Meghan Markle will not be joining Prince Harry at King Charles' coronation on May 6.
While one royal expert has called this "the best compromise," especially considering Prince Archie's fourth birthday falls on the same day, one celebrity stylist and royal fashion expert has pointed out that it's a bit of a shame we won't get to spot the Duchess of Sussex on the big day, from a sartorial point of view.
(But of course, we're all glad she's made the right decision for her, and we're just having a bit of fun imagining what she might have worn had she chosen to attend.)
"Whether you are Team Meghan or not, there’s no denying that her absence at the coronation is a disappointment on the fashion front," Miranda Holder told Express.
"Meghan’s style is innately more relaxed and natural when compared to the more sophisticated and refined polish of Kate Middleton, and she looked happiest and most radiant dressed in her 'California cool' ensembles of jeans and oversized shirts."
Meghan most memorably brought out this look at the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017, when she went to support Prince Harry's initiative.
"Despite her more informal approach, the duchess definitely brought her 'own brand of fabulous' to big state occasions such as the Queen’s Jubilee," Holder added.
To celebrate the Jubilee, Meghan wore an all-white outfit, including a vintage Dior dress and matching hat and shoes.
"Meghan was a savvy dresser and made every best effort to make her wardrobe choices work hard to create some positive PR in increasingly difficult times," Holder continued.
"I have no doubt that if she had attended the coronation, her look—or costume— (she is an actress after all) would have also been carefully selected to win over hearts and minds.
"It would have been a clever fashion move for the duchess to have dressed in a much-loved British designer for the coronation, which would have definitely garnered her some positive PR after such a tumultuous few years, and it is an unequivocal shame that we won't get to see this play out."
Of course, Meghan may have decided not to attend the coronation in part to avoid the intense media scrutiny she would face, as well as the harsh criticism she receives in the U.K. Flaunting a put-together look may not have been enough of a reason to put herself through that, as you can imagine.
Holder has also previously commented on Princess Kate's potential coronation outfit, saying, "My money is on either a Packham, or a McQueen, as they seem to be the two she ends to turn to for these occasions."
