Meghan Markle recreates one of Princess Diana’s most iconic looks at the TIME100 Summit in New York
Meghan Markle made a statement of joy as she was joined by Prince Harry at her TIME100 Summit keynote speech in New York. ‘I am the happiest I’ve ever been,’ the Duchess of Sussex confessed to the gathered crowd, who received the news with rapturous applause. It might have been Meghan’s style that made the biggest statement, however, as the royal once again channelled the wardrobe of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
As she arrived for her conversation with TIME CEO Jessica Sibley, the mother-of-two stepped out head-to-toe in one of her all-time favourite brands, Ralph Lauren. Combining executive chic with laidback luxury, Megan paired an oversized tan silk-linen blazer with a matching pair of trousers and a white blouse. Adorning her wrist was her beloved Cartier watch, once owned by Princess Diana, as well as one of the late Princess of Wales’s diamond tennis bracelets.
But the Duchess’s look was a nod to Diana’s legendary wardrobe in more than just the jewellery department. In fact, Meghan’s entire outfit could well have been read as taking a leaf out of the Princess’s style book. The tan suit and white shirt combination was an iconic pairing for Princess Diana, who wore a strikingly similar look on 21 August 1997, when she enjoyed a lunch with her son Prince William at the La Famiglia restaurant in Chelsea. In a moving turn, this would be the last time that the pair were photographed together in public, with the mother-son outing coming just ten days before the royal was killed in a car accident in Paris.
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It is not the first time that Meghan Markle has taken inspiration from her late mother-in-law. In February, the Duchess of Sussex offered fans an insight into her idyllic home life ahead of the launch of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, posting an Instagram reel that shows her young family spending the day in the California sun. The Sussexes were seen making a cocktail using fresh oranges, and one of Meghan’s young children even offered to water the plants. ‘A small break from work to soak in the weekend sunshine,’ Meghan wrote alongside the video.
And it seems that family was certainly on Meghan’s mind, as she wore an apparent match of one of the most instantly recognisable pieces from Princess Diana’s fashion oeuvre. The purple Northwestern sweater is so closely associated with the late Princess of Wales that it has become known as the ‘Princess Diana Sweatshirt’ – a staple in the athleisure looks that saw Prince Harry’s mother leave such an indelible mark on British style.
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Princess Diana first wore the varsity sweater in 1996, following her visit to Northwestern University’s Evanston campus the year before, where she visited to raise money for a new cancer centre at the institution. The late Princess of Wales would often pair the sweater with cycle shorts and trainers on her trips to the gym.
In a heartwarming coincidence, Meghan Markle would go on to study at the Illinois university, graduating in 2003 with a double major in theatre and international studies. Considering, however, that MailOnline has described the Northwestern sweater as a potentially limited edition piece, available only on second-hand sites, Meghan’s style nod seems to be one filled with intentional family symbolism. Some royal watchers have wondered whether the Duchess of Sussex may have inherited her mother-in-law’s sweater.
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The royal made also seemed to reference Princess Diana when she joined Prince Harry for the Vancouver Invictus Games in February. To watch the finals of the wheelchair basketball, the Duchess of Sussex donned a simple but elegant outfit: a navy jumper, flared jeans and heeled boots. But it was a distinctive blazer, thrown casually over the top of her look, that caused royal fans to do a double-take.
The slate grey, tweed ‘Duccio’ jacket from Californian brand Dôen – which features two lines of faux-leather buttons, exaggerated lapels and a chocolate brown, velvet collar – looked remarkably similar to one worn by Diana years before. The Princess donned her grey pinstripe coat with a velvet collar numerous times, first stepping out in the design on a visit to a health centre in Lisson Grove, London, in 1984, when she styled it with black heels, a white shirt and a ribbon bow-tie. A few months later, she wore almost the exact same look for a trip to Barnardos children's charity.
Given how iconic the style became for the late royal, it is, perhaps, little surprise that both of Diana's daughters-in-law have similar pieces in their own wardrobes. On a visit to Essex in 2018, the then Duchess of Cambridge debuted a black-and-white tweed Smythe blazer with a velvet collar, which she teamed, like Meghan, with a low-key outfit of jeans and a jumper.
The Duchess of Sussex seemed in high spirits at the TIME100 summit, telling the crowd: ‘A confession for you today that I can very comfortably say is I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.’
Meghan elaborated, explaining that her joy was all down to the family she and Prince Harry are raising in Montecito. ‘[T]o have a partner and a husband who’s just so supportive and to have healthy kids that are so joyful in the freeness of their life and the safety of the life that we create for them – I never…’ she added, before her voice broke off.
‘Of all the things that have happened in my life, I never would have imagined getting here at this point. I feel just so happy and grateful, I really do.’
