It was a bombshell that rang from the rooftops of Camp Sussex in sunny California to the Portland stone of Buckingham Palace. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have decided to move from from their Montecito idyll to the United Kingdom in mere weeks, news that generated countless headlines and shook royal society to its core. It was an announcement so swift and—to many—unexpected following the pearl-clutching furor that was their departure back in 2020, that the King only found out on Sunday, the Sun reports.
While the Sussex’s greatest supporters cheer—and the naysayers jeer—the fashion crowd have another, more urgent question on their minds: what will the Duchess wear for her return to Great Britain?
The Duchess of Sussex wears a custom Harbison Studio gown at a New York gala, 2026
Savion Washington/Getty Images
Markle opts for boxy Loro Piana tailoring in Harlem, 2021
Gotham
For the past six years, Markle has enjoyed the freedoms of her non-working royal wardrobe, waving goodbye to Palace regulations on modest hemlines, hats before 6 p.m. and non-negotiable pantyhose, she embraced the relaxed, LA style reminiscent of her former incarnation as a Hollywood actor. In some of her earliest sightings in the Golden State, she oozed cool in boxy Loro Piana tailoring; opted for casual, pared-back glam in Jane Birkin-esque crisp-shirt-and-jeans combos; and stepped up her red carpet game in Oscar-worthy glam from US-born labels such as Harbison Studio and Carolina Herrera.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Moving Back to the UK. Prince William and Kate Middleton Are “Concerned.”
When Prince Harry and Meghan return to the UK, they’ll maintain their status as private individuals and nonworking members of the royal family. But a source tells Vanity Fair that Prince William is worried that could change.
Then came the whimsical dressing of With Love, Meghan. Chintz-printed modern tea dresses, color-pop cashmere pairings, and meticulously pulled-back waves became her modus operandi as she cooked up apple butter tartines and Earl Grey tea lattes. So, with her back garden pantry set to soon look more potatoes-and-carrots than homegrown orange orchard, will the Duchess keep the all-Americana, Netflix-y glimmer and gloss? Or will she transform, chameleon-like back to her celebrated, stately Great British-chic?
