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It’s a drizzly day in Sydney, Australia. A beautiful woman steps off a private jet. She wears a black rollneck sweater. Her claret scarf blows in the wind.
A man who is handsome, but without the Hollywood glow possessed by his female companion, stands beside her. The couple are led by entourage to a waiting car. They smile for the cameras and disappear in a flurry of flash bulbs.
The scene cuts to panoramic shots of Sydney Harbour Bridge before rejoining our protagonists. They stand before a whitewashed building surrounded by dignitaries.
The woman wears a dazzling white shift dress and shields a tiny baby bump. The man looks on adoringly…
You get the picture. The 16-day visual treat that has been the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s debut royal tour ends this weekend, but before the credits roll can we just take a moment to recognise it as the most cinematic in recent history? Certainly not since a newlywed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the foothills of Kenya in dashing dinner suits and the most perfectly nipped-in tea dresses has a royal “holiday” provided such a visual feast.
Of course, for Meghan, a woman with her own IMDb page and a CV that includes 16 years’ worth of TV and movie roles, approaching the tour with her actress head on is undoubtedly a stroke of genius. Certainly, immersing herself in the part of newly wed princess has been the weapon with which she has taken this gruelling fortnight on the road in her stride. Or at least appeared to, with morning sickness, exhaustion and the overwhelming and inevitable impact of being the most talked about woman on the planet right now kept firmly out of view.
Meghan’s wardrobe choices, a finely tuned edit created to do some of the talking, are among this royal screenplay’s finest inclusions. Serious but never conservative, effortless but never sloppy, playful but only just crossing the line, Meghan on Tour is a drama worthy of its own best costume gong. Her skill has been to approach it as she would one of her characters. This wasn’t an exercise in style innovation but a masterclass in knowing exactly what to wear.
The overriding look, created in conjunction with BFF and stylist Jessica Mulroney, is modern workwear, with Meghan echoing the wardrobes of high- functioning women to achieve the perfect professional image. This manifests itself with white Veja trainers, pared-back blazers (by LA brand L’Agence) and sheath dresses which complement but never overshadow.
The trench coat, a workwear signature if ever there was one, has also played a significant role, with a Martin Grant style among the Duchess’s fail safes.
It’s all about ease, both literally and figuratively, with comfort playing a more crucial role than usual with the couple expecting their first child. While Meghan is happy to toe the palace line, she has, as yet, refused to allow protocol to age or restrain her easy breezy Californian style. She achieves this with casual wardrobe tweaks; shirts are worn loose with sunglasses looped over and blazers, always, are oversized.
Her hair, a purposely dishevelled blow dry, has taken on the supporting role with gusto. Created by London’s George Northwood, a stylist whose day job includes creating perfectly imperfect styles for everyone from actresses Alicia Vikander to Julianne Moore, it’s a look that can add a relaxed edge to even the most uptight situations.
An unfurling chignon bun is another signature style which enables The Duchess to get away with a decidedly unroyal kaftan — see the pompom-trimmed Figue dress she wore to deliver an address in Fiji which could have easily looked more beach than speech, had she worn it with her hair blowing in the breeze.
Of course, as with any good romcom, it’s the evening outings that have provided this tour with its fairytale moments. Among them Meghan’s trailing cornflower blue cape gown — a creation by London-based label Safiyaa.
The Duchess also captivated our collective gaze in the black bespoke Emilia Wickstead dress she wore to visit an Anzac memorial alongside a suited and booted Prince Harry. If that isn’t adequate inspiration for series 11 of The Crown, what is?
For Meghan superfans, young and old, it’s not only the love story of these two royals that provides compelling viewing but the labels and brands hiding in their suitcases too. Or at least in Meghan’s — while Harry has recently added Givenchy to his list of preferred labels, he’s yet to earn menswear influencer status. His father, on the other hand, has done more for double-breasted suits than any street style star I know. Alas, I digress.
Just as the retail juggernaut that is the Duchess of Cambridge had the power to make or break a high street brand by giving it her blessing — see that Reiss dress and everything from LK Bennett — Meghan’s shopping habits are proving equally influential, with the £89 polka dot & Other Stories dress she wore to Fraser Island selling out in seconds.
She’s also done much to boost the sales and notoriety of grown-up brand Winser, choosing a coat from its collaboration with Gillian Anderson to attend an event.
Where Meghan and her sister-in-law differ is in their approach to brands. While Kate comes at clothes from a patriotic point of view — she’s made Alexander McQueen her baseline — Meghan is more creative, often choosing brands with British links instead of brands based on British soil. A development which must in part be credited to her stylist, a Canadian well versed in creating looks for television.
Tabitha Simmons, Meghan’s shoe designer of choice on this tour, is a Brit working in New York. Then there’s Clare Waight Keller, the Birmingham designer who heads Parisian fashion house Givenchy and has created a host of Meghan’s most iconic looks. Among them, of course, her wedding gown.
Like Kate before her, Meghan recognises her role as a gracious visitor, choosing to honour the host nation by lending her support to some of their homegrown designers — see Sydney- based Zimmermann and Karen Gee.
But let’s get back to the real story, because as we approach the season finale the excitement is not to be found within Meghan’s Net-A-Porter wishlist but from a determination to do it her way.
Undoubtedly, her Hollywoodification of the royal wardrobe may leave monarchists grumbling. But few will dispute that this is a woman who has invigorated all. What we have witnessed over the past few weeks is the crucial second chapter in a simple story about a girl who met a boy. And yet we expect so much from its leading lady. Meghan is the first mixed-race woman to marry into the royal family, a vocal feminist, and an expectant mother. This makes her the woman on which the hopes of a nation are pinned.
Whether she does so sporting a cascading evening gown and diamonds the size of a small island or a pair of white trainers and jeans, what matters most is that Meghan plays her role with conviction. Undoubtedly, she’s a character we can all believe in.
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