybe it was just the look she likes, maybe they are all her big coats from Toronto (so she wears layers under them), whatever. But by this point I expect to see some tailoring. Maybe post marriage.
For coats she should get plain streamlined ones with no or little details. Just a solid colour or pattern with no big lapels or many buttons. They should ideally end above or at her knee so she doesn’t look shorter. Her belts should not be so bulky or skip the belted ones. I liked the white one she wore for Easter.
Not Easter, Commonwealth Day service.
Coats with an oversized or loose fit are still trending through fall winter 2018-19. Her usual belted styles fit this aesthetic, which has been a choice for some time. Maybe not for a classic black coat, but it’s a thing. This particular style might stand a bit of tailoring for a more precise fit if precision is the choice but overall I don’t mind her coat game.
I don’t mind it either, as this is how my coats are as well. I love the oversized look and love that it’s in style. But I gather from the comments that a lot of people here don’t like that style at all or don’t realize that it’s a “thing”.
I like an oversized look for myself but I don’t know if Meghan should follow that trend. She’s so slender it might look like she’s a little girl in mommy’s clothes.
The fit is wonky, the hat is too big for her petite head.
@Kaiser I’m cracking up at ‘is big button in bed with big duchess?’
Amazing music line up. Good to see people of color are involved. . Oversized coats as usual. Meghan gets it right fashion wise only 50 percent of the time.
Yes, good choice with Sheku Kanneh-Mason, himself and his family of musicians are amazing.
Good heavens… BUTTONS and pointless flaps!
I don’t get the laughing about buttons thing ,
How else does a jacket or coat close? Either a zip or buttons .
Pick something else to nit pick .
Right? I mean, all my coats have buttons as a matter of function. What else is one supposed to use?
Kaiser has a thing about buttons. She just does. I agree with her about 10% of the time but it is meant to be humorous and lighthearted.
+1!
Ahahaha, “awaiting moderation” for a simple +1 comment? Rly?
Did you guys ban me and not tell me or something? :-/
I don’t like pointless flaps either, function and fashion can be good friends.
I don’t know how to say it… but I think she exagerates with the makup on her cheekbones…and awful coat.
She highlights a lot but I think in this case the low sideways sunlight at dawn is exaggerating it too.
it ‘s something I noticed in all her public appearances, for my taste is too much “red”.That’s my complain.
Yeah she highlights her cheekbones and then goes over that with a dark maroon-coloured blush or something? It makes it too bright and too dark at the same time. I think being an actress where there is always supplemental lighting, has her (or her day-to-day makeup artist) less skilled at doing makeup for natural lighting with cold camera flashes as fill-in light.
This!
I think she is used to her work makeup: it’s good for set but not that much for this kind of event.
@Eleanor – I noticed this about the too much highlighter/blush on the cheeks when she was photographed being driven in and out of Sandringham for Christmas, and then again at Albert Hall over the weekend, and with this outfit. It announces “lots of makeup”, think she could tone it down and still look nice.
Especially because her freckles are simultaneously beautiful and cute.
I’m sure it’s because she’s still new to stuffy royal fashion but I hope she will eventually start dressing in something that doesn’t overwhelm and “wear” her.
I think a low-profile hat is quite appropriate for a commemoration service.
I love the coat’s color…and if it’s off the rack, it’s a damn good fit! I don’t even mind the buttons…I think she looks lovely…
At least, it’s not just me! I think that she looks lovely too. Of course, I am not part of the no-button brigade.
I went down a rabbit hole of Meghan and Kate watching on YouTube last night and I have to say, I was very impressed with both of them. Neither are as one dimensional as often portrayed. I enjoyed them both.
Both couples seem very well suited. It is really nice to see that.
@ Tulip Garden
You are not alone, I like this look too.
I usually got no problems with buttons when they are simple buttons, I hate the shiny buttons.
I think she looks great most of the time.
I only really disliked that one look : strippy/buttony mess of a dress she wore a few days ago with that black blazer thrown over her shoulders.
Those buttons on the stripped dress was too much to begin with and the shiny buttons on the jacket also clashed with the dress buttons.
Too busy, too much was going on there with the bag, the shoes.
I personally like the bigger fit of coats, not just for looks, but I like the room for layers, because temperatures vary.
The only thing that I would like her to tailor properly is hemming her pants.
I can understand that she wants to look taller, but dragging your pants on the ground is not right, looks soppy.
Hemming pants is not rocket science.
Agreed! I don’t get the button hate…the coat is lovely.
I think this coat is good except for the puff/padded shoulders. Those are going to date this, whereas the rest of the coat is classic and can be suitable for years.
I like the coat quite a bit. I don’t mind the buttons – but I wish the shoulders weren’t so overpowering. Other than that, I’d love a coat like this one, but I don’t like longer coats for myself.
I think she looks very elegant the coat and I like the overall look. She also looked beautiful at that dawn ceremony I wish I had been there. DM idiots are complaining that Meghan is getting all the attention but I had never taken much notice of Anzac Day or really heard of it, more people in the UK will now remember it thanks to Meghan….how many people knew about the dawn ceremony? Which royals attended last year? But we won’t forget who attended in 2018 will we?😄
Not the best fitting outfit but I’ll give her props for being out and about and being accessible.
Yes, I agree. Anyone can make mistakes with fashion, especially going through such a major life change as Meghan certainly is experiencing, but Meghan deserves an A for effort and wants to make a difference for sure.
Love it Issa look!
Was her stylist Jessica Malruney tossed aside not making the cut as a friend who is famous AND classy at the same time? Meghan’s style is all over the place.
Well variety is the spice of life.
After observing her fashion for months now, it appears to me she looks the best in dresses. I’ve yet to see a coat and pants that fit her correctly. With her status and her past profession as an actress, hard to understand why she can’t be properly fitted. Help her out somebody.
I like the whole look. She looks nice. Also, she looks really good being up before the crack of dawn.
Yes.
she looks appropriate and professional. I like that she isn’t wearing anything flashy or too fashiony for this event – unlike a certain duchess in neon pink at the 9/11 memorial….
Agreed. The outfit is event-appropriate, which is important in this role.
I agree.
I agree. I think she hit the right notes with this, notwithstanding fit issues, which I really don’t care about. I think she needs to be appropriate – that is her job. Not fashion icon. I do love the hat – I think it reads as more “Meghan” than the other hats she has worn.
The color of the coat is a little blah, but it fits better than most of her too big outerwear. I don’t like hats, but it was better than Melanias
Buttons and pockets and a clutch. Oh my!
And shoulder pads…ugh.
What exactly is wrong with pockets? Pockets are practical!
I’m excited about the music. I think it’s going to be great.
Welcome to your new life, Meghan. Getting up at the crack of dawn, dressing up and having people nitpick your outfits to death, and going to events which have very little meaning or historical context for you. Hope it’s worth giving up your career for.
Any woman who does what she wants is a success.
You think she wants to get up at the crack of dawn to observe a somber occasion she’d probably never heard of two weeks ago? Where she sits silently doing nothing? And then gets dragged on the interwebs for her outfit? Ok, then.
As some other commenters have said, I think she looks appropriate for the event, and I don’t mind the coat because the buttons and plackets give it a military feel. The fit is fine for a coat of this type and weight, although she is swamped by it. Not every occasion is one to be runway perfect. She’s well put together and looks alert and engaged, considering the hour. I love how her eyes are so expressive; she glows. I needed something to feel good about this morning, so this will do nicely. Thanks, Kaiser
I don’t mind the outfit but it looks like she borrowed it from someone bigger- including the hat (which looks a little witchy).
I agree. She often looks like she is wearing her big sister’s clothes. But I do think she looks nice and I love her hat!! It seems much more Meghan than the British type hats she has been wearing.
As an Australian, I appreciate the sombre colour, the appropriate outfit, for our day of ANZAC recognition. I adore both Prince Harry and Meghan and I cannot wait to see her shine on her wedding day.
She got it right, I don’t understand the criticism. I can’t help but think people can’t help to be critical of a position they don’t understand. She’s so new to the whole royal thing, fast tracked, had way less time than Kate did to get used to what is a real ‘Institution’.
Give the girl a break. How did you look at 6am this morning?
She gets a thousand bonus points for me for getting up at dawn for an engagement. It’s not something William or Kate have ever done, and she looks put together. I don’t love the coat but I don’t hate it either.
“It’s not something William or Kate have ever done”
@Nic919
Just a little FYI, William and Kate attended the dawn service for ANZAC on their New Zealand/Austraila tour.
I looked good at 6AM. Many of us in the real world get up early, dress, put make-up on, and get going to work by 6AM. And I don’t have a hairdresser, make-up artist, or clothes bought for me that cost thousands and thousands of dollars.
I’m always amazed that people give the royals credit for just the most basic accomplishments, like showing up at a ceremony at 6AM dressed and with makeup on.
I mean. Arguably, ANZAC day is much more important than just a “basic accomplishment.”
She showed up, she was respectful, but the memorial was not about her or the royals. She didn’t need to knock it out of the park for this one. It would have accomplished very little aside from get her on the best dressed list, which is hardly the focus here anyway.
Oh, I love Sheku Kanneh-Mason! Everyone should hear his rendition of ‘No Woman, No Cry.’ So amazingly good.
Also, the fact that they’ve chosen a gospel choir knocks me out. Fantastic choices all around so far.
Love the outfit
I’ve apparently been in a Celebitchy bubble, since this is really the only gossip site I check. This morning I clicked on an article that said “30 things Royals can’t do (& Megan has already broken several) and quickly realized why I stick to Celebitchy! The article was stupid & I didn’t get past #3 (the 1st one was “they call their parents mum & dad” like that’s some sort of rule 🙄, but what got me were the comments about Megan! People saying she would never be Kate & basically she should “know her place” as well as several comments about just not understanding why Harry is marrying her. And while there was no flat out talk about Megan being biracial, almost all the comments reeked of racism, which I have been able to avoid here at Celebitchy, even though I know some of you have mentioned seeing the racism on other sites. I’m staying here from now on, people are disgusting. All that to say, as soon as I saw the list of musicians & performers, I thought the gross commenters I saw this morning are really going to have something to complain about now.
Sounds like you must have been on DM, that place needs a warning its full of racist nutters and is not representative of the feelings of British people.
PrincessK: i went searching for a brand ID on MM’s shoes and came across a tumblr dedicated to hating MM. It had such an innocuous name that it never occurred to me that it might be a hate blog.
It wasn’t just a hate blog, but wacko conspiracy blog too. Really outlandish, hate-filled conspiracies. It made the DM commentors saints in comparison. Quickly reversed outta there and hope to bleach my mind, metaphorically speaking.
The hate blogs on tumblr are something else, LAK. Rife with conspiracies about prostitution, blackmail, and the like. Let’s hope they enjoy their eventual interviews with MI-5.
Maybe Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor will cover her fashion in detail, so you can find the shoes there?
Yeah, it can be scary wandering into tumblr land. Ha, some days it’s even a bit scary here! But, there are a couple of fashion blogs that do a good job of chronicling Meghan’s outfits, and this one identifies the shoes. http://meghansmirror.com/s/
Thanks Olenna.
I think that eventually there will be a big crackdown on social media and the people who host these hate sites will be held accountable.
And many people don’t like her because she rubs them the wrong way. Doesn’t make them racist. To accuse everyone who hasn’t taken a shine to Meghan as racist is wrong. I had doubts about her since those banana pics on IG – she seems fame-hungry to me, and I had no idea she was biracial for weeks.
Racism is repellent and far less fringe than I would have guessed pre-2016. I think for most white people, overt racism was hiding in plain sight, and now it’s just in plain sight (I say for white people because I’m not going to presume to know how minorities experience the world).
Tumblr also got taken over by paid Russians, too. Being disgustingly racist about Meghan seems like an issue they’d pick up.
I don’t particularly love this coat either, but it’s just so…Diana-esque. And it doesn’t look try-hard at all, assuming she did it intentionally. I do love her accessories and shoes, though, and she looks perfectly appropriate.
@Kaiser, I say this with all the love in the world; is it possible that *you* have a button problem? I mean, I completely agree with you on Kate. I am convinced that she is obsessed with buttons. But for the rest of the population, i.e. Meghan… sometimes coats are closed by buttons! And she has worn coats without buttons. Should she avoid coats with buttons all together to create an coat-equilibrium with kate or what? 😀
That’s right! I am also petite and I like buttons on a coat!
I like the strong shoulder of that coat, the buttons don’t bother me, and the color is fine for the situation. I think it would look better a bit shorter, though.
It’s appropriate and she looks good. I’m not the biggest fan of the coat, but I really really like her outfit for the day service – hoping we get some coverage of that!
I’m not sure this particular event was so much about her fashion choices. I think she looks perfectly appropriate, and I actually really like the hat.
Good on them for those music choices! Hurrah!
Wow, the music acts sound brilliant, NGL.
I think she looks great. I’m not a fan of the hat, though. It did look too big. I actually loved the coat and color and buttons, and I think she looks pretty in it.
I meant to say I like the hat with the coat and shoes, but it’s maybe a bit too big on her head. But maybe not. I go back and forth on the hat.
Good to hear. #royalweddingsowhite would’ve taken the gloss off it.
I’d just like to point out that we celebrate ANZAC Day on a day that commemorates the Gallipoli landings but we honour all of our armed forces, and supporting medical staff, guides, etc. on ANZAC Day. It is a BIG deal in Australia and New Zealand. In many ways our identities as seperate countries to the UK were formed in the Boer War, WWI and WWII. Gallipoli was particularly significant on the formation of this identity. It was a terrible terrible battle with huge losses for everyone. The Brits, French, Aussies, Kiwis and the Turks. The Turks also developed their own sense of national identity seperate to the Ottoman Empire from this battle and the ANZACs forged strong bonds with the Turks despite the slaughter with a truce at one point to bury the dead and a sort of carmeraderie between troops. Some pertinent points from Wikipedia:
The campaign was the only major Ottoman victory of the war. In Turkey, it is regarded as a defining moment in the nation’s history, a final surge in the defence of the motherland as the Ottoman Empire crumbled. The struggle formed the basis for the Turkish War of Independence and the declaration of the Republic of Turkey eight years later, with Mustafa Kemal (Kemal Atatürk) as President, who rose to prominence as a commander at Gallipoli. The campaign is often considered to be the beginning of Australian and New Zealand national consciousness; 25 April, the anniversary of the landings, is known as “ANZAC Day”, the most significant commemoration of military casualties and veterans in the two countries, surpassing Remembrance Day (Armistice Day).
The significance of the Gallipoli Campaign is felt strongly in both New Zealand and Australia, despite their being only a portion of the Allied forces; the campaign is regarded in both nations as a “baptism of fire” and had been linked to their emergence as independent states. Approximately 50,000 Australians served at Gallipoli and from 14,000 to 17,000 New Zealanders. It has been argued that the campaign proved significant in the emergence of a unique Australian identity following the war, which has been closely linked to popular conceptualisations of the qualities of the soldiers that fought during the campaign, which became embodied in the notion of an “Anzac spirit”.
Thanks for sharing this. I was trying to think how I could put into words the significance of ANZAC Day for us Aussies & Kiwis.
This is the Day we honour ALL servicemen and women and the sacrifices that have been made (and are still being made) to make Australia the country it is today. It is proudest and most significant day.
For us Kiwis it is a remembrance of the sacrifice of the “brightest and the best”. It was nearly an entire generation of our young men who were slaughtered on the beaches of Gallipoli. We also remember all branches of the services, men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. Lest we forget.
We’re Canadian, but my grandfather served part of his time in the airforce during WWII with 489 Royal New Zealand Squadron and 455 Royal Australian Squadron. He always spoke very highly of Australian’s and New Zealander’s and was very fond of the crew of men he was with. He always told us a story about being overseas and he was speaking to someone who couldn’t for the life of him pick out where he was from because he’d spent so much time with Brits, Aussies and NZers that he’d picked up a slight accent but it was a mixture of the three. Didn’t believe that he was Canadian at first.
I can’t even begin to imagine what these servicemen went through – and they were so young. They were so brave, and sacrificed so much.
Thanks, SKF. That’s a beautiful sentiment.
I was just coming in here to correct the info regarding ANZAC day. I see you have already done so! I will however mention that the article refers to Maori as ‘Maoris’. It is offensive these days to refer to Maori as ‘Maoris’. The Maori alphabet does not include the letter ‘s’. Referring to Maori with an S on the end is like saying ‘sheeps’. The term Maori can equally refer to one individual of Maori ethnicity or any number of people of Maori ethnicity.
I am not a fan of the coat. It looks dated and the colour is a bit drab.
I also think that she has to work on her hat game, which is understandable, I think only British women wear hats to weddings and funerals etc.
Well, again, love the parts, not happy with the fit. I think the coat is beautiful (I don’t mind the buttons at all, the coat would have been too severe without them, and a muted color is appropriate, even if it’s not her best color) and at last, detail at the waist rather than a big belt tying in the front, and the shoes and hat are appropriate, Overall, I think she looks quite lovely. But also overall, the effect is still too much cloth.
The coat’s fit is the main problem, especially below the waist, she looks like she loved the coat but they didn’t have it in her size so she took the next one up and said to herself, “I’ll make this work!” (Full disclosure: I have done this more than once, refusing to remember from the first time that I never make it work.) All that said, I think she should pursue this look but with better fitting clothes. She looks elegant.
I saw the Anzac services from Sydney this morning on our local BBC station, with Charles speaking. I always forget what a beautiful voice he has, something both boys inherited and that if memory serves, they got from their grandfather. The service was sombre and moving, along with horrifying actual war footage. We really are a terrible species a lot of the time.
I really like it. It’s not something I would wear, but it looks great on her.
As some mentioned in previous posts, could it be that these are loans given to her so she can’t really alter them? I’m a stickler for tailored items especially after you exit your 20s and have a job that allows you to afford it. Not many people can truly wear off the rack without some alteration to really make a piece great. Anyway, for the event she looks good and I’m interested to see what her style is like once her clothing allowance kicks in.
She is dressed appropriately and looks nice. It’s a somber event so of course she should be wearing a muted color.
Meghan looks beautiful – everything doesn’t have to be tight fitting. She looks elegant and young. Uncommon with royals.
Unnecessary shade here! Several women in the family look elegant. One can compliment Meghan without disparaging every other female in the family.
I think she looks very nice and appropriate for the occasion. Also I am here for this gospel group!
The coat looks way too big and too long. She needs to show off her legs more.
And then we will get comments on how thin her legs are, the only thing not criticized about Meghan is her tongue, oh wait that was criticized also.
Go girl wear what the heck you want and what is comfortable for you, please yourself.
LOL! So true! Can’t please people for toffee!
Best comments. What ever she wears, there will be praise as well as criticism. So she should just wear what she feels comfortable.
This is not the place to be “showing off her legs.” Sigh.
Meghan makes people here lose their critical thinking skills. Things they would crucify Kate for, they actually praise in Meghan. It is bizarre!!
She is drowning in that coat. Does she not try on anything before buying it?
She looks absolutely fine. I do hope that she will begin to have her clothes professionally tailored and invest in some hand made shoes because her feet seem to be her problem area and she will be in agony going forward in the kind of shoes she currently wears. Broad brim hats suit her; more of those please.
To me it seems this coat is wearing her. She doesn’t look bad at all. She looks fine but this coat is overwhelming her.
The buttons and the pockets together are just too much.
The fit is better than some of her prior coats, the other issue is the shoulder pads…may to severe for her frame.
I love the hat.
The shoulders of this jacket are not good for her and the buttons too big. But hey at least she’s trying and she’s out there.
I think the thing that’s throwing me off is that with the big shoulders and the top under it, you sort of lose her neck? I thought she looked appropriate and very pretty but the coat definitely seemed a bit big on her
Queen Letizia has decide to wear a pink floral tea cozy to work today. Her style has been off recently.
Why, why, why did I have to go take a look? Nota, I think “off” is an understatement in this case! That coat is so wrong that I’m now feeling second-hand embarrassment. 😉
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/style/951157/queen-letizia-news-pictures-mexican-president-madrid
Express has some really good pics of Meghan’s recent engagements, too.
Honestly, that coat is something she would have put their girls in when they were 3-5 years old.
ITA; it’ cut like a child’s coat and the pattern looks pajama print.
Queen Letizia’s dress reminds me of the plastic cover the hairdressers drape over you when you’ve got long hair and need it coloured.
It’s probably the worst outfit I’ve ever seen on a royal.
I have a theory that Meg’s too-big clothing choices are like Kate’s massive hair/wig. Both are/were being used to thwart the intense media scrutiny and public exposure that come with the job. Meg always looks great though.
What! Kate wears a wig? I think it’s all her own hair.
Her hair dresser was known for doing extensions, and was fired after the “no that isn’t the glue strip for extension, it is a childhood scar” deal from KP. She’s a mess of extensions and wiglets. You only have to look at photos of her hair during the dating years to see it. No amount of product and blowouts increase the volume of hair to that extent; it is wiglets.
That coat looks like a pure Diana nod to me.
And I am loving the fact that these two are out there visibly working. Wills and Kate just don’t (except right now; Kate gets a legitimate pass).
I follow Kensington Palace, Chris Getty (royal photographer), and Clarence House on Instagram-William has been working a lot over the last several months. I know he was “work-shy” for quite a while, but I don’t think that’s accurate as of late.
I like this style of hat on her and yay for trying something a little bigger than the beret. I bet for an American this British love of hats for most occasions is a bit of a struggle. I know it would be for me. I think her beret – and near berets – are cute on her but glad to see she is trying a bigger version as she gets her hat “bearings”. I wonder if she’s been muttering about having worn more hats in the last two months than in years put together !
1. She is so pretty here! So fresh-faced. Hope she looks back at this when 80 and gushes like I am. In the last pic, I swear I got Diana flashbacks.
2. I love the coat! Coats are my thing and I don’t mind the buttons. I think they frame one up nicely and do a double duty of making you stylish and keeping you warm.
3. Yay for Harry and Meghan being the change we want to see in the world. He truly is Diana’s son. The inclusion of black artists is beautiful. I know Harry didn’t grow up in the most open-minded of households and I know most hold it against him that he has displayed this in speech in the past, but I appreciate that he loves Meghan enough to try and want to change. And maybe he’ll learn that he’s an old dog who doesn’t wish to learn new tricks but maybe, just maybe, any human truly can change especially in the face of love and maybe this is destined to be and will be a love story for the ages. And maybe we could all use a second chance when we fall in this life and shouldnt be condemned to our past.
I find it quite funny we are looking at the same pictures but see things very differently. She looks tired and kind of unhappy to me. I’ve noticed it in other pics as well. I’m wondering if the bloom is off the rose somewhat. Reality is sinking in. Otherwise her clothing choice is ok to me. Nothing special.
she doesn’t look unhappy in the couple of pictures with Harry on this site she smiling looks relax not all at like the bloom is off the roses. she could just be tired because she woke up early I Don’t understand why people keep insisting that she has no idea what she gotta herself into. I don’t think she having second thoughts at all like some people keep trying to imply the reality of her situation is that she marrying into a royal family yes her life will be different and sometime difficult due to the rules and that the nature of the royal family . I wonder if there was this much concern for Kate when she was marrying William
People see things differently. No need to be defensive.
She looks subdued because she is attending 2 somber events and can’t be grinning like an idiot. I like the whole outfit. The hat is not too big it is a knock off of a 1960s hippy hat and is supposed to look like that.
I wouldn’t hold your breath on any tailoring. She has worn her Canadian clothes and they are not tailored. She has the money and the time to have had them tailored and didn’t.
ANZAC Day originated to commemorate Gallipoli, but it has become much more than that. It’s not equivalent to D-Day recognition. I’m glad Meghan went, very few Americans know about ANZAC Day.
Very few British people know about ANZAC Day. I mean who knew about the dawn ceremony? Which royals attended last year? Nobody can remember. But we will remember now, because we can see that the Meghan Markle effect is not just on clothing and fashion but also creating awareness about special events
“The Princess Royal will also be taking part in the April commemorations as she and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence will attend the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Wellington Arch on the 25th April.”
I looked it up out of curiosity:) Harry and William were in Turkey observing and participating in the ceremony. I don’t know if it was a dawn service.
Looks like her stylist was Carmen Sandiego for this one.
Even if the outfit is not something some of you would have chosen, I have NO problem with it. She made an effort to wear an appropriate outfit at a solemn commemoration.
What impressed me was that she appeared engaged and present in mind as well as physically being there. Compare that with someone twirling her hair, grinning maniacally at highly inappropriate moments and, in general, making it obvious that was the last place she wanted to be.
She gets an A from me.