Meghan Markle's Standout Looks While Living In The UK, Ranked

"Fashion is one of the most powerful industries," Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, told Australian Women's Weekly in April 2026. "And even if you don't say a word, you can convey something in what you wear." That ethos seems to be one that the duchess has carried with her since her days as a working royal across the pond; even with royal handlers who were likely guiding her sartorial choices at the time, she frequently reached for 'fits that had a deeper meaning. Often it was this invisible weight that made her outfits stand out so much, from her engagement wrap coat that became one of the world's most in-demand garments to her foray into saturated color after the couple's Megxit announcement. 

Sometimes, Markle's U.K. wardrobe drew attention because it did stray from royal protocol, whether she wore an unexpected shade or a cut that raised royal eyebrows. Other times, we couldn't help but gawk over these looks because she was simply breathtaking in them, and they spoke to her refined yet modern sense of style. Though it's been a joy to watch her aesthetic transform since leaving England and its royal family, we love to revisit the most standout moments from her official wardrobe as a working royal. 

A style that Meghan Markle kept returning to during her stint as a working royal was the trench dress. After wearing it on a royal outing to the Nelson Mandela Exhibition in London, England, in July 2018, she also wore an ivory version when introducing newborn Prince Archie to the media in May 2019, then brought this dusty rose iteration out again that October. 

Worn during her first year in the Firm, this 'fit hinted that her royal style would be less traditional and more en vogue than was expected. Even today, it stands out as a go-to silhouette for the duchess.

In one of her first royal engagements after marrying Prince Harry, Meghan Markle headed out to the county of Cheshire, England, with Queen Elizabeth II herself in June 2018. 

She was the picture of elegance in a cream caped midi from Clare Waight Keller at Givenchy, who had designed the wedding dress she wore a month earlier. The thin belt and black court shoes were testament to Markle's dedication to smart, intentional dressing, while the structural cape detail made a statement that turned our heads.

In February 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex embarked on a royal tour to Morocco, which served up an array of stunning outfits from Meghan, who was pregnant at the time. Our favorite was the long-sleeved ivory Dior gown she wore to a reception thrown by the British ambassador to Morocco in Rabat. 

What a pivotal moment in the stunning style transformation of Meghan Markle! The subtle crossover detail around the high neck, plus the metallic trim around the sleeves, added something special to a look that also managed to be simultaneously lavish and culturally appropriate.

Meghan Markle's wardrobe got a major update after she left the royal family, but if we're being totally frank, she never fully submitted to the royal rulebook anyway. A prime example was the Fashion Awards held in London in December 2018. 

Markle wore a one-shoulder velvet Givenchy gown in black, a shade generally reserved for mourning in royal circles. She also went for moody dark nails, another no-no. Whether it was this defying of royal expectations or her pregnancy glow, we can't say, but she looked radiant on stage. 

Out of context, there's nothing too remarkable about the white 'fit Meghan Markle wore for her official engagement photos in November 2017. But when she appeared on the steps of Kensington Palace in her simple Line the Label coat and dress ensemble, the world took notice. 

The coat was an instant sell-out online, while onlookers understood that the future duchess was already straying from royal protocol by neglecting to wear stockings. In the end, this ended up being one of her most attention-drawing looks to date.

For Meghan Markle's first Trooping the Colour celebration in June 2018, she made a subtle splash with her light-pink Carolina Herrera off-the-shoulder dress. The sophisticated neckline combined with her sleek Philip Treacy hat had the Duchess of Sussex resembling a real-life Barbie. 

We did note that Meghan Markle's 2018 Trooping the Colour outfit was deemed "inappropriate" by royal standards given that it bared her shoulders, but despite the pearl-clutching, it was a stylish move that cemented her as one to watch. It also ended up being one of Meghan Markle's most iconic Princess Diana-inspired looks, since her late mother-in-law had worn a similar color and silhouette on a 1995 trip to Argentina. 

Sequins aren't typically the first thing that comes to mind on the topic of royal fashion. That might be why they were particularly head-turning on Meghan Markle in January 2019 at a Cirque du Soleil event in London, England. 

Once again, the duchess may have been paying homage to Princess Diana in her navy Roland Mouret dress, since it drew comparisons to a sequined Catherine Walker number that the late princess wore in both 1986 and 1990. Whether she was inspired or not, Markle literally looked stellar in the glitzy garment. 

January 2020 brought monumental change for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, since they announced their intentions to step back from royal duties. By the end of March, they departed for North America, so the outfits that Meghan wore during that final month living in the U.K. have gone down in history. 

One of the most prominent? The Emilia Wickstead cape dress that she wore at the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey. The jewel-toned green hue may have represented her desire to turn over a new leaf, and since she was fully draped in it, the message was loud and clear.

If there's one look from March 2020 that was even more exceptional for Meghan Markle, it was the fiery red caped dress from Safiyaa that she wore to the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall. This time, she carried the vibrant shade right down to her toes by the way of her scarlet Stuart Weitzman pumps. 

In the 2022 "Harry & Meghan" docuseries, Markle admitted that she rarely wore color while she lived in the U.K. in the hopes of blending in, so this look is even more significant in hindsight. 

If we had to narrow it down to one single moment where all eyes were on Meghan Markle's outfit, it would be her wedding day on May 19, 2018. To mark her transition from commoner to duchess, she wore a bespoke Givenchy gown designed by Clare Waight Keller. 

The silk masterpiece featured a classic bateau neckline and contemporary three-quarter sleeves in what was an exquisite example of minimalism done right. The standout detail was the 16.5-foot silk tulle veil worn with the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau Tiara. With 1.9 billion people tuning in from around the world, the Duchess of Sussex understood the assignment.

Meghan Markle's U.K. wardrobe was full of gorgeous pieces, so it was tricky to select the most standout looks. We focused on which outfits made the biggest splash, both through their aesthetic but also with the meaning they carried and the context surrounding them. Meghan's 2018 Givenchy wedding dress remains the most remarkable look from this era, but there were plenty of other contenders that also turned heads.

These days, Meghan Markle has proven she's free from royal style rules with "inappropriate" Australia trip 'fit.