The Duchess revealed one of the major issues she had with her wardrobe during her time as a royal – and went so far as to say that it made her feel ‘inauthentic’
Meghan Markle has spoken on a number of occasions about her troubles within the royal family. But one of her complaints raised eyebrows as she spoke about her wardrobe requirements as a member of The Firm.
Speaking to mark the launch of the second season of her Netflix show, Meghan said the rule regarding her clothing actually made her feel “a little bit inauthentic”.
In an interview with Bloomberg’s The Circuit With Emily Chang, Meghan was asked: “Is there an inherent tension in trying to be relatable while also being a duchess?”
Meghan gave a little laugh and replied: “No… I’m just being myself. So I think, probably it was different several years ago, where I couldn’t be as vocal and had to wear nude pantyhose all the time.
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“Let’s be honest, that was not very myself. I hadn’t seen pantyhose since movies in the ’80s when they came in the little egg. That felt a little bit inauthentic.
“But that’s a silly example, but it is an example of when you’re able to dress the way you want to dress, and you’re able to say the things that are true, and you’re able to show up in the space really organically and authentically.”
It wasn’t the first time Meghan had spoken about the wardrobe issues she had during her short stint as a working royal. She previously said she had intentionally avoided bright colours because she wanted to “blend in”.
Speaking on Harry and Meghan’s Netflix series in December 2022, the Duchess said that her usual royal colour palette of ‘camel, beige, white’ had been a deliberate choice.
“There was thought in that. To my understanding, you can’t ever wear the same colour as Her Majesty if there’s a group event,” she said. “But then you also should never be wearing the same colour as one of the other more senior members of the family.
“So I was like…well, what’s a colour they’ll probably never wear? Camel? Beige? White? 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’s no version of me joining this family and trying not to do everything I could to fit in.”
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She later added: “Until that last week in the UK, I rarely wore colour and I never wanted to upstage or ruffle any feathers, so I just tried to blend in. But I wore a lot of colour that week. I felt, ‘Well, let’s just look like a rainbow.'”
However, members of the royal family appeared to turn that theory on its head when they attended Princess Kate’s Christmas service a short time later.
It was speculated that they were sending a subtle message with their matching sartorial choices with Kate leading the way in a festive deep burgundy coat with a matching clutch bag and shoes.
William and Harry’s cousin Zara Tindall pointedly wore a coat in the very same shade, as did Kate’s daughter Princess Charlotte. The Princess’s sister, Pippa Matthews, also joined in on the theme, sporting a coat in the same deep red.
When it came to the men, Prince William opted for a burgundy tie, as did Zara’s husband Mike Tindall.
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The late Queen, meanwhile, famously always wore bright colours to ensure people could always spot her.
Speaking in ITV’s The Queen at 90, Sophie Wessex confirmed Her Majesty’s logic, saying: “She needs to stand out for people to be able to say, ‘I saw the queen’.
“Don’t forget that when she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, 10, 15 deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the Queen’s hat as she went past.”