Duchess Meghan didn’t wear pantyhose, so now we have to debate ‘air stockings’

The Duchess of Sussex makes her first visit to the National Theatre

As always, much has been made over the fact that the Duchess of Sussex seems to prefer to avoid pantyhose and tights. When Meghan stepped out for her first official visit to the National Theatre yesterday, the Daily Mail searched and searched for something slyly negative to note and they came up with… her lack of pantyhose. To be fair, it was notable because it’s apparently pretty cold in London this week? That being said, she was only outside briefly. The Daily Mail wrote up this big thing about how Meghan is bare-legged, only they made it into this weirdness:

The Duchess of Sussex opted for head-to-tie peach as she arrived at the national Theatre in London – but it was her rather shiny legs were competing for attention with her outfit. While it’s royal tradition to wear nude tights, Meghan Markle, 37, flashed a rather glossy-pair of pins and seemed to go bare legged.

It was a stark contrast to the flesh-coloured tights she opted for back on 22nd May when she attended Prince Charles’ 70th birthday – her first event as a fully-fledged royal following her marriage to Prince Harry. And according to celebrity make-up Lisa Little today’s shiny look is likely down to using skin-enhancing products that mimic the effect of tights.

‘It looks like Megan has used a product such as Vita Liberata Body Blur, this is a must have product for a superior finish,’ she told Femail. ‘It offers a natural coverage with a slight skin tint to mask any blemishes or imperfections. It contains light reflecting particles, hence why she has a beautiful sheen. I also think she has added a liquid highlighter down the centre of her leg which adds an additional glow.’ The expert added: ‘It is a very similar product to “air stockings”, or spray on tights. They mask imperfections and hydrate the skin, giving a subtle glow.

[From The Daily Mail]

“Air stockings” are not a thing. It’s called going bare-legged and making sure you put on some lotion. As for why Meghan mostly avoids pantyhose…I have some theories, and those theories revolve around my own experiences too. For one, Meghan probably finds it difficult to find pantyhose in her skin color. I know I do – most regular hosiery brands (and even expensive brands) don’t make hose colors for mixed race women. Or should I say, they do make those colors but they end up looking terrible (or you find a perfect color and the quality is crap). Plus, I think Meghan is probably like me in that she “runs hot.” Some people are perpetually cold, some people are perpetually warm. I’m almost always warm/hot and I would be willing to bet Meg’s the same. Even more so during her pregnancy. Plus, maybe she doesn’t like pregnancy pantyhose? She didn’t want that sh-t to roll down mid-event. Last thing: even though the Daily Mail and other sites like to say that pantyhose is a “royal rule,” several royal women go bare-legged often enough.

Pregnant Duchess of Sussex Meghan visiting the National Theatre for the first time as the theatre new Royal Patron - London

Pregnant Duchess of Sussex Meghan visiting the National Theatre for the first time as the theatre new Royal Patron - London

Photos courtesy of WENN.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

134 Responses to “Duchess Meghan didn’t wear pantyhose, so now we have to debate ‘air stockings’”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. SK says:

    With calf muscles like that, why would she?

    For real though, I like tights but they’d be annoying when pregnant. I fully back any woman’s right to wear or not wear hosiery!

    • Pamela says:

      I never noticed her calf muscles before today. Always saw er super petite legs and was a bit envious as I have thick ankles and don’t like them.

      But DAMN, she has legs that thin AND calf muscles like that? Not fair. lol.

      I hate tights and pantyhose are even worse. I don’t blame her. The only difference between how she looks here vs in pantyhose is that I look at this pic and think she is probably comfortable. Honestly, a sheer pair of hose (if able to be matched well to skin tone)looks almost exactly the same as her bare legs. Comfort is the only real difference.

      • Azurea says:

        Those are make calf muscles. And “she” is not pregnant.

      • Azurea says:

        Sorry, I meant “male” calf muscles. Before you start screaming, do some research on
        basic anatomy. The YT channel Hudna1 has many, many videos on this – (she is a doctor.)
        Mr E Archives is also good, as well as his other channel Transpocalypse Now.

      • Olenna says:

        Azurea, the doctor also said the blood royals were reptiles but MM is a human. Incompatible! So, let’s hope they don’t devour her before the non-baby gets here. What will you and your conspiracies theorists do without MM news?

      • Rinoa says:

        Azurea is obviously one of the moonbump conspiracy theorists. If you want a good laugh (or to be horrified by the crazy), check the #moonbump on Twitter.

      • Busy Bee says:

        My reply is to @Azurea, not to @SK & @Pamela, I didn’t see any option not to reply to them.

        @Azurea The fact you are citing a certifiably nuts conspiracy theorist who thinks all female celebrities and congress woman are secretly men tells me all I need to know. Seriously that man thinks every one from Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Jackie Kennedy and now Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were once men. I don’t think his “evidence” will convince the World Megan Markle has transitioned.

    • SpillDatT says:

      My reply is to @Azurea, not to @SK & @Pamela, I didn’t see any option to reply to them.

      @Azurea

      What do you mean they are “male” calf muscles? Meghan is a woman and we also have calf muscles.

      Also what is with the extremely bizarre comment:

      ” …And “she” is not pregnant.”

      What do you mean by that? Can you clarify?

      • Elizabeth Suzanne Phillips says:

        They are not male calves – I’ve seen a number of African women with calves just like hers.

        When do you think she transitioned, Azurea? Before she was 11 and was videotaped for Nickelodeon talking about the tv ad she helped get changed because it implied only women wash dishes?

  2. Laur says:

    Literally the only thing I can say about this is that yes London is really cold atm but it’s her bloody choice what to wear on her legs, if she survived in Toronto I’m sure she can survive in London!

    • Eliza says:

      The woman next to her is also just in a blazer. If it was that uncomfortable a walk, both would have on coats. Coats trump tights everyday in warmth keeping.

      I’m sure everyone was okay from curb to the door. Their choice.

    • Mia says:

      she also went to college in Evanston, a suburb near Chicago. She’ll be fine.

  3. s says:

    Nubian Skin tights have been a lifesaver for me, but they don’t have a massive range of tones. If you find a match, though, they’re great.

    That Body Blur stuff is pretty good, too. Covers up marks and scars and doesn’t transfer all that much either. I used to lotion up and add some Mac face and body, but that would transfer like crazy on me.

    • onerous says:

      I was just going to say – Sally Hanson’s leg spray has been on the market for years – I use it because I don’t typically wear stockings and it works great!

      • Amanda says:

        And it doesn’t transfer when it’s dry!

      • Spicecake38 says:

        Sally Hanson leg spray is amazing,when it’s settled use a small amount of Jergens glow moisturizer straight down the middle of the leg from knee to top of the foot.It gives this shimmery glow.And the leg spray even covers my varicose vein in my thigh.So great and it really does stay on!

      • Tiffany :) says:

        I love the Sally Hansen spray. It’s amazing that it stays so well. I just saw a non-spray version of it at Target the other week and might have to give that a try too.

      • Snowflake says:

        When I’ve tried to use that leg spray, i couldn’t get it to cover evenly, i think i had streaks. So i never used it again. Do you spray it on vertically? Or in a circular motion? I’m doing something wrong, i have the same problem with apparently self tanner

      • Spicecake38 says:

        Snowflake,use circular spraying motion,and be sure to shake the can really well and often,and hold in about six inches away.Its a pain,but also have some old soft rags or torn t shirts handy,and use them to blend into the skin really well.I saw video of Chrissy Tiegan doing something like this when doing her own spray tan.
        I know it’s involved,but it’s worth the effort in the end.

      • Snowflake says:

        Thanks spicecake 😁

    • manda says:

      I’m just excited to learn of the existence of these two products. I’ve focused on my face for too long, and just recently realized my leg skin is… not that great

      • s says:

        They’ve been so helpful – I used to just wear trousers all the time because my legs have some scars and marks that don’t seem to fade but the tights and the tint gave me that little extra push in confidence to wear skirts and dresses. I’m pretty evangelical about those two items now!

  4. Janey says:

    It’s very cold over here just now but honestly I hate tights and would rather go without (though I just wear trousers anyway). I’m sure she’s mega flexible but the very thought of trying to get tights over a baby bump makes me wheeze, then she’d be criticized for having to keep pulling the things up! woman can’t win, she might as well be comfortable.

    • Bryn says:

      If Megan is used to Canadian winters I don’t think a little cold will bother her

    • Erinn says:

      I’m not so sure how used to Canadian winter she was – they usually filmed from spring to fall if I recall correctly. I don’t think she stayed in Canada the entire year, either, but who knows. And I’m not so sure how ‘used to’ a vastly different climate you can get when you’ve lived in somewhere like California for the vast majority of your life, and then only spent part of the year filming. I mean – I grew up and still live in Atlantic Canada – some days winter still kicks me on my ass, and it’s the only way I’ve known it. But I will say that I’m a lot quicker to change into light springy clothes than someone who’s more used to a warm climate. It was about 6C last weekend and sunny – and to me, it felt like spring had started. I wore lighter clothes than Meghan did in the photos that were posted because to ME it felt warmer than it really was just in relation to what winter normally is.

      That said – she’s clearly not a big wimp about the temperatures, either. But she’s really only going from a vehicle to the building. I remember going out in winter at school (to my mothers horror) with just a hoodie one and leaving my jacket inside because I was stubborn and some days you just feel overheated and the cold feels NICE.

      • OriginalLala says:

        also she was in Toronto – Toronto is basically one of the most southern parts of Canada. It’s much warmer there than even Ottawa, where I live, which is about 5 hours away. I don’t doubt that she experienced cold in TO but it’s not like she was living in Goose Bay!

      • Nic919 says:

        The temperature difference between Ottawa and Toronto isn’t that large. Maybe a few degrees on average but it’s minus 18 Celsius right now and wind chill of minus 31 Celsius. The biggest difference is the amount of snow each area receives. There is still a real winter in southwest Ontario. It’s vancouver that manages to avoid the harsh winter weather.

      • AnneC says:

        In California I never see anyone in stockings/hosiery anymore. It’s black tights or bare legs. She’s on trend.

      • entine says:

        didn’t she go to college in Illinois?

  5. Abby says:

    This Daily Mail article is a straight-up advertorial. UGHHH,

  6. Glove78 says:

    It’s a California thing to go tightless.

    • Royalwatcher says:

      No it’s not*. I’m from New England and hate pantyhose with a passion. I’ve never worn them except in situations when I absolutely had to for work (and luckily I’m self employed now so I’ll never have to wear them again lol). That’s what I see Meghan doing – wearing them only when it’s expected for work.

      And yes, thank you Kaiser, please do keep repeating that there is no protocol that royal women must wear hose at all times.

      *i should have said, perhaps it is a CA thing but it’s also just a personal preference thing.

      • Dee says:

        I’m in Toronto, and I never wear stockings. Bare legs are so much more comfy and I run hot. And I certainly never put makeup on my legs!! I thought everyone was here was kidding about that at first!

      • Erinn says:

        100% Royalwatcher . It’s more of a generation thing if anything. I’ve only worn tights as a little girl – under 7. And then one or two other times with a dress but only because I happened upon some really comfy black tights one year and we’d hit a really bad cold spell.

        I HAVE used that Sally Hanson leg makeup stuff before, though. But I’m shockingly pale, and my legs are always lighter than my arms. So if there’s going to be photos taken or something, I’ll add a bit of that stuff to a moisturizer to darken them up and smooth them out a bit because I tend to be clumsy and bruise my legs walking around at night without my glasses or contacts in haha.

      • Glove78 says:

        Right. Not saying everyone outside of California wears tights and loves them. Just that in California the % of women who wear tights is tiny. The few times I wore them there for work (I live in Boston now and still don’t wear them), I felt very self conscious.

      • Mel M says:

        I’m from the Midwest, -8 F currently, and the only time I ever wore tights or nylons was when I was young for dance recitals or my mom made me for Easter Sunday. Other then that never. If I’m going to wear a skirt then I’m going to have bare legs and if it’s too cold for bare legs then I’m not going to wear a skirt. I really don’t get it, I don’t know really anyone that was a nylons wearer unless they were way older. None of my childhood friends did and none of my friends now do. This debate is so bizarre to me.

      • Snowflake says:

        I haven’t worn pantyhose since i was a teen going to church. I can’t remember anyone wearing pantyhose or tights in recent years.

    • manda says:

      I feel like almost every woman I know avoids pantyhose

      • Lady D says:

        I don’t remember the last time I saw someone wearing pantyhose.

      • Kate says:

        Same. We might wear opaque tights with like a sweater dress to work but pantyhose is only for formal business interviews if you’re wearing a skirt suit. I don’t currently own a pair and I’m a lawyer. They seem very old fashioned and unstylish to me.

      • Maiglöckchen says:

        Absolutely on all of these. I’ll wear opaque black tights with black formal wear if need be, but never pantyhose. They’re very fussy and somehow feel like the 1980s “Working Girl” vibe.

      • Mego says:

        A few years ago I went to a formal dinner, something I do rarely, and was the only one wearing hose. They have been out of fashion for a long time.

    • Mia says:

      I’ve seen celebrities getting out of cars in NY without pantyhose and tights, wearing summer shoes. Mariah Carey comes to mind.

    • Astrid says:

      I haven’t worn tights or panty hose in 14+ years. And I’ve lived all over – hot and cold climates. It’s not a California thing.

    • Spicecake38 says:

      Child of the nineties here,and navy or black opaque tights were a go to back then.We wore them with mini skirts in the winter(cold Midwest winters),or even with long dresses and boots if we were not in jeans,but didn’t do tights of any kind in warmer weather,and to me that means about 45 F or above.Today we are indoors for day 2 of the polar vortex-20-30 wind chills,but as long as there’s school tomorrow my daughter and 99% of her HS classmates will be back in school and they are ALWAYS in school uniform shorts 🙄😆😉The kids say the school is super hot,I dare to demand my daughter wear long pants on cold/snowy enough days,and she actually gladly agrees,but some of the kids -Shorts always!

    • KMD says:

      Totally agree, I am a lawyer and used to work in Chicago, where it was expected that women wear tights or hose if wearing a skirt any time except the hottest days of summer. I then moved to LA, and found no one–not even to court or in interviews–wears tights or hose. To me, California has a uniquely casual attitude toward “professional” clothing, and I expect that’s at least part of Meg’s style sensibility.

  7. SarSte says:

    Yeah, it’s been cold in London this week (…it’s currently +5C), but as a Canadian expat living there right now, I can tell you THIS IS NOTHING. Girlfriend was working in Toronto for years, those horrific TO winters are burned into her brain. The weather we are experiencing now is a casual September day in Canada – LET A GIRL LIVE.

    I will say though, I work in a formal business environment in the UK and everyone wears stockings here, like beyond anything I’ve ever seen in North America. I didn’t even have proper stockings in my wardrobe until I moved here. Not sure if its a conservative thing or style thing, but I think that’s why it’s more of a point of conversation, which probably seems weird for all of you over in the colonies (plus it’s the DailyFail, so… misogyny and pearl clutching are just a given, right?).

    • Laur says:

      I think you’re on to something here, most women do wear tights in an office environment (myself included). Tbh I thought it was the norm as so many do it, for me it’s an autumn/winter thing and wanting to keep warm.

    • HK9 says:

      Torontonian here- It’s -19(-32 with the windchill) today sooooo +5 is like summer, she’ll be all right. 🙂

    • Bettyrose says:

      I used to be super good at converting c° to f° in my head but I thought I was missing something here. It’s 5C in London so that’s 40F? Even CA occasionally gets that cold on winter nights. Hardly risking frostbite to quickly hustle ftom car to venue without pantyhose.

      • Lady D says:

        Yes, it’s 40F. 5C = double the temp number and add 30 to it, you will get the temp in Fahrenheit. It won’t be exact, you’re only off by a degree or two in either direction, but it gives you a good idea of the temperature in F.

      • Spicecake38 says:

        Where I live 40 F is Easter weather,the women are to church,dinner out in pastel colored dresses and definitely no tights if we’re lucky enough to have it that warm😃

    • Tina says:

      I think it also has to do with how we commute here. In the UK (at least in Greater London) many people commute by train, whereas I think most people in North America still commute by car. If you’re going from a warm house to a car and then your office and back again, you can be bare-legged much more easily than if you’re standing on a freezing platform waiting for your train. Also I like tights. Tights can be much warmer than pantyhose.

    • mazzie says:

      +5? As a Canadian in Toronto who literally took off 3 layers of clothing when she got home today and is still wearing two because it is -30 right now, +5 is t-shirt weather.

  8. Eliza says:

    I don’t think it’s about color but comfort. She’s from LA, it’s not common to wear stockings. Also it’s about not like stockings, and i think she’s trying to modernize in little ways. Diana sent messages through her clothes, there’s presidence.

    She had on lots of (coconut?) oil and was in and out of the cold in 3 seconds. She was fine.

  9. CommentingBunny says:

    I haaaaate pantyhose so only wear stay-up thigh highs. They keep my legs warm but keep nylon away from my nether regions. Plus they make me feel hawt as hell and put an extra swing in my step. But if there was ever a hint that Meg did that can you imagine the clutching of pearls that would ensue?

  10. Eleonor says:

    ANARCHY IN THE UK!!!!
    lol

  11. aquarius64 says:

    DM is really reaching.

  12. Beth says:

    Wear them or don’t, it’s the womens choice. When it’s freezing cold, I most likely will wear them, but I do find them itchy and uncomfortable. It’s cold in London, but she’s lived in Canada for years, so she’s used to chilly weather. That outfit Meghan is wearing looks like a warm weather, summerish outfit, and probably wouldn’t wear panyhose with it, and definitely not tights

    • Himmiefan says:

      Yeah, if it’s a woman’s choice, then fine. I do recall, though, fashion gurus advocating bare legs in very cold weather. I said no, that’s going beyond fashion and straight into fashion victimhood. At the time, I thought, “ You first, Tim Gunn.”

  13. Sash says:

    Oh my god, who cares? There are bigger issues going on than pantyhose.

  14. Piper says:

    I never noticed this was a thing til recently. I have a really close friend that lives in Surrey and few years ago she sent me her pic – spring, powder blue dress w black tights. I assumed the tights were a religious thing about not showing legs bc they totally didn’t match and it was spring, and again in fall with the black thick tights…. I had no idea it was just a Brit thing. I can assure you this is a cultural thing… Americans have long stopped wearing camisoles, slips and some don’t wear hose at all – unless forced, even in cold states-mainly for church. Meg’s a Cali girl, surely hose weren’t a norm. Press and posters reference tights, not just hose. I see possibly wearing hose… but it causes another layer of complication. Not just overheating, but seams hitting mid stomach or worse, rolling below your belly. It’s just not worth this trouble unless she’s out for extended periods of time – which she wasn’t. I also find this story banal…. but typical from DM, like the black toenail and bunion story, it’s weird and a bit creepy and overly involved for a paper. And I agree Kaiser, getting the color hose right is my great mission and when I don’t – no hose. Black tights only go with dark or black in winter lol.

    • Lady D says:

      Women don’t wear slips anymore? Has everyone given them up?

      • Florida says:

        I can’t ever really find slips, but I always wear camisoles and bike shorts. In winter, I wear leggings usually. Anything I wear, I have another layer underneath it. Fabric is too thin and I don’t want my bra and underwear showing to the world. I live in Florida, everyone knows Florida weather is super hot and humid but I still want to be covered. I don’t wear pantyhose though. I have a black pair of tights but that’s it. And I rarely ever wear them.

        Of course people can dress how they’d like but I can’t understand how or why people want their underwear showing through their clothes. And when people wear booty shorts and sweat all over chairs and then I have to sit there? Eww! Another reason I like to be covered.

      • eto says:

        Yeah, I think we really have given them. I haven’t had one since I was a kid and my mom forced me to wear them. Now she doesn’t even bother!

      • SignoraSpaghetti says:

        i am a 35 year old woman and I have literally never owned or worn a slip. I don’t even get what they’re for? They seem pointless to me.

      • mazzie says:

        I wear them in cold weather as an added thin layer under wool dresses. (I live in Canada.)

      • Himmiefan says:

        Half slips all the way! Very slimming. I once saw a very slim woman in a knit dress, and the fabric clung to every bump in a not so sexy way. I wanted to put her in fashion rehab right then and get her a half slip.

        No to panty hose, yes to black tights (or pants) in the winter..

      • Princessk says:

        I wear slips regularly, l don’t want people seeing my knickers if l am wearing a thin unlined skirt or dress.

    • Meganbot2000 says:

      Yes, it’s a British thing. I don’t know what pantyhose is, but black tights are pretty much the norm for women here.

      (Seriously, a slip? Has anyone worn a slip since the 1950s?)

  15. Cee says:

    I’m sure she experienced colder winters in Canada so perhaps she wasn’t that cold? She could also run hot, especially during pregnancy.
    Anyway, I can’t believe she’s being policed about this.

  16. Ninks says:

    A while back on the Apprentice UK, one of the finalists was a black woman, and her business plan was to create a high end line of tights for people of all skin colours. She had done her research, spotted a huge gap in the market and had an idea with international potential, but the white, male interviewers just did. not. get. it. They thought it was a non starter and went for a guy who had designed a curved nail file instead. I think of her and her idea every time the subject of Meghan and tights comes up.

    • Bella DuPont says:

      Marks and Spencer sell hosiery for all colours, even very dark skin tones…..

      A few years ago, I heard about a black woman who had made a stupendous amount of money manufacturing and selling tights for dark skin, although I heard she was in America, (iirc)……very possible we’re talking about the same woman.

  17. Mego says:

    I hope that when the Queen passes, royal women can have more agency over their clothing. Her Majesty’s penchant for dresses and skirts is anachronistic and in this weather, Meghan should be wearing trousers. Bare legs in Winter weather is hardly ideal and no modern woman should have to stuff themselves into hosiery (especially when pregnant) which is also anachronistic. The Dail Fail, discussing if Meghan used spray on stockings is absurd.

    • Clare says:

      She’s allowed to wear (and has worn) trousers. Agreed that idiotic publications like the Fail make a big deal about this nonsense – but most women her age have jobs with dress codes/expectations, don’t see why ‘royal’ women should be the exception.

      • Mego says:

        They aren’t. Expectations of any employer that women wear dresses, skirts or hosiery are anachronistic and sexist. Yes Meghan has worn trouserers but since becoming a Duchess we’ve seen her wearing them much less often and that, I believe, has to do with the Queen’s views about what women should wear.

    • Princessk says:

      You make a good point trousers would have been more appropriate in this weather but people would have gone crazy. Meghan always wears tights in the presence of the Queen and other senior royals. With Harry bare legs are fine.

  18. Galang says:

    Professional women of colour – like myself and others with actual jobs – wear tights everyday in London with no issues. There are many colours available and myself and other WOCs here (ones who actually work and don’t have people to run off an order things for them, like Megan does) find it laughable to suggest that there’s an issue finding the right colour.

    Don’t patronise us. It’s so degrading.

    • sara says:

      Or maybe she just doesn’t like fucking tights. Why the hell should women wear them?

    • Beth says:

      If Meghan wasn’t famous and I knew nothing about her, I wouldn’t even think she was a WOC. She has light colored skin, so she wouldn’t have any trouble finding pantyhose or tights that go with her skin tone. What if she just doesn’t want to wear them though? Not wearing them should be fine because this isn’t the old days where it was considered improper if a woman didn’t wear hosiery

      • MrsBanjo says:

        And tights really aren’t a thing in California. It’s such an odd thing in this day and age to get wound up about.

      • ex-Mel says:

        It’s not about being “improper” – it’s about elegance. In the midst of winter it is usually cold in Europe – and elegance is by definition being in tune with the circumstances. It would not be elegant to wear pantyhose on a hot summer day; it is not elegant to go without them on a cold winter day. It looks ridiculous.

      • MrsBanjo says:

        Oh please. It’s not inelegant to not wear hose regardless of the season. By your logic, every one of us who covers year-round for religious/cultural reasons (or because we just want to), including summer, have no elegance. What a classist comment.

    • Katashae says:

      THIS. As a professional WOC I and many colleagues have never had an issue in recent years finding a fine or good color match. It’s not the 90’s when this was an issue for all wonen (you had either tan, snow white, or very dark back then). The market is expansive now and all available online, much less the ease of having a team of staff to do so for you. As for the protocol, it’s dumb and maybe there isn’t technically one and either way she looks lovely to me; BUT if there is one, or even a preference for one, for royal family members during royal work engagements, then why can’t she just follow it. They’re not as comfortable as not wearing them, sure, but her engagements aren’t long, active or strenuous so I can’t understand the issue of just putting on a simple pair of hose (and I’m sure she has access to the most expensive/comfortable/luxurious/etc). Is it kinda silly? Sure. Is it a big deal? No. But as an attorney there are some court appearances for which hose are a sort of “protocol” – meaning not mandatory but preferred – and it’s not like they throw you out and call you a ho if you don’t wear them, but it’s also just not a big, difficult for me to simply put them on for my short, formal appearance and then take them off afterwards if I want. And I’m not a famous royal whose every move is scrutinized. So for her, while she shouldn’t be picked on as she is, it seems like the simplest of “rules” she could follow to boost her image, or whatever it may be. Just seems like she’s making some point to make a point, and that comes across as..odd.

      • Rosie says:

        Totally agree. Millions of women work through pregnancy and have to conform to a dress code. She could wear hold ups or trousers if heat is an issue. She’s not in America now and in the UK professional women don’t wear bare legs except at th height of summer and maybe not even then.

      • Tina says:

        Yeah, I mean, I don’t care what Meghan does and i don’t think the Queen does either. But I also don’t understand why it is so difficult for so many North Americans here to understand that in the UK we do wear tights, it’s very common and in professional circles generally expected.

    • Princessk says:

      My sisters used to laugh at me for wearing tights, I only wear black opaque tights in winter now.

  19. C-Shell says:

    She’s pregnant. She needs to get a pass on wearing anything that requires her to 1) bend over her burgeoning bump to pull them up, 2) wear anything tight, like elastic, over said burgeoning bump, 3) endure all the commentary about how her undergarments show through her clothing, or 4) give a flying f*ck about anything the Royal Protocol Pearl Clutchers opine about.

    • Pamela says:

      Not to mention…getting them up and down while pregnant is difficult…and when you are pregnant, you have to pee every 2 minutes. If she didn’t like hose before, can’t imagine her growing to love them while pregnant!

  20. Laura says:

    I think nylons or tights would ruin a lot of her looks, IMO.

    • Princessk says:

      My sisters used to laugh at me for wearing tights, I only wear black opaque tights in winter now.

  21. Laprincesita says:

    I don’t think is a big deal, she has Nice legs, my problem is with her make up, she can’t find a balance and looks so clownish…

    • minx says:

      Yes, someone needs to flush her blush.

    • Beth says:

      She’s beautiful, but her blush /bronzer never looks right. Maybe she shouldn’t wear any at all

    • KatieBo says:

      She’s so gorgeous but that bronzer/blush situation is consistently terrible. It looks like someone just smeared it on with their fingers and never bothered to blend it.

  22. Becks1 says:

    I think pantyhose would have looked bad with this outfit in general, much like I thought the hose she wore to the garden party didn’t look good.

    But, I think whatever her feelings on pantyhose/tights in general, she probably doesn’t like them when she’s pregnant. I still remember walking around at 7 months pregnant with my second, and my tights just falling down my belly (maternity too!) and I had to keep hiking them up. I think I finally took them off in the bathroom and threw them away.

  23. Eden75 says:

    I live in northern British Columbia, Canada and never wear tights or nylons, I don’t care what the temperature is. They are horrible and I rarely find ones that fit properly. I’m short and curvy, so to fit my a$$, I have to get ones that would also require me to be 6 ft tall, which I am about a foot short of. So forget that crap. I use the Sally Hansen spray and life goes on. In the summer I try to get some sun on my legs so I can avoid the spray as well. It’s great and doesn’t transfer to clothes but it’s messy to wash off. If Megan wants to go hoseless, fly at it. Way more comfortable than way.

    Note: never use a white face cloth to scrub the spray off. Sorry to every hotel I have ever stayed in……

    • BeeCee says:

      Same girl!! I’m south coast BC, and I’ll be damned if I ever wear pantyhose or nylons.

      Short and curvy all the way!! Those damn tights would usually roll down my back and belly fat, and that shit is so damn uncomfortable.

      Never, never, never with those dreaded things.

  24. Kookila says:

    I cosign the generational thing. I will wear tights in the winter, but pantyhose are something I connect with older women and very conservative situations. The only people who have ever commented on my bare legs are women who are 20 years older than me.

  25. minx says:

    I don’t think it’s a big deal.
    Oddly in these pictures I don’t like her outfit as much as I did yesterday. Not sure why, looks like it doesn’t fit.

    • Lady D says:

      Especially from the back it doesn’t look the same. It has a different outline/look from behind. I missed the multitude of pleats yesterday too.

  26. Heather says:

    I don’t like pantyhose or nylons. I don’t like the feel of them against my skin, I don’t like how it feels if my legs touch while I wear them. I hate that I would have to be super careful so I didn’t get a run (which would be worse than not wearing them if I was a duchess, right?). I don’t think nylons would have kept her any warmer anyway. She was going from a heated car, ten feet into a heated building. It’s not a crime against humanity.

    • Eden75 says:

      ^^All of this.

      The other crappy thing? If your skin gets dry under them, even after you lotion. It happens a lot up here in the dry winters and it’s not cool to have nylons covered in sloughed off skin. Mmmmmmm, so pretty and ladylike……..

  27. JanetDR says:

    All the young women I work with wear fairly body conscious clothing that is not actual maternity wear during their pregnancies – like Meghan’s but more casual of course. So did I back in the 80s! I had some great colorful cotton blend tights that I wore with regular leotards (with leg warmers, terry headbands, and Reeboks of course) to my morning aerobics class. I had a few big sweatshirts that I’d toss on after class to run into a grocery store on the way home and I pretty much lived in them without the aerobics gear the rest of the time. Pink, royal blue, purple and I even had matching low heeled pumps for more formal occasions …with my sweatshirt dress. Haha! Pretty sure that I looked adorable, except maybe the 80s hair…. You could not pay me to wear regular pantyhose. Hot,uncomfortable, yeast infection inducing instruments of torture, that never quite fit right!

  28. launicaangelina says:

    If I decide to walk around naked, I’m going to call it my air body suit. 😂

  29. itspurplespice says:

    Air Stockings is a thing. It’s a product you can buy. A quick Google search took me to it on Amazon. It looks like some sort of self-tanner spray. Sally Hansen also makes a version called Airbrush Legs. This seems ridiculous to me. Are we really so shallow that our legs have to have their “imperfections masked” and we have to have legs that are monotone all the way down? That’s not how human skin works.

  30. StellainNH says:

    When one is pregnant panty hose may not be a good friend.

    I had issues with the damn pair rolling off my belly and landing mid thigh. Awful.

  31. Sleanne says:

    I have worn a dress (occasionally a skirt) to work every day for 15 years. My coworkers have never seen me in pants. I also wear tights every day with the exception of temperatures over 30C (have still never shown toes at work!). It is my uniform of sorts and puts me in work mode. I found a brand of tights i like, bought a zillion pairs/colours… Feels like I’m being supported yet comfy. While I love it, many ask how I dress like this. If you feel like yourself and it’s appropriate for the situation, wear it! Too hung up on fashion rules…

  32. Mle428 says:

    When I was pregnant (and I was on the same timeline as Megs), I wondered if I was ever going to feel cold again? I ran so hot from those hormones. I’d be like, “Did I pee my pants, did my water break, or is this just sweat?”

  33. Cerys says:

    I can’t understand the fuss about Meghan choosing to go bare-legged. Diana regularly did the same and I can’t remember a media discussion about it or accusations of breaking with Royal protocol.

  34. Pandy says:

    Look, she has a car and driver so it’s not like she has to wait at a bus stop with bare legs! Hate pantyhose myself; however, too fair skinned to go without unless it’s summer lol. Blueish leg color is not as attractive as her skin tone lollll.

  35. girl_ninja says:

    I haven’t worn pantyhose in more than 20 years. They are uncomfortable and itchy and just plain awful. I occasionally will wear tights, but mainly for fashion reasons and the LOOK of an outfit.

  36. SignoraSpaghetti says:

    Do people really wear nude pantyhose anymore? I get black or colored tights under dresses, but nude? And with open-backed shoes? That’s a hard no for me.

  37. Eric says:

    I wear “hair stockings”…

    Most people don’t object.

  38. CairinaCat says:

    So we’re talking about 40f right?
    It frequently is 40 in the morning here in Southern California or colder this time of year.

    So it would probably give some of you a stroke to know I’ll take my kid to school and go to the grocery store wearing sandals and shorts when it’s that temp. I MIGHT wear a hoodie or sweater.
    40 isn’t that cold people

    It’s street sweeping day today and my phone says 50f, it’s raining and I will be walking out to my car barefoot so I don’t get my shoes wet for a short walk to my car to move it. And I’m wearing shorts.

    The horrors!

    • Gloria S says:

      You mean you walk your kid to school and you walk to the shop? And in total for that you are outside for more than 60 minutes? That then would be impressive at 40F. I think a lot of the discussion here is between people in the US who do a lot with their cars. So yes absolutely for walking to your car from your house and then from your car to the supermarket without hose is fine. In urban Europe we commute by walking, trains, bus etc so I feel like in general people’s clothes are much more adapted to the season. When I lived in Nebraska I would always be astonished how many girls wore short skirts and high heel sandals to school in deepest winter, until I realized that I was one of the few ones that actually walked to school. Most came by car. And of course if you spend your day in a car with AC and then in a building with AC why would you need to adapt your clothing to the season.

  39. Brittney says:

    I get so HOT when all my skin is covered except my face and neck. Rip-off-my-scarf-and-fan-myself hot. Run-to-a-bathroom-just-to-pull-off-my-leggings hot. Even when it’s 20 degrees.

    She’s very pregnant and spends most of these visits indoors, so I totally get it. Her hormones could be going crazy, she could “run hot” in general…. she could even be thinking about potential tears and snags, and how the press would tear her apart if she accidentally got any.

  40. Tassiegal says:

    Her foundation hasn’t been applied properly and stops at her jawline 🙁

  41. Maddie says:

    I hate wearing pantyhose or tights (I’m also from California, but also refuse to wear them in NYC winters). My mom always wears them. For my grandmother’s funeral, I had to wear them cause it was the dress code since a Royal (the funeral was held abroad) was attending and I could not take them off fast enough.

  42. Meghan fan says:

    Pantyhose is the Royal Dresscode for Royal Ladies on Royal Duties. Why should there be an exception for Meghan?

    • Princessk says:

      Meghan wears tights when on official duties with the Queen or other senior members of the royal family but when she is with her husband he is happy for her to go bare legged.

  43. Themummy says:

    The idea that pantyhose would keep her legs any warmer than they would be bare is completely ridiculous. That just is not a function of pantyhose at all. I detest pantyhose, but I did used to have to wear them…and in the cold it is EXACTLY the same as having bare legs in terms of temperature.

    Thick tights or fleece right would work for that, but not pantyhose.

  44. tuille says:

    I hate pantyhose. I’m very tall, slender & hard to fit. Extra-tall ones are too long from waist to crotch & short in the legs or they’re so big that they wrinkle around my ankles. Meghan likes shoes with ankle straps/ties & baggy or wrinkly hose around her ankles would look horrible.