Meghan and Harry have only been married a little over a month but the Duchess of Sussex has quickly discovered that being royal outing ready costs isn’t cheap. From the Givenchy cape dress Meghan wore on her first solo outing with the queen, to the Oscar de la Renta dress she recently donned for Harry’s cousin’s wedding, her royal wardrobe comes with a steep price tag.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Meghan has spent $1 million USD (around $1.36 million AUD) since joining the royal family.
Given the intense scrutiny the royal women endure, it should come as no surprise looking picture perfect comes with such a high price tag, but where exactly has that million been spent?
The big ticket items
A wedding dress, for many married women, is the most expensive piece of clothing they’ll ever buy, and Meghan is no different—the price tag is just a little higher than your average punter.
Of course, Kensington Palace won’t release the exact cost of her Givenchy gown, but it’s estimated to be between $340,000 and $440,000 USD and her Stella McCartney reception dress around $155,000 USD.
While her wedding day accounts for about half of the overall cost of her new wardrobe, her other outfits haven’t exactly been cheap.
The custom Givenchy cream cape dress came in at $18,000 and her feminine Trooping of the Colour Carolina Herrera off-the-shoulder top and skirt was a cool $4,000.
At the recent Young Leaders Awards Ceremony, Meghan stunned in custom blush two-piece set from Prada. She accessorised the look with a clutch by the same brand ($1,459 USD) and dainty Aquazzura heels ($750 USD).
Will Meghan’s wardrobe continue to cost so much?
Just like her stylish sister-in-law, royal fashion experts predict Meghan will begin to recycle her designer looks when she’s built up more of a collection.
“I’m quite sure we will see Meghan step out of the outfits that she has worn before,” royal expert Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. “When you are buying that sort of couture with those sorts of price tags it would be criminal not to re-wear them.”
She’s already repurposed her satin Aquazzura heels from her nighttime wedding reception by pairing them with an Oscar de la Renta dress to Harry’s cousin’s wedding.
And of course, not having to fund a wedding should also help keep the cost down.
Who pays for Meghan’s wardrobe?
When it comes to the wedding dresses, Nicholls says: “It may be that Meghan contributed certainly some of the costs for either of those wedding dresses, or perhaps both of those wedding dresses, I believe was also picked up by the palace.”
But she believes it’s a cost the Palace should be happy to burden.
“Meghan is now an ambassador for the royal family. Look at the publicity she has brought in run up to the wedding. I’d argue that’s worth every penny.”
As for the rest of her Givenchy-laden wardrobe, the bill is being picked up by father-in-law, Prince Charles, with his $28 million yearly salary.
“It does fall now, that she is married into the royal family, to the Prince of Wales… to cover the cost of her working royal wardrobe,” Nicholl explained.
When she was an actress, Meghan was most likely gifted or at least borrowed designer outfits for the red carpet, but that’s a big no-no as a royal.
While they’re allowed to accept certain types of gifts—like those adorable tiny bouquets children thrust in their hands on the street—royals can’t accept gifts intended for commercial gain. Since outfits worn by Meghan and Kate quickly sell out, free clothes could be seen as free marketing, which means, for now, Prince Charles will continue to foot the bill.
