This entire time, I thought the Duchess of Sussex wore so many neutral colors because that was just her style. Especially when she was living in the UK (pre-2020), Meghan stuck to a mostly-neutral color palette of beiges, chocolates, black and creams. Since she moved back to America, granted, we’ve seen her wear some colorful stuff, but I would argue that she still wears a lot of neutral colors because that really is her baseline style/taste. In Netflix’s Harry & Meghan, she explained why she limited her fashion choices while in the UK:
Meghan Markle is sharing insight into the strategic style choices she made as a senior working royal. In episode three of Harry & Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, 41, spoke about her discreet sense of style while living in the U.K. Meghan became a senior working royal after marrying Prince Harry in 2018, and said she didn’t want to stand out when photographed with the rest of the royal family.
“Most of the time that I was in the U.K., I rarely wore color. There was thought in that,” she said in a sit-down with Netflix cameras, wearing a lavender sweater and silk skirt.
“To my understanding, you could never wear the same color as Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth] if there’s a group event, but then you also shouldn’t be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family,” she added, alluding to Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla.
“So I was like, ‘Well, what’s a color that they’ll probably never wear?’ Camel, beige, white,” she continued, as photos flashed of her in a tan wrap coat during her first Sandringham Christmas. “So I wore a lot of muted tones, but it was also so I could just blend in. I’m not trying to stand out here. There was no version of me joining this family and me not doing everything I could to fit in. I don’t want to embarrass the family.”
It’s one of those “is it really a rule or protocol” things. I think it’s more of an informal rule that women should try to avoid wearing the same color as the queen, but it would involve a stupid amount of coordination for all royal women to avoid wearing the same colors constantly. Anyway, that was one of the reasons why we knew Meghan was done with Salt Island during the You Coulda Had a Bad Bitch Tour in March 2020 – she wore beautiful jewel tones! Meg was DONE!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and WENN.
-
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the Terrence Higgins Trust charity fair at the Nottingham Contemporary Centre,Image: 356625727, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no
-
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Reprezent 107.3FM in Brixton, to see their work supporting young people through creative training in radio and broadcasting, and to learn more about their model of using music, radio and media for social impact.,Image: 359678156, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no
-
- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit the launch of the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre,Image: 378093062, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: John Rainford / Wenn / Avalon
-
- 176162, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attend Trooping the Colour for the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. London, United Kingdom – Saturday June 9, 2018. Photograph: © PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000,Image: 515356518, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: PacificCoastNews / Avalon
-
- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex depart after attending the christening of Prince Louis at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, London.,Image: 515593275, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
-
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend an event at Millennium Point to celebrate International Women’s Day in Birmingham on 8th March 2018,Image: 534151125, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
-
- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Princess Royal (right) attend a reception at Buckingham Palace in London to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales.,Image: 535533714, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
-
- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend The Prince of Wales’ 70th Birthday Patronage Celebration in the Gardens of Buckingham Palace, London, UK Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 22 MAY 2018 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- The British Royal family arrive at Sandringham to celebrate Christmas Day Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Where: Sandringham, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2017 Credit: Ward/WENN.com
-
- The British Royal family arrive at Sandringham to celebrate Christmas Day Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Where: Sandringham, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2017 Credit: Ward/WENN.com
-
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Reprezent 107.3FM in Brixton, to see their work supporting young people through creative training in radio and broadcasting, and to learn more about their model of using music, radio and media for social impact. Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Where: London, United Kingdom When: 09 Jan 2018 Credit: Danny Martindale/WENN
The way she tried to make herself smaller to stay safe is heartbreaking and what so many women have to deal with.
Very heartbreaking. She tried to dim her light and while I HATE to compare the two or bring Kate into this, I find it ironic no amount of embiggening can help Kate while Meghan had to make herself small and that did not work either.
She really tried to mute herself on every level but even then, it wasn’t enough for them.
“The way she tried to make herself smaller to stay safe is heartbreaking and what so many women have to deal with.” So true, in so many ways. To make it worse, people are conditioned to react as if the defect is in the character of any woman saying she shouldn’t have to do that for safety, rather than in the system itself and those eager to enforce it. It’s not just about policing women’s bodies, it’s about policing women’s submission under the guise of calling for humility. If Meghan hadn’t complied perfectly or had expressed discomfort, that would have just been another reason to assassinate her character. She basically would have been called uppity through tirades about how she must think she’s special, that rules don’t apply to her, or that she went back on some deal by balking against that level of control.
She really was bending over backwards to please these snots. Then she realized there was no pleasing them.
She was making self small so people with no personalities or sense of fashion could shine! She still out shone those basic women! Yikes
I hope that viewers realize that there was nothing Meghan could do that wouldn’t get criticized. She tried so hard to fit in, but no matter what she did, she was criticized.
The royals never intended her to fit in at all. Their goal was to force her out from day 1.
Well said. And I hope her quote: “There was no version of me joining this family and me not doing everything I could to fit in. I don’t want to embarrass the family.” will be remembered when she’s being criticized for hugging or anything else. She tried hard to fit in and play by the rules and that family was set on destroying her from day 1.
“On Wednesdays, we wear pink”
There seems to be a lot of that mean girl, hierarchy bs going on in there. It’s incredibly stupid in my opinion. Well at least that also explains a lot of Kate’s cosplaying.
To me this highlighted how they were out to make her fail. There are teams of people who manage the royal wardrobes and I totally buy a ‘protocol’ about wearing different colours because these people are that weird. All the other teams would be coordinating efforts for joint appearances and leaving her out in the cold. AK47 ruled the roost and let everyone know it.
You explained this beautifully, SarahCS! Unfortunately, “Harry and Meghan” while telling us that Meghan is trying to figure out what other royal women ARE NOT wearing, does not come out and say that those royal women WERE NOT coordinating with her. So Meghan essentially said that she (and Harry were) was kept out of the loop, but you need to “think extra” to realize what she’s saying. The fact that Meghan also outright says that she’s not trying to stand out: that was one of the marks against her in the press.
Yeah, she basically had to guess at what the other women were wearing and then try to figure out what they wouldn’t wear so she stuck to neutrals bc she knew at least the Queen, Kate and Camilla rarely wore neutrals. So its clear they weren’t coordinating with her bc she had to guess.
And yet who is out today, parading around in a beige coat and hat? None other than Camilla, the Queen. Coincidence? Nope. She must think she is so funny trying to stick it to Meghan.
Way to make it obvious you watched the doc, Camilla.
@Harper I read your comment and went to look for images. There she is looking as close to M as she could with what was already in her closet. One would think Rotty is too old for this jealousy, but nope. This is who she is.
A perfect example of this would be one of the Cambridge children’s christening’s, everyone in the family photo was wearing dark blue and light blue, and Meghan was wearing olive. There are a few other events where this happened but that’s the first one that came to mind, they were purposely leaving her out of the loop. And then leaving her out to dry when the press bashed her for it.
The irony is that wearing neutral colors made her stand out more than if she’d constantly worn jewel tones like the rest of the family.
So true. The same thing happened when Harry was forbidden to wear a uniform to the queen’s funeral. He stood out and the other uniformed royals looked like his (old, saggy) protection detail.
And she was dragged for looking drab and boring, etc. She really could not win no matter what she did (she still can’t in the eyes of the british media.) I’m glad she’s just doing what she wants now.
Her style reminds me of my own (I am not that stylish, I don’t have her innate sense of…chic-ness, I guess, where she can wear jeans and a tshirt and look like an icon) but I tend to wear a lot of neutrals – black, white, camel – and then I like to pop out in bright colors for special occasions or fun nights out or something. I feel like she gravitates towards the neutrals but likes colors for statement pieces (like her blue dress at the NAACP awards, her bad bitch tour, etc.) Her blue dress in Fiji was gorgeous but I wonder if after that she tried to tone it down a bit to head off the smear campaign.
I’ve only realised now that we’ve only seen K wear long coats just recently after Meghan was wearing them. I used to only joke about the Pinterest/moodboard but I actually believe she’s got one now 👀
She actually consciously worked to dim her light to not shine too bright for these dimwits.
An example of Meghan trying to be half herself. How sad. But I agree, Meghan does seem to naturally gravitate to neutrals in her professional clothing anyways. Maybe it was more of a case of avoiding colour.
I did read once a long time ago that the palace issued briefs on what colour the Queen would be wearing to important events so that women in the family and entourage would not wear the same. That at least seemed “protocol’ in the past. I don’t know if the Queen kept it up for her entire reign. I saw a picture of Camilla in a white gown at a state dinner, and the Queen wore her usual white as well.
TQ used to wear the most awful colours anyway, no one BUT her would be seen in them but I can well imagine Khate not sharing the information with her. Khate who used to wear nothing but blue coat dresses with millions of buttons or theme dressed until Meghan showed up.
I also thought Meghan just preferred neutrals and she still overwhelmingly wears neutrals even now in the USA (like the white dress worn to the Ripple of Hope awards, case in point). But she really did everything to please these people and dimmed her light hoping to fit in. Even now when she visits the UK, she still wears neutral colors so as not to stand out (apart from the all black everyone wore for the Queen’s funeral/mourning period).
She wore a lot more color on red carpets before she married Harry but neutrals when she was at events related to her philanthropy
She wore white at that event, but its design was quite unusual. And she wore Diana’s aquamarine ring, which is huge and a brilliant blue. When wearing a statement piece like that, it’s best to wear colors that will be more in the background. Something Kate has never understood.
I keep hoping when they get, chronologically, to that part of the story the March 2020- you could have had a bad b*tch- events where she looked so happy and gorgeous- that she talks about how happy and gorgeous and free she felt.
She probably won’t, but it would be petty and delightful.
Because those pictures were FIRE.
And yet she shone brighter than all those Windsor witches put together. My favourite one was from her wearing olive green in Luigi’s christening and that navy ensemble in some raf event where Wails looked drab and boring in ice blue.
I think you mean Louis…
I like Luigi better, LOL.
Luigi Mountbatten-Windsor. I love it. 😂
I mean forget the other engagements that week, her decision to wear that green dress at the Commonwealth Day Service with the Royal Family in attendance was a major statement.
I actually love her style BECAUSE it’s often so neutral and classic. This is so sad, though — to have to try to shrink and become camouflaged to fit in, or at least not be called out in a negative way.
I can see why, they attacked her for breathing air at this point. I think she still got into trouble the one time that somehow it became her fault she did an event the same day that Kate or Camilla did. I remember going, how? Don’t they all coordinate? Why is it on her to make sure that all of the staff talk?
The sad part is she toned everything down for that family and still stood out so much the others started copying HER. Nothing as bad as what Kate does now but they copied her handbags, coats, boot/skirt combos and even color palette. So if the senior royal women don’t coordinate AND copy her it puts Meghan in a lose-lose situation.
I’m really starting to understand why they went on 3 tours in 18 months. Why they moved to Windsor and left the KP offices. The Sussexes were constantly being put in lose-lose situations and the best way to avoid it was distance.
Think about how colorfully Meghan dressed when she was on all 3 of those tours. THAT’S her style. Neutrals and Black in a work/professional environment. Vibrant Colors and/or White for an informal or celebratory environment.
As others have said even when she wore beige and camel she still outshone the other royal women. You only have to look at how Kate is dressing now to realise that. The press still attacked for not wearing bright colours so she could win.
Could “never” win
I’m totally with her and I hate that she felt that way and she looks amazing in jewel tones.
BUT!!
That greige overcoat with the silver scarf was so gorgeous. And that olive green overcoat Harry is wearing in that picture? Also gorgeous!! I don’t remember seeing him wear it ever again, but I loved their looks for that event.
She really makes the neutrals worked because the looks were so clean and modern. One of my favorite of the “drab” looks was a pale pink dress and matching blazer she wore when pregnant. Wasn’t crazy about the trench dresses. Those probably were the few looks on her that aren’t my style. However, the impact of what she wore and, how she worked, is being emulated by the women left in the royal family, especially Kate, who as said here, must have a Meghan Pinterest page.
This really struck me because I remember how she got savaged for not wearing color on a website. Especially when she wore a muted tone to visit a school and someone actually tried to drag her for not wearing colors so the kids would have something to look at. Like kids are give a flying fig about what someone is wearing, kids care about what you say to them and how you make them feel, they’re not critiquing your clothing choices.
SHE WORE the g%%damn HATS!
That would have been my limit!
And the pantyhose whenever she was in the presence of the Queen.
I feel like she was never comfortable in those formal hats. The beret style seemed her go-to because it was the least “hat-like” style.
In fairness when you are expecting your father in law to pay for your very expensive work wardrobe you should expect to accept some limitations.
I remember Tom and Lorenzo dragging Meghan all the time for wearing neutrals. I immediately thought them while watching this part.
I hope someone points this out to them!
We all suspected that the time that her fashion choices were related to trying to shrink herself. She still had some
really great looks despite that fact.
I covet that coat in the second to last picture, it’s amazing. Even in “muted” colors, the woman is my style icon.
On that coat, anyone have an ID?
And then she said “I quit this bitch” when she wore that AMAZING blue dress when it was raining!! That was my single favorite outfit of hers
That was such an iconic look. The picture in the rain is the rom com money shot. She looked so beautiful and no one expected it. That pic with Harry just oozed charisma,confidence and sex appeal.
Even at the time, we noticed how much better she looked when she wasn’t forced to follow “protocol.” That she was willing to do that to herself for *their* sake shows how much she effort she made to adapt to royal life, but they were never going to let her fit in. I’m glad she got the eff out of there.
I think they DO coordinate what color the women in the rf are wearing when they go to the same event. Has the queen, Kate or Camilla ever shown up to the same even wearing the same color? Exception being black for a funeral or Remembrance Day. I think they just didn’t coordinate with Meghan hoping to embarrass her. Meghan outsmarted them by wearing neutrals.
I was so mad to see in the docu-series that people had called her first Christmas walk hat a poop emoji. Please! It looked like a delectable chocolate made by a master chocolatier. That whole look was perfection: hat, coat, boots, bag.
But I did love hearing that background and getting lightbulb in my head about her green outfit for her Commonwealth mass given this context. That’s another of my favourite looks of hers.
I actually like that hat. It’s whimsical and funny. If she ever auctioned it for charity it would get a crazy number.
Wearing that white/off white dress for the photo call just a few days after Archie’s birth was a boss move. I still get nervous thinking about it.
Her style is just gorgeous no matter the color palette. I also deeply envy her casual hat game. Those safari pictures: I would’ve looked like a pile of wet leaves all day every day, and she looked luminous.
I could slap these people with how much she did to make them happy. They never deserved her goodness and kindness . Meghan is and will always be way too damm good for these racist, inbred snobs
This is yet another reason I’m so happy for them that they got their children out of that hellscape.
I understand Meghan trying to dim her own light — as heartbreaking and unjust as it was — but I’m guessing she’d balk at making her kids invisible. Glad they’re living in California, where they can wear what they want and be who they want to be.
It shines a new light on her wearing all that color in the farewell tour – bright blue, red and green
Maybe this is why Kate wore white to Meghans wedding… trying to get her in trouble for wearing the same color as a more senior royal
The thing is she still stood out in those neutral colors. I remember there were criticisms of her style choices , especially wearing a lot of black and beige. She occasionally wore color when solo, like green leather skirt and top she wore in Ireland, and the red skirt, burgundy sweater combo that everyone wanted, or purple dress with red coat when pregnant. Those looks got a lot of coverage, so can understand the neutrals I the presence of the others, especially when she was constantly being accused of upstaging the others.
The Duchess could wear an actual old grain sack and shine.
She is a truly natural beauty.