Almost eight years on from their royal wedding, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have cemented their place as one of the most stylish members of the royal family, revered worldwide for their fashion influence.
Casting our eye back to 2015, one year before they secretly met in London, the Duke of Sussex had a very different approach to fashion. He even went so far as to describe himself as “unprincely”, filling his wardrobe with a combination of comfortable styles from a high street “discount store” and hand-me-downs from King Charles.
“As a rule I didn’t think about clothing. I didn’t fundamentally believe in fashion, and I couldn’t understand why anybody would. I often got mocked on social media for my mismatched outfits, my ratty shoes.
“Writers would flag a photo of me and wonder why my trousers were so long, my shirts so crumpled. (They didn’t dream that I’d dried them on the radiator.) Not very princely, they’d say,” he penned in his 2022 autobiography, Spare.
Recognising that his family were more concerned with their image, he added: “My father tried. He gave me an absolutely gorgeous pair of black brogues. Works of art. Weighed as much as bowling balls. I wore them until the soles developed holes, and when I was mocked for wearing holey shoes I finally got them fixed.”
While Charles gave his son a clothing allowance for formal attire needed for official royal engagements, he admitted that last-minute trips to T.K.Maxx shortly before closing time were the norm for his personal wardrobe.
“I was particularly fond of their once-a-year sale, when they’d be flush with items from Gap or J.Crew, items that had just gone out of season or were slightly damaged. If you timed it just right, got there on the first day of the sale, you could snag the same clothes that others were paying top prices for down the high street! With two hundred quid you could look like a fashion plate,” the royal wrote.
Swerving changing rooms to save time, he said he would simply estimate the clothing sizes against his body in order to stock up on clothes twice per year.
“If it looked nice, comfortable, into the bucket it went,” confessed Harry. “At closing time we’d run out with two giant shopping bags, feeling triumphant.”
Meghan’s fashion confessions
© Getty ImagesBy comparison, Meghan had been sharing her fashion interests on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, long before she joined the royal family.
One unearthed entry covered her foray into vintage fashion at Cabaret Vintage in Toronto, where the legal drama Suits, in which Meghan played Rachel Zane, was filmed. The actress explained: “Vintage is something I find overwhelming – I don’t want to feel like I’m wearing a costume, yet I love a throwback like nobody’s business. So I deconstruct it as a chef would when they’re composing a balanced plate.”
She has since confessed to the New York Times that once she was aware of her fashion influence as a member of the royal family, it “changed everything in terms of how I then looked at putting an outfit together.”
The Duchess said: “Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting.”
Harry’s transformation
One glimpse into archived photos shows that Harry’s approach to style changed after he started dating the former Suits star.
While they live a more low-key lifestyle in Montecito after stepping down as senior royals in 2020, we imagine Harry’s late-night trips to raid the racks of high street stores are over, thanks to his renewed interest in fashion. Perhaps his penchant for Dior and Giorgio Armani – two of his wife’s go-to designer brands – has been Meghan’s influence?
Take a look at some of the best looks from his post-wedding glow-up…
© GettyDior shirt
In March 2023, the Duke of Sussex attended a London court proceeding in a Dior ‘Bee Shirt’. The gold embroidery was exposed as a gust of wind moved his suit jacket.
© Justin Goff Photos/Getty ImagesClub Monaco coat
Shortly before their wedding in 2018, the royal stepped out in a wool coat from Club Monaco, one of his then-fiancée’s go-to brands.
© Getty Images for W+PArmani suit
The couple made a glamorous appearance at the 2024 ESPY Awards, with Meghan opting for a white halterneck Oscar de la Renta gown, while Harry looked dapper in a suit from Giorgio Armani.
© GettyLoro Piana loafers
Retailing for $980, Harry’s Loro Piana loafers made an appearance during his visit to Nigeria in 2024.
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