Today we start a new weekly feature covering royal style highlights. Look for “This Week in Royal Fashion” every Friday.
This week we saw both Meghan and Kate embark on mini-tours, with both duchesses showing off some impressive fashion choices. Here we take a look at a few tour favourites, along with a striking new dress from the Countess of Wessex.
The Duchess of Sussex
Last week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex flew to Morocco for a short tour, and Meghan debuted a gorgeous new Dior gown at the British Ambassador’s residence in Morocco on Sunday.
The draped, caftan-style gown featured rhinestone trim on the sleeves and paid a fitting tribute to the fashion of Morocco.
Dior told fashion site UFO No More about the gown, “It is a one of a kind piece, made in a kaftan style, created in our Haute Couture workshop especially for the occasion. The Maison Dior constantly aims to promote the mixing of cultures and different styles to show that fashion is universal.”
She accessorised the outfit with her Birks Snowflake Snowstorm diamond earrings, which we’ve seen on several occasions and a pair of Dior D-Moi lamé heels.
The fashion house added about the shoes, “The Duchess of Sussex wore pumps from the D-Moi collection. These shoes in patent calfskin are distinguished by their elegance as well as their originality. In addition, the sole of this exceptional model presents the lucky star of Monsieur Christian Dior.”
To complete the top-to-toe Dior evening look, Meghan carried a Dior clutch with jewelled bee embellishment.
UFO was also told about the clutch, “The Duchess of Sussex wore the D-Bee Clutch. It is an emblematic piece of our Maison and shows a very important symbol for Monsieur Christian Dior: the bee. This beautiful creature invites us to discover the childhood of the French couturier which was particularly impacted by the beauty of the maternal garden and shows the magnificence of nature.”
Monday marked the end of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s tour to Morocco, and the mum-to-be sported a new Carolina Herrera gown for their final engagement.
The flowy, pale blue printed dress was ideal for an audience with King Mohammed VI of Morocco.
She wore the gown, which is a bespoke version of a piece from the Carolina Herrera A/W 2019 collection, with unidentified blush-coloured pumps and the same Dior clutch she carried to Sunday’s reception.
Meghan finished the look with her favourite diamond “Galanterie de Cartier” earrings, which she has worn on numerous occasions in the past year, including her wedding.
The Duchess of Cambridge
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – or Baron and Baroness Carrickfergus, as they are known in Northern Ireland – made a surprise two-day tour to the country this week, and the Duchess stepped out in several new pieces.
Perhaps the fashion highlight of the tour was when Kate arrived at Empire Hall in Belfast wearing a shimmery mint green Missoni dress. Despite its £1,590 price tag, the metallic lurex midi dress quickly sold out.
She paired the dress with neutral accessories (her much-loved praline suede Gianvito Rossi 105 pumps and buttercream suede Mulberry Bayswater wallet clutch) and some new jewels. Her earrings and pendant are both the “Candy Green Amethyst Diamond” style by Kiki McDonough.
To the delight of Harry Potter fans, yesterday the Duchess wore a pale blue Mulberry coat with a cape reminiscent of the Beauxbatons uniforms in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
We all remember a pregnant, magic wand-waving Kate duelling with her husband and brother-in-law at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, and the Duchess of Cornwall said Prince Charles reads Harry Potter to his grandkids in funny voices. Maybe this is her tribute to the franchise?
Either way, the cape added a fun twist to what would otherwise be a nice, but very “standard Kate” coat.
Under the coat, she wore a new Jenny Packham dress with a ribbon belt, which we got to see in full during the couple’s engagements at Hillsborough Castle with the Police Service in Northern Ireland and Cinemagic.
The Countess of Wessex
Sophie carried out a busy day of engagements in Somerset Tuesday, visiting Gordano School, the Radstock Museum, and Bath’s Fashion Museum.
She wore a new dress by Oscar De La Renta, the “Bloom print silk-satin midi dress.” The black frock features a cheerful botanical print and a matching belt and is a perfect transitional piece for these tricky winter-to-spring weeks ahead.
The Countess paired the dress with an older favourite, her Loewe Collarless V-neck coat. The cosy cashmere style, priced at £1275, has been worn by Sophie on several other occasions.
Next week is jam-packed with royal engagements, including the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles’s investiture as Prince of Wales, during which we’ll see both the Duchess of Sussex and Duchess of Cambridge. We’ll see you next Friday for all of the fashion details.
