The eyes of the world were on Meghan Markle as she and Prince Harry announced their engagement on Monday.
And while the 36-year-old bride-to-be was both stylish and demure in a white wrap coat over a green dress that fell to below the knee, she made one fashion choice that echoed the more modern ensembles of her days on the red carpet.
The tell-tale satin sheen of the nude tights favoured by the Duchess of Cambridge – and a generation of royal women before her – was nowhere to be seen, as Meghan braved winter temperatures to keep her legs bare.
The Cut described an ‘unspoken rule’ among royals dictating that women always wear hosiery, suggesting it was a small but significant act of style rebellion on the part of the actress.
While many women reach for nude tights in the colder months to mask skin that hasn’t seen the sun for a while, Meghan’s mixed race heritage means she has no need to fear the dreaded pasty legs.
But traditionalists might argue that bare legs have no place at any formal occasion – and certainly not one taking place in November.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their hotly-anticipated engagement at Kensington Palace on Monday
When Kate and Prince William announced their engagement in 2011, the Duchess opted to wear a blue wrap Issa dress, nude tights and closed-toe shoes
Meghan showed off her toned calves in her white coat and green knee-length dress and nude shoes
Back in 2011 when Kate and William announced their engagement, the royal wore nude tights, in contrast to Meghan’s more laidback approach.
The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Countess of Wessex are never seen without sheer stockings and closed-toe shoes, and even fashion-conscious Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie often comply.
Although Kate occasionally faced accusations of being frumpy as a result of her ‘dated’ taste in hosiery, according to WWD she helped increase sales of nude tights at ASDA by 500 per cent back when she and William became engaged.
Sales rose by 46 per cent at Selfridges and Wolford’s also reported at the time their stock was selling out thanks to the royal.
Year on, the ‘Meghan effect’ is already in full swing, as her green engagement dress sold out and a website selling a similar version of her white coat crashed in the wake of her photocall with her husband-to-be.
The same happened to the Duchess of Cambridge when she donned the now-iconic blue wrap dress by London label Issa for her first interview with Prince William – the frock immediately began to fly off the shelves.
It remains to be seen whether Meghan, often seen in daring dresses at red carpet events in the days before she began dating Harry, will further adapt her fashion choices when she becomes a full-time royal.
Meghan’s style has already begun to evolve since dating the Prince but will she be following Kate’s footsteps and donning nude hosiery
Meghan was the picture of elegance as she stood beside Prince Harry in a white wrap coat, green dress and nude strapped sandals
PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN’S FIRST INTERVIEW
Meghan Markle revealed how she said ‘yes’ immediately to Prince Harry after he proposed on one knee while they were cooking a roast dinner during a ‘cosy night’ in.
In their first joint interview, Miss Markle, 36, said she did not even wait for the 33-year-old royal to finish the sentence before she said ‘yes’ – and it was ‘so sweet and natural and very romantic’.
The couple, who had been in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace when the proposal happened, revealed that they first met on a blind date after being set up by a female friend – and have tried to see each other every two weeks.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke about their engagement and how he popped the question during a BBC interview
Harry added: ‘I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly… All the stars were aligned – everything was just perfect. It was this beautiful woman just sort of literally tripped and fell into my life – I fell into her life.’
Four weeks after they met, Harry persuaded Miss Markle to join him on a five-day break in Botswana. He said: ‘We camped out with each other under the stars… which was absolutely fantastic.’
The couple – who spoke to BBC presenter Mishal Husain today – said that Miss Markle has already met the Queen ‘a couple of times’, and the actress described the monarch as an ‘incredible woman’.
It was also revealed that Prince Harry had sought the permission of both of Miss Markle’s parents, but that he had not yet met her father Thomas, having only spoken to him on the phone.