The Meaning Of Meghan

The Meghan Markle fairy tale involves a humble background, a handsome prince and a wardrobe so relatable it could add £1 billion to the British fashion economy. Claudia Croft reports on the woman who’s dressed her way into the world’s hearts

- Claudia Croft

It was a bright December morning in Edinburgh and Leeanne Hundleby was enjoying a day off from Strathberry, the small Scottish bag brand she runs with her husband, Guy. Then the phone rang. “You’d better come in,” said Guy, calling from the office. “We think Meghan’s wearing one of our bags.” The style in question was their £495 midi-tote tricolour in green, and Meghan was, of course, the newly engaged royal-to-be out on her first public engagement with Prince Harry.

What followed was a fashion frenzy. Eleven minutes after Markle stepped out with the bag, it had sold out. “It was the craziest day we’ve ever had,” says Hundleby. “People bought all the colourways and then moved on to the smaller size. By Christmas we had virtually nothing to offer. Everything was sold out.”

World, meet Meghan Markle: the oxytocin of fashion. On the day her engagement to Prince Harry was publicly announced, Meghan stood in the sunken garden at Kensington Palace, petite, despite her nude Aquazzura heels, the wide belt on her white coat accentuating her tiny waist as she flashed her dazzling engagement ring. Not only did she seem intent on rewriting the princess dress code (what, no tights?), but the way she presented herself chimed with modern womanhood.

“She’s a woman of the times,” says the designer Roland Mouret. Not just an actress, he says, “she’s a business woman, and she’s very straightforward.” Antonio Berardi recalls the day she visited his studio “She was incredibly respectful, kind and human. Afterwards she sent me a handwritten note thanking me for making her a cup of tea.”