Meghan Markle vs Kate Middleton royal tour style – expert claims Meghan has an ‘advantage’

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are heading off on an African tour with baby Archie Harrison soon.

They couple and their young son, who is months old, will begin their ten day tour on Monday.

They will visit Cape Town, South Africa, moving onto Johannesburg.

Harry will take a solo detour, to Angola and Malawi while Meghan will remain in South Africa.

Many will be looking at Meghan’s wardrobe for inspiration. How does her royal tour style compare to Kate’s?

Fashion PR expert told Express.co.uk: “Meghan and Kate always look stunning when they are on tour. Their outfits are always

carefully picked and are probably chosen far in advance.

“For example, they always make sure to wear something from the country they are visiting, which not only shows a lot of respect to that country, but how dedicated they both are to their roles.”

Meghan Markle

Meghan wore designer garments from all sorts of fashion brands during the two tours she has under her belt currently.

The Duchess of Sussex has travelled to Oceania and Morocco with her husband.

For her Commonweath trip she wore a shirt dress worth £1,728 from Brandon Maxwell. Later, Meghan wore a £1,080 Martin Grant Maxi dress for the beach, a Roksanda dress for a visit to a school and an Emilia Wickstead dress for a memorial event.

Her shoe collection boasted heels from the likes of Manolo Blahnik, Stuart Weitzman and Tabitha Simmons.

Meghan was criticised for her expensive royal tour wardrobe, however. Meghan Markle’s wardrobe costs more than three times as much as the UK average house. /life-style/style/1173263/meghan-markle-royal-wardrobe-cost-more-uk-average-house-price

Meghan Markle’s clothes for the Commonwealth tour cost an estimated £130,000. 

Dominique St. John told Express.co.uk that Meghan has an advantage when it comes to her wardrobe: “It is said that Meghan does not have a stylist, which could be seen as an advantage as she handpicks her clothes herself.”

How is Meghan likely to dress on this week’s tour?

“Meghan tends to sport designers with a message behind them. Since she is passionate about the environment, we will probably see Meghan wearing sustainable clothing brands such as Stella McCartney, Everlane or Veja. For example, on her trip to Australia, she wore ballerinas made out of plastic bottles, which conveys a strong message about recycling.

“You can tell a lot of research goes into Meghan’s outfits. Meghan seems to come across unique designers, who haven’t been discovered before and who promote fair working conditions. So, we will probably also see Meghan wearing an item of clothing from a small designer from South Africa with a strong message.”

Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton has been on a vast number of royal tours.

The Duchess of Sussex has been to 32 countries. They include locations in North America and Asia, and Australia.

Kate is known for dressing well whatever culture she is visiting. Her style is more conservative and feminine than Meghan’s, which is chic and minimalistic.

Fashion stylist Melita Latham told Express.co.uk: “Kate’s fashion after marriage is still a royal transformation in progress.

“Her conservative style is more apparent now than ever before. She also pays her respects in the form of her clothing choices that allow us to remember Princess Diana which is a very honourable thing to do by Kate.”

Often nicknamed “Thrifty Kate”, Prince William’s wife has been lauded for wearing relatively inexpensive high street garments from Reiss and Whistles.

Melita said: “Kate isn’t afraid to rewear outfits from prior to getting married. Whether married or not if you like an outfit you will wear it more than once, that’s what we all do.”

Who is Meghan Markle? Quick profile

Meghan Markle was born Rachel Meghan Markle, on August 4, 1981 to parents Doria Ragland and father Thomas Markle.

Her father was previously married to Roslyn Loveless and Meghan has two elder half sibling – sister Samantha Markle and brother Thomas Markle Junior.

Actress

Meghan’s first television appearance in the USA was in an episode of the medical drama General Hospital in 2002.

She later moved on to roles in CSI, Without a Trace and Castle along with bit parts in Hollywood films including Get Him to the Greek, Remember Me and Horrible Bosses.

Meghan was also a “briefcase girl” on Deal or No Deal – but her most famous role was as Rachel Zane in legal drama Suits, which launched in 2011.

She was written out in the finale of the seventh series when her character got married, which aired in April 2018 – just before she got married herself.

Charity and humanitarian work

Meghan Markle’s career in television has gone hand-in-hand with her support for causes close to her heart.

She wrote about the stigma around menstrual health in an article for Time magazine and was a Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada – with whom she travelled to Rwanda for the charity’s Clean Water Campaign.

And her commitment to gender equality has seen her work with the United Nations – receiving a standing ovation in 2015 for her speech to mark International Women’s Day.

Relationships

In September 2011, she wed film producer Trevor Engelson, who she began dating in 2004.

But the pair divorced two years later in August 2013, citing irreconcilable difference.

She was in a relationship with celebrity chef Cory Vitiello for almost two years, before they broke it off in 2016 but the two remain good friends.

And in June 2016, she met Prince Harry on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.

Their relationship began in October that year and just over one year later, on November 27, 2017, the pair announced their engagement.

They married on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Meghan’s heritage

Some have claimed Meghan Markle is the first mixed-race member of the Royal Family.

Historians are still arguing about Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III.

But Meghan will be the first royal to openly embrace a mixed-race heritage.

She has written about the difficulties of being a biracial actress in Hollywood as she claims she is not black enough for some roles and not white enough for others.