Fashion
The Duchess of Sussex has officially been a member of the royal family for a month. Although she has only been seen in public five times since her wedding day, the world seems obsessed with her style. But how much does how much does Meghan Markle's royal wardrobe cost? Well, I can tell you, as I've done some investigation.
The majority of outfits Markle has donned have been custom-made, equating to costs that will easily reach the thousands. While some of her accessories have been delivered straight from the high street — I'm looking at you, M&S fascinator — the rest have come from the skilful hands of high-end designers. And that's before we even get onto that one-of-a-kind jewellery.
It's a well-known fact that royal women are not allowed to accept free gifts from fashion designers. So Markle is expected to buy all of her own clothes. Prince William, Prince Harry and their respective families are funded by the Duchy Of Cornwall, which is Prince Charles' private estate. In the tax year 2016-2017, official accounts revealed that William, Kate, and Harry's expenses came in at around £3.5 million. Now she's a member of the royal family, it is expected all Meghan's purchases will come from this pot, so she has a considerable budget to play with.
In 2017, the Express reported that Kate Middleton spent over £100,000 on clothes, with that figure helped by the fact Kate often recycles previous looks. Looking at the following numbers, it seems like Markle might be about to eclipse that figure in some style.
From her most recent look going all the way back to her wedding day, here's how much Markle has spent on clothes and accessories since entering the royal family.
June 19: Royal Ascot
Markle's most recent appearance came on Thursday when she arrived to spend the day at Royal Ascot. Wearing a white shirtdress by Givenchy (the same brand that designed her wedding dress) and matching hat by Philip Treacy, the 36-year-old accessorised with patent black heels and a leather Givenchy belt. It's unclear exactly how much these items cost but the dress appears to be bespoke. A typical Givenchy day dress costs around £2,000 online with a bespoke version likely to be at least double that. Heels can run up to £1,000 with Givenchy leather belts totalling around £300. An estimate of £5,500 probably wouldn't be too far off for the three together. However, the price of Markle's other accessories is known. Her satin Givenchy clutch rings in at £1,390 while her petal-shaped diamond earrings by Birks cost approximately £855. Add all of this up and the estimated grand total comes to just over £7,500.
June 16: Another Royal Wedding
In just one month, the Duchess of Sussex has enjoyed two weddings. Obviously, there was her own, but she was also invited along to the big day of Prince Harry's cousin, Celia McCorquodale. Markle's easy breezy outfit may have caused controversy but it was jolly expensive. Her blue-and-white printed wrap dress came from Oscar de la Renta's Resort 2019 collection and can be picked up for £3,922. She paired the maxi dress with Carolina Herrera's £410 Scala clutch and the same Aquazzura heels that she appeared to wear on her own wedding day. Although these were custom-made, they are believed to have been based on the brand's Marilyn shoe which retails for £470 — so let's go with that price. Markle's white fascinator, however, was pretty cheap. It came from the UK's very own Marks & Spencer and only cost £29.50. What's the total cost of Markle's wedding guest look? £4,831.50.
June 14: A Day With The Queen
Markle was invited to hit up Cheshire by her new best friend (the Queen, duh) for a day spent with the public. She arrived in yet another Givenchy dress. This time, it was a fitted cream style designed with a matching removable cape. The brand confirmed that it was a bespoke couture look, meaning it could have cost anything from £8,000 and up, according to The Telegraph. Her black leather bag — also by Givenchy — costs £959 while the matching Givenchy belt sells for £310. The final touches to her formal outfit came courtesy of black heels by Sarah Flint costing £267 and a pair of pearl and diamond earrings. These were a gift from the Queen so they're effectively priceless, sorry. All of this together brings Markle's total spendings on June 14 to a minimum of £9,500.
June 9: Trooping The Colour
An appearance alongside the entire royal family calls for a special outfit. And that's exactly what Markle delivered. Unfortunately, the price of her pale pink Carolina Herrera top and skirt is impossible to find as it was custom-made. (But let's assume that it runs into the thousands just like this similarly fitted design.) The Duchess accessorised with a matching circular hat by Philip Treacy costing £1,185 and one of Carolina Herrera's Metropolitan Insignia clutches, which start from £720.
Her jewellery was also pretty pricey. While the identity of her earrings is still yet to be discovered, Markle chose two rings by Canadian brand Birks. Both made out of rose gold and diamonds, one cost £2,850 while the other was a little cheaper at £1,710. This look's total cost? I'm going to estimate a price of £3,000 for Markle's Carolina Herrera two-piece so that brings it to £9,465. Plus the mystery shoes.
May 22: Prince Charles' Birthday Party
To celebrate the 70th birthday of her new father-in-law, Markle chose a dusky pink dress by Goat Fashion. The Flavia dress costs £590 (although Markle's may well have been more due to its custom alterations) and yet another Philip Treacy hat adorned her head. The price of this particular style is unknown but let's guess a minimum of £1,000 based on Markle's previous Treacy headgear. Nude heels by Tamara Mellon costing £340 were seen on Markle's feet and she carried a £205 silky clutch by Wilbur & Gossie. Last but not least, the Duchess donned a pair of £2,214 diamond rose earrings by jeweller Vanessa Tugendhaft, bringing this outfit's total cost up to an estimated £4,349.
May 19: Wedding Reception
While I won't include Markle's actual wedding dress as that price is too much to comprehend, the gown she chose for her evening reception is a little easier to work out. Markle swapped her Givenchy wedding dress for a halterneck white gown by Stella McCartney. Of course, her particular version was custom-made but the designer has announced that she will be selling replica versions for £3,500. Her blue-soled Aquazzura heels would have cost around £470. But that's not all. The diamond drop earrings dangling from her ears were designed by Cartier and sell for a whopping £60,000. Just let that sink in for a second. This means that Markle's first foray as an official Duchess cost at least £63,970.
If you add every single outfit expense up, then Markle's royal wardrobe has cost around £100,000 in her first month. Taking away the beautiful wedding reception look, the rest of her outfits have probably totalled around £40,000, then. Bearing in mind that a few of these prices are estimates, you could assume there's some leeway either way, and some of the items of jewellery may have been gifts from friends or family.
What a dreamy life those royals lead.
