Meghan’s style has gone through dramatic changes since she married Prince Harry. No longer was she allowed to wear just whatever she wanted, and instead, she had to adhere to royal protocol and think about all the rules about style, colour, lengths of skirts, and even whether or not she could show a bit of shoulder or should wear a hat. It must’ve felt very strange to go through such a sudden restriction, especially considering that dressing up is a form of self-expression for many.
Meghan tried her best, but of course she made a few mistakes here and there. The press and the public judged Meghan quite harshly for her mistakes. But were all of those huge mistakes or breaks of royal protocol or was it blown out of proportion for the headlines? After all, there isn’t a single rule book for royals to adhere to, a lot of these rules are just based on tradition, occasion, vibes, and expectations, and it’s not that hard to see how someone who didn’t grow up a royal might misunderstand or simply not know something.
Meghan has talked about the struggles of becoming a royal, and she even mentioned that there was a long period where she would be present at certain royal events but she wasn’t necessarily speaking while she was there, so she tried to speak through the choices she was making. If wearing a certain item of clothing from a small brand or an accessory made by a female-owned company could change the course of their business, she felt it was a huge honour for her to use her power and influence to do that.
But that’s not what the public and the press were focusing on. So, let’s take a look at some of the outfits that Meghan wore that were deemed inappropriate.
The Red Carolina Herrera Dress
This dress is infamous at this point because Meghan was criticized for wearing it twice. First time she wore it to the Salute to Freedom Gala in 2021, people said that it was ill-fitting and just didn’t sit right on Meghan’s body. The bust area looked awkward, the silhouette was overwhelming and it looked like the dress was wearing her. It was also said that the plunging bodice made it more fit for a Hollywood red carpet than a Gala. The second time she wore it was to the 2024 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala. This time it looked like the dress was tailored a bit to fit better, but similar complaints were still voiced over the bust area looking just wrong and the fact that the dress is too revealing for a children-focused charity.
But at the same time it was refreshing to see Meghan rewear a dress, celebrities rarely do that and it was seen by some as a sustainable choice and something we can all relate to because who in their real life only wears a dress once?
Trooping the Colour 2018
Trooping the Colour is a very important daytime royal event and the first time Meghan attended it she wore a blush-coloured dress that showed a little bit of shoulder. The press and the internet went wild, saying it was inappropriate for such a high-visibility event, but in reality there’s no rule saying a royal can’t show a bit of shoulder at an event, it’s just not the most common option. Apparently, off-the-shoulder silhouettes aren’t exactly traditional for these types of royal events, but that doesn’t mean that Meghan actually broke protocol. Basically, this was the case of people seeing something unusual and going crazy with assumptions, blowing things out of proportion. We think Meghan looked very sophisticated and elegant when she wore this dress in 2018.
The “World Mental Health Day”
In October 2023, Meghan wore another off-the-shoulder look for the Archewell Foundation Parent’s Summit. It happened during the World Mental Health Day festival in New York. The cream coloured Altuzarra jumpsuit was seen as minimalist yet stylish by some and criticised as “too much of fashion statement” because it exposed her neck and shoulders by others. The critics thought that it wasn’t an appropriate wardrobe choice for a discussion that dealt with such heavy topics as mental health. There were also some comments on the fact that Meghan’s outfit almost perfectly matched the colour of the chair she sat it, creating a visual illusion.
The First Solo Outing with Queen Elizabeth
The first time Meghan showed up to an event with the Queen on her own, she wore a Givenchy dress with a cape-like top that covered her shoulders completely. It looked modest, polished, and perfectly stylish. You’d think there was nothing to criticize here. But the public went up in arms about the fact that she didn’t wear a hat or a fascinator, which is a common accessory for a daytime engagement with the Queen.
Once again this was the case of expectation vs. reality where people thought Meghan broke protocol, when in fact there is no rule absolutely stating that one must wear a heat/fascinator for this occasion. She was well within her rights to simply skip it. And it doesn’t look like the queen had any problems with it either, she seems to be having a pretty good time with Meghan.
The Cut-out Dresses in Colombia
Meghan wore a Johanna Ortiz dress in 2024 when she was visiting Colombia. It was critiszed heavily for the bodice cutouts and the slit in the front that went above the knee. Some even described this as Meghan’s way of showing that she’s no longer adhering to royal protocols at all and refusing to do the beige outfits the Palace would approve of. But was it truly inappropriate, or are people simply expecting her to always dress like a royal even though both she and Prince Harry have stepped away from royal duties?
The Hamilton Gala Mini Tuxedo Dress
Meghan wore a tuxedo-style mini dress by Judith&Charles to the special Hamilton performance in London in August of 2018, and everyone lost their minds over the fact that the hem of the dress was short by royal standards (above the knee). On top of that, Meghan wearing that dress with bare legs instead of with nude hosiery was seen as completely scandalous. Apparently, royals aren’t allowed to step outside without tights even in the summer.
The New Zealand Skirt Moment
One of the things Meghan wore during her royal tour in 2018 was a royal blue Givenchy outfit. The look featured a long pleated blue skirt that photographed weird. In some photos it seemed like it was a bit see-through, while in others the trail looked unquestionably solid. It’s actually impossible to tell if the fabric looked sheer due to lighting and camera angles or not, but people like to talk, so it still made headlines.
