The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have only been married a little over a month but Duchess Meghan has quickly discovered that dressing for royal outings 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 that 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 is usually the most expensive dress a woman will buy, and Meghan has been no exception — the cost is just a little higher when you’re a royal bride.
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.
Meghan’s Givenchy wedding gown is said to have cost between $340,000 and $440,000 USD.
Meghan’s Stella McCartney reception dress reportedly cost around $155,000 USD.
While her wedding day accounts for about half of the total cost of her new wardrobe, her other outfits haven’t exactly been inexpensive.
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 $4000.
At the recent Young Leaders Awards Ceremony, Meghan stunned in a custom blush two-piece set from Prada. She accessorised the look with a clutch by the same brand ($1459 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.”
The Duchess has already repurposed her satin Aquazzura heels from her wedding reception by pairing them with an Oscar de la Renta dress to Prince 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?
On the wedding gowns, 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 the 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 loaned designer outfits for the red carpet but that’s a big no-no for 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 Duchess Meghan and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge quickly sell out, free clothes could be seen as free marketing, which means, for now, Prince Charles will continue to foot the bill.
