Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stepped out together after the Duchess of Sussex's girls weekend at Wimbledon with Kate Middleton. The newlyweds visited London’s new Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition on Tuesday and they looked like a summer dream. Harry wore a more relaxed look than we've seen on him in recent weeks. He went tie free and donned a pale blue blazer that complimented his signature red hair. It was Meghan, of course, who really stole the show. (No surprise there!)
Meghan returned to her favored blush pink color palette after going for some darker colors at a slew of recent royal events, such as her nephew's christening, the Royal Air Force 100th birthday celebrations, and her official tour of Dublin, Ireland. She also brought back a wardrobe favorite - the trench coat. She donned a chic, sleeveless trench dress to the Nelson Mandela exhibition. Her entire look - shoes, bag, and dress - cost a whopping $3,000, however, this particular look was part of Meghan's wardrobe from before she moved to London in fall 2017.
The trench dress comes from edgy, up-and-coming Canadian label NONIE, according to People. Nina Kharey, founder and creative director of NONIE, spoke to the magazine about Meghan's choice to wear their design on an official, royal outing. “Seeing Meghan Markle, wear the Trench Dress today with such elegance and grace is beyond exciting! Her continuous support of Canadian brands is remarkable, and it is a true honor to be the first Canadian based ready-to-wear designer she has worn since her wedding earlier this year.”
Page Six reports that the dress retails at $823, while her matching Mulberry “Clifton” bag cost even more at $950. Her Dior “Essence 70” pumps cost $665 and her and white quartz stud earrings by Birks cost $450. All together that adds up to $2,888.
Royals are not allowed to accept free clothes from designers and up until her wedding day back in May, Meghan and Prince Harry were paying for her designer clothes out of pocket. Now that the two are married, however, Meghan's wardrobe for official royal events will be paid for by the money that Prince Charles gives to Prince William, Kate and Harry from his Duchy of Cornwall income of about $28 million.
Since joining the royal family, though, Meghan has continued to toe the line of royal protocol. Though she's given up her acting career to marry Prince Harry, Meghan was reported to be earning $50,000 per episode on Suits by the end of her run on the show. It will be interesting to see if she pulls out any other outfits from her personal wardrobe for official royal events in the future, as well as, perhaps, paying for her own clothing with the money she earned during her career.