The most important royal mantra? Always listen to Queen Elizabeth.
When “Her Majesty’s Government” requested that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle make their first official trip abroad as Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Ireland, they happily obliged. Fun fact? Their official titles actually change in Northern Ireland, where locals call them Baron and Baroness Kilkeel. (We’ll stick to Harry and Meghan, thank you very much.)
Anyway, the newlyweds arrived in Dublin on Tuesday, kicking off a two-day trip where, according to Kensington Palace, they’ll make time for sports, attend a garden party, visit Trinity College, learn about Irish tech start-ups, and pay tribute to landmarks like the Famine Memorial and EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum—all outstanding opportunities for Markle to make more subtle yet noteworthy fashion statements.
For her first trip abroad on official royal duty, Markle looked pretty elegant in a look that resembles something a First Lady would wear. She turned to Givenchy (her wedding dress designer) for a round-neck green sweater with what looks like a matching high-waist skirt with pockets, all styled with nude pumps, a Strathberry tote, and her signature bun (which, this time, is less messy and more Middleton). The inspiration for the look, we presume is simple: Want to have a lucky trip with the Irish? Wear green, obviously.
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Recently, the former Suits actress has honestly left us with bated breath each time she steps out. Will she wear color? Will she break the royal fashion rules? What is she trying to tell us? Just after marrying Harry, Meghan surprised us not by continuing to step out in daring, sexier dresses (compared to other royals like uber conservative Kate Middleton, that is) and cool-girl designers like Altuzarra, but instead by taking a sleepier approach.
Markle grew an affinity for a bateau neckline designs that mimicked the Givenchy gown she wore down the aisle, but she also became tickled with wearing a soft, neutral blush tone, which we’ve previously dubbed “passenger-seat pink.” The reason? It seems like she’s trying to blend in. Markle definitely doesn’t want to overshadow the queen, and while she gets the hang of all the fancy royal etiquette rules, it’s better not to dress for attention.
That said, she’s still gotten us excited and managed to break expectation. At the Youth Commonwealth Reception in July, she took a bold approach and stepped out in a banana yellow Brandon Maxwell design with no sleeves. A few days later, Markle once again turned to an American designer, this time Ralph Lauren for a rather conservative—and bateau neck—olive green dress at Prince Louis’s christening. And for a surprise appearance in London just before her Dublin arrival on Tuesday, she turned to black Dior. Pink, for the week, has been thrown out the window.
Markle’s first look for the Irish trip is posh, simple, and will definitely please her Irish counterparts—who we know Queen Elizabeth has had some trouble with (her first ever diplomatic visit was in 2011). When it comes to diplomacy, Markle could teach other political figures a thing or two.