Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Meghan avoided colourful clothes in fear of clashing with Queen, Camilla and Kate

The duchess revealed in her new Netflix documentary that she stuck to camel, white and beige while in the UK to prevent a fashion calamity.

Laura Elston
Thursday 08 December 2022 20:19 GMT
The Queen and Meghan (Martin Rickett/PA)
The Queen and Meghan (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Archive)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Duchess of Sussex confessed she avoided colourful outfits while in the UK for fear of clashing with the Queen and other more senior female royals.

Meghan said she opted for “muted tones” of beige, white and camel so she could blend in.

The duchess became known for her sleek classic look when she began carrying out royal engagements, but her colour choice was always thought to be down to her preferred style.

“Most of the time that I was in the UK, I rarely wore colour,” she said.

“There was thought in that. To my understanding, you can’t ever wear the same colour as Her Majesty if there’s a group event.

“But then you also shouldn’t be wearing the same colour as one of the other more senior members of family.

“So I was like well, what’s a colour that they’ll probably never wear?

Camel, beige, white? So I wore a lot of muted tones but it also was so I could just blend in. Like I’m not trying to stand out here.

“There’s no version of me joining this family and trying to not do everything I could to fit in. I don’t want to embarrass the family.”

Meghan, who was wearing a pale grey jumper as she spoke, stepped out in a white off the shoulder dress for an appearance at an awards gala in New York earlier this week.

The Queen Consort and the Princess of Wales, as they are now known, were the other female royals who were more senior than Meghan, as well as the Princess Royal who is more senior by birth.

Questions are likely to be raised as to why Meghan did not ask her aides to check with other members of the royal family or their dressers to see what their fashion plans were, or even contact Camilla and Kate herself.

Meghan was pictured in some colourful outfits during her time as a senior royal, such as a vivid yellow at a Commonwealth reception at Marlborough House, and a vibrant green at her final royal public engagement at Westminster Abbey in 2020.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in