The Antiquated Reason Meghan Markle's Wedding Dress Was Deemed Inappropriate By Royals

Even though Meghan Markle has been criticized for wearing inappropriate outfits, the one look that everyone seemed to universally love was her wedding dress — or so we thought. Markle donned a timeless off-the-shoulder white gown and embroidered veil designed by Givenchy's former creative director Clare Waight Keller for the ceremony. However, royal biographer Ingrid Seward revealed in her 2023 book, "My Mother and I," that Queen Elizabeth II actually thought her granddaughter-in-law's dress was improper, according to the queen's cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson. 

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According to Seward, the queen believed that Markle's dress was "too white," given that she was previously married before tying the knot with Prince Harry. "In the monarch's view, it was not appropriate for a divorcée getting remarried in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal," Seward wrote (via the Daily Mail). Markle's first marriage, to film producer Trevor Engelson, lasted from 2010 to 2013. She met Prince Harry in 2016, three years after her divorce.

Markle's dress, which featured long sleeves and a (comparatively) modest 9-foot train, was quickly praised on social media as one of the best royal wedding dresses of all time. Even the white halter dress she sported as her second outfit of the day — which ranks as one of Meghan Markle's most iconic Princess Diana-inspired looks — was stunning. But, however stylish the dresses may have been, her wedding looks were considered inappropriate, according to royal guidelines.

Many of the Duchess of Sussex's looks, such as Meghan Markle's 2018 Trooping the Colour outfit, don't quite fit the dress code. Members of the royal family are expected to adhere to a tedious amount of rather nit-picky rules, like keeping your chest and collarbone covered, wearing bright colors at public events, and only donning certain styles of hat at specific times and places. It's no surprise that modern royals like Markle have slipped up more than a few times. Even her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, has worn some inappropriate outfits that won't soon be forgotten.

Shortly after her wedding, Markle became known in the tabloids and on social media for eschewing tradition. One of her most infamous fails was the outfit Meghan Markle wore to a 2018 memorial service for Stephen Lawrence, a man who was murdered in an act of racial violence over two decades prior. The Duchess of Sussex donned a sleeveless Hugo Boss dress, but there were soon several online critics who thought the look was too casual for such a somber event. However, as one fan pointed out on X (formerly Twitter), the outfit would be considered fine for a funeral service in the U.S., particularly in warmer weather. Despite her defenders, Markle's attire was simply not up to snuff — the sleeveless design and V-neckline, even if modest, don't meet the royal dress code expectations.