Duchess Meghan as a Working Royal: Her Best Looks in England

Wearing a creamy white wrap coat over an emerald-green dress, Meghan Markle appeared before the press alongside Prince Harry in 2017, officially announcing their engagement in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. Her loose, dark hair and the diamond ring—which Harry had crafted from stones belonging to his mother, Diana—highlighted the emotional moment. Harry himself appeared at her side, looking classically elegant in a navy blue suit.

On May 19, 2018, Meghan Markle enchanted everyone at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in a simple, boat-neck wedding dress, a long veil, and a sparkling diamond tiara. Prince Harry stood by her side in a full dress military uniform with a white belt, while the checkerboard pattern of the floor perfectly framed the regal setting. The look went down in history as one of the most iconic wedding dresses of the 2010s.

For the evening gala, Meghan Markle swapped her wedding dress for a simple white halter-neck dress and left Windsor Castle arm in arm with Prince Harry, who now looked dapper in a velvet tuxedo with a bow tie. In front of the guards in traditional livery, this second look marked the transition from the state ceremony to the private celebration at Frogmore House.

On Anzac Day at Hyde Park Corner, Meghan Markle paired a taupe double-breasted coat with a wide-brimmed black hat and a red poppy pinned to her lapel—a look as understated as the solemn occasion called for. Prince Harry wore his dark blue military uniform adorned with several medals and stood by her side at the memorial service, just a few weeks before their wedding.

At her first Trooping the Color as a wife, Meghan Markle looked radiant in an off-the-shoulder pale pink dress and a nude-colored discus hat during the carriage ride along The Mall. Prince Harry accompanied her in his military full dress uniform with gold epaulets, while cheering spectators celebrated the newlyweds.

For the RAF's centennial celebration in London, Meghan Markle chose a navy blue, figure-hugging dress with a boat neckline and a dark fascinator, elegantly paired with nude-colored pumps. Standing alongside Prince William, who appeared in an RAF uniform with a sash of decorations, the look underscored her growing role within the royal family.

At the Queen’s Young Leaders Award at Buckingham Palace, Meghan Markle wore a cream-colored double-breasted dress with distinctive buttons and black pointed-toe pumps—classically elegant and perfectly in line with the royal dress code. This solo appearance was one of her first independent engagements as the Duchess of Sussex.

In Chester, Meghan Markle appeared in a cream-colored dress with cape sleeves and a black waist belt featuring a gold buckle, standing alongside Queen Elizabeth II, who herself was dressed in bright green and wore a hat adorned with flowers. Their joint appearance in front of Chester Town Hall was seen as a significant show of trust on the part of the monarch.

Visibly pregnant, Meghan Markle appeared outside the Natural History Museum in a cream-white coat over a form-fitting turtleneck dress that elegantly accentuated her baby bump, paired with a sage-green suede clutch as a pop of color. At the gala for the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, she beamed with anticipation shortly before Archie’s birth.

At St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry introduced their new family member to the public for the first time just a few days after the birth of their son, Archie. The deliberately small scale of the photo op already hinted at the couple’s later reluctance to adhere to royal traditions.