The Duchess of Sussex has overhauled her royal wardrobe since returning from maternity leave because she wants to ‘redirect the spotlight’ and help people see her as ‘more relatable’, according to stylists.
Since joining the royal family Meghan Markle, 38, has become renowned for her love of glamorous designer clothes and expensive jewellery, with the royal rarely seen in the same outfit twice.
But following her return to royal duty after maternity leave in September, the Duchess of Sussex has recycled old outfits on multiple occasions and ditched her opulent jewellery for a more laid-back look. When she has worn a new item, it’s been a more affordable piece.
Anthony McGarth, celebrity stylist and lecturer at the Fashion Retail Academy in London, suggested the move to dress ‘more modestly’ was intentional, saying: ‘Meghan wants people to see her as a more relatable member of the Royal Family.’
Stylists suggested that Meghan Markle, 38, may have transformed her wardrobe in an effort to ‘redirect the spotlight’ and appear ‘more relatable’ (pictured left, in a custom made designer dress and jewellery worth thousands in February, and right, wearing a royal repeat with minimal jewellery in September)
Since joining The Firm in May 2018, Meghan maintained her A-list celebrity style.
On almost every appearance she was seen wearing high end designers such as Givenchy and Victoria Beckham.
When she made her first post-wedding appearance with Prince Harry, she wore an outfit totting up to over £21,100.
She looked elegant in a pale pink dress by British brand Goat, a bespoke Philip Treacy hat, with jewellery costing over £19,000.
Stylists suggested the Duchess of Sussex had swapped her designer items for more affordable pieces as ‘she wants people to see her as relatable’ (pictured left, in a Givenchy top and skirt worth over £2,210 in October 2018, and right, wearing a Banana Republic dress costing £95 in September 2019)
In the two weeks that followed, Meghan debuted a total of 15 brand new looks, many of which were designer items with a high pricetag.
Things didn’t change during her pregnancy, with Meghan’s maternity outfits totting up to an eye-watering £514,000.
At Princess Eugenie’s wedding, she accessorised her navy Givenchy coat with rings worth thousands.
But since she returned to royal duties after becoming a mother, Meghan has adopted a slightly different strategy, and repeated an old outfit on six out of the last 13 public occasions.
Meghan has often accessorised with extravagant jewellery worth thousands (pictured left, at Princess Eugenie’s wedding where she wore a Givenchy outfit with over £6,000 worth of jewellery). But she has toned back her accessories on recent public appearances (pictured right, at the One World Summit this week, wearing minimal jewellery and a budget frock)
She has also taken a decidedly more low-key approach for her public engagements both in the UK and on tour since royal duties began again in September.
The royal spent just over £4,100 on new wardrobe items for the 10-day visit to Southern Africa.
While it is an eye-watering amount for any normal person, it is just a fraction of the estimated £118,000 she spent on outfits for her last royal tour – and decidedly modest for a royal by any standard.
New additions to her wardrobe included a very simple and affordable dress from Banana Republic, which cost £95, and another dress by African brand Mayamiko, costing just £69.
Meghan’s first outfit after marrying Prince Harry totted up to over £21,000, and included a Cartier bracelet worth £17,000
The Duchess has also transformed her wardrobe for royal engagements in the UK.
At the 100 Days to Peace Gala last year, the Duchess wore an outfit estimated to be worth a total of £10,066, pairing a £1,277 Jason Wu dress with Aquazzura ‘Portrait of a Lady’ pumps in blue with Birks ‘Snowflake Snowstorm’ diamond earrings in white gold said to be worth over £7,000.
But just over a year on, the Duchess attended the One Young World summit this week, where she wore a simple purple gown costing £107 with minimal accessories.
Stylist Susie Hasler, who runs Styled By Susie, said the move could have been inspired by sister-in-law Kate Middleton, 37.
Meghan selected a dress by designer Jason Wu for the 100 Days to Peace gala music evening last September, where she also wore Birks ‘Snowflake Snowstorm’ diamond earrings in white gold costing £7,137
The Duchess of Sussex has worn expensive outfits by designers during her royal tours of Morocco, Australia and Oceania (pictured, arriving at Casablanca airport in February)
She said: ‘It’s great to see Meghan recycling more of her outfits, just like Kate does.’
Susie explained that it was possible Meghan was trying to refocus attention away from her style.
‘By ditching the flashy jewellery and expensive outfits, she’s redirecting the spotlight away from what she’s wearing, and more so on to the issues she’s promoting,’ she said.
‘It’s sending a message that she doesn’t want to be the main story.’
According to celebrity stylists, Meghan has been much more ‘low-key’ with her outfits since returning from maternity leave (pictured, during the royal tour of Cape Town in September wearing a dress by African brand Mayamiko)
Susie also suggested that the Duchess appeared to be dressing for herself much more since returning from maternity leave.
She said: ‘Now she looks much more relaxed and comfortable in the items she’s wearing, which means she’s dressing more to her own style and preferences.
‘Her clothes now look as though they’re more her, she’s showing off her hourglass figure more.’
Anthony agreed, saying Meghan’s style ‘has become a little more relaxed, going back to her Californian roots, and less high-end.’
More recently, Meghan has opted for royal repeats, including this mid-length green dress which she initially wore for her engagement interview after Prince Harry proposed
He explained: ‘Many pieces she has been seen wearing lately are relatively affordable compared with some of her pre-maternity clothes which feature designer brands like Givenchy and Prada.’
Anthony said the move was almost certainly intentional, saying: ‘When it comes to Royal outfits, what Meghan and Kate choose to wear is nearly always intentional, and Meghan’s choice to be more low-key and her decision to forgo expensive outfits in favour of more modest looks is most likely deliberate.’
He added: ‘She has learned how to send a message through her clothing and wants people to see her as a more relatable member of the Royal Family.’