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We’ve always thought of Meghan Markle as a bit of a rule-breaker.
Even before she went and became The Duchess of Sussex, the 37-year-old liked to dance to the beat of her own fancy, Hollywood drum, as they say.
Unfortunately, marrying into the British royal family comes with protocol. That Queen Elizabeth II loves her some rules, doesn’t she?
Luckily for us, the former Suits actress has permission to break what might be the trickiest royal rule for her to follow when she comes to Australia with The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry in mid-October.
The royal dress code.
Like most jobs, being a ‘working royal’ has its uniform: nude tights, dresses that cover the knees and shoulders, closed toe shoes where possible, no jeans (unless playing sport) and no nail polish (except Ballet Slippers by Essie).
Side note – here’s some of our favourite Meghan Markle moments, post continues after video.
But speaking to Cosmopolitan US, royal expert Myka Meier of Beaumont Etiquette, who was trained by a former member of The Queen’s Household, said The Queen relaxes these fashion rules when members of the royal family travel abroad.
“When travelling, we often see the Royals adopt the customs and culture of the country they are in,” she said.
“For instance, if in a country they visit it’s a sign of respect to dress in a certain way, they will do so. Often we see Royals wearing outfits from local designers, too, to show respect and support for the country they are visiting.”
In other words, there’s a very, very slim chance we might see Meghan getting around in a pair of thongs while she’s visiting us.
Look, we know it’s a long shot. More likely, we’ll see her in famed Aussie fashion labels like Camilla and Marc, Alice McCALL, Zimmermann, Carla Zampatti, maybe Dion Lee if she’s feeling adventurous.
When her sister-in-law The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton visited Australia in 2014, the 36-year-old wore a white eyelet, knee-length Zimmermann dress (bonus points for negotiating soft sand at the beach in wedges). The tour also included stops in New Zealand, where Kate wore local designer Emilia Wickstead.
Kate also wore a number of other designers favoured by the royals - Alexander McQueen and Jenny Packham - so we don't expect Meghan to rock up in Australian made to every event.
That said, Meghan's already made her love for Aussie fashion designers pretty clear.
In April of this year, she wore three Aussie-designed pieces - the Camilla and Marc Marguerite blazer ($699), the Oroton Avalon Zip Top Crossbody handbag ($295), and Natalie Marie Jewellery Square Wire Ring ($220).
With the blazer draped over her shoulders, the very Aussie look is quite possibly one of her chicest royal fashion moments to date (this was pre-wedding, but still).
Then, of course, there's the stunning sheer, long-sleeved gown Meghan wore for her official engagement portraits, designed by London-based Aussie couple Australian couple Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo of Ralph & Russo.
Whether or not Meghan chooses to break the rules and give some Aussie designers and fashion labels some much-deserved publicity while she's here, we'll be watching all her Australian royal tour outfits with interest.
Here's hoping she picks something from Cotton On.
What are your favourite Meghan Markle fashion looks? Do you think she'll wear Australian designers on her royal Aussie tour?
Top Comments
Wait. She’s going to break the dress code... but the dress code is frequently relaxed to suit the country they’re in anyway. So she’s not really going to do anything different than any other royal? They often wear local designers, but she might “...break the rules and give some Aussie designers some much-deserved publicity...”? So the same as Kate and everyone else before her?
Gawd, the money I'd give for her to be asked when she's interviewed over here if she finds this sort of coverage mind numbing and more than a little anti-feminist.