Meghan Markle made an emotional appearance as she supported her husband at the Queen's funeral. The Duchess of Sussex stood alongside other members of the royal family as they said a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, September 19.
The Queen died 'peacefully' at Balmoral, her Scottish Highlands home, on September 8 and was laid to rest at St George's Chapel in Windsor in a moving committal following a poignant service at Westminster Abbey. Prince Harry and wife Meghan were among the 2,000 people in the Abbey who came together to remember the Duke of Sussex's late grandmother, as billions are predicted to have watched the televised service across the globe.
Harry, who marked his 38th birthday a week after the Queen's death, was notably in a mourning suit after he was unable to wear his military uniform to the funeral. An exception was made on Saturday when the Queen's eight grandchildren together staged a heart-rending evening vigil around their beloved Granny’s coffin. The Duke of Sussex, at the foot of the coffin, donned his Blues and Royals No 1 uniform.
Prior to the funeral, he travelled down The Mall with a police escort alongside his wife. Harry was seen looking sombre as he was driven in a Range Rover from Wellington Arch, down Constitution Hill and on The Mall towards St James’ Palace. He then joined his father, King Charles III, his older brother, William, the Prince of Wales, and the Queen's three other children as part of a solemn procession to Westminster Abbey.
Harry was then joined by Meghan as he walked through Westminster Abbey behind Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, and William and the Princess of Wales with their children, and heirs to the throne, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Meghan, 41, was also dressed all in black. She opted for a knee-length cape dress which she accessorised with a large black hat covering her hair which had been swept back into a bun and wore pointed court shoes. She also donned a pair of pearl and diamond earrings given to her by the late Queen.
But it wasn't just her earrings that were a nod to the Queen as Royal fans have noted how each part of the Duchess' outfit paid tribute to her and the Queen's relationship in some way.
Former Suits actress Meghan opted to wear the black version of a midi cape dress by Stella McCartney that she previously donned to a concert at the Royal Albert Hall back in 2018, which was held to celebrate the Queen's 92nd birthday. Meanwhile, her wide-brimmed asymmetric hat was the black version of the same headpiece she wore to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee earlier this year.
In June, the Duchess donned the hat during the service of thanksgiving, which was held at St Paul's Cathedral, as she and her husband were welcomed to join other members of the royal family. Her black gloves were also thought to be in tribute to the late monarch as the Queen herself was never seen without a pair on royal engagements.
@TvKhaleesi tweeted upon realising the connection: "Meghan Markle wore a black version of the cape dress she wore to the Queen’s birthday, a black version of the hat she wore to The Queen ‘s Jubilee, and the Pearl and Diamond studs was a gift from the Queen . Her whole look was about the Queen today. Talk about being thoughtful."
However, it was probably the diamond and pearl drop studs which had the most significance as they had been gifted to Meghan by the late monarch during an engagement they did together in 2018. Meghan had previously shared the story behind the beautiful jewellery during her bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey
"The Queen, for example, has always been wonderful to me. I mean, we had our first joint engagements together," she told the US chat show host. "She asked me to join her. We had breakfast together that morning, and she'd given me a beautiful gift, and I just really loved being in her company."
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