Why Meghan Markle doesn’t wear bright colours like Kate Middleton

There is no doubt Meghan Markle, 37, has mastered royal style, but you’ve likely noticed she sticks to a very select colour palette.

The Duchess of Sussex wore more than 30 different outfits during her 16-day royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji, which ended today. She opted for mostly forest greens, navy blues, tans, blacks, whites and creams.

Meghan’s muted colour choices form a stark contrast with her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, also known as Kate Middleton, who has been pictured in almost every colour during her time in the public eye, most recently favouring brighter colours like the bright pink Alexander McQueen dress she wore for Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank.

What’s more, Meghan’s royal outfits are a world away from the colours she wore during her time in the Hollywood limelight as a star of US legal drama ‘Suits’: jewel-coloured outfits in magenta, orange and purple.

It’s possible Meghan might just grown particularly fond of certain colours over the past year – but, knowing all the scrutiny royals are under in the public eye, it’s likely there’s more to it; that the former actress’ colour choices are more strategic than she’s given credit for.

We’re all familiar with the concept of dressing for the part, but what is it about khaki, navy and black that appeals to Meghan, who is still in the first year of her royal role?

According to personal stylist Keren Beaumont, dressing in certain colours has become a hugely important tool for the Duchess over the past year.

Meghan has employed colour to support her transition from an American television celebrity to a royal, Beaumont tells Yahoo UK.

“Meghan wears demure and understated colours which are often associated with a corporate environment.

“These are colours worn by someone who wants to be taken seriously and to build a credible and respectable image.”

This is more of a challenge for Meghan compared to Kate, Beaumont explains, because Meghan had already built up a different public image elsewhere.

“Kate wasn’t particularly known by the media before she became a royal, so she started with a blank slate. However, Meghan is under more pressure than most people coming into a royal family, because she had to metamorphosise her image in the public eye.”

Another likely reason for the difference between the two Duchess’ wardrobes is their very different colouring.

“Meghan’s skin tone is very warm with yellow undertones so the tans, beiges and warm navys that she so often wears look great on her,” explains Beaumont.

“Her hair and eye colour is deep which allows her to carry off deeper shades in winter, like dark greens and burgundy.”

Meanwhile, Kate has a ‘cool’ complexion with blue undertones, which suits the brighter pastel shades of lilac and baby blue the Duchess of Cambridge is often seen wearing.

We can’t even imagine the pressure of dressing for a royal engagement, and frankly, Meghan is doing a great job – so if dressing for the part is something she finds helpful, then we applaud it. After all, we all have to fake it to make it once in a while – and, apparently, Meghan is no different.

Then again, certain moments during the royal tour which proved Meghan isn’t afraid to break out of her shell once in a while, for instance, with the Figue pink pom pom dress she wore in Tonga, or that dreamy Oscar de la Renta gown in Sydney. Will we see more of this as she gains confidence in her royal role? We hope so!

Click below to see every look Meghan Markle wore during her royal tour.

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