Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is currently in the middle of her 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga with her husband, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Before the tour started, the palace detailed a whopping 76 engagements that the couple had planned during that time, and topped it off with the news that the duchess is pregnant, a newsflash that was shared on the day of their arrival in Sydney.
With all of their engagements, the couple has so far had to undergo multiple costume changes in a day. One has to wonder what the cost of their overweight luggage might have come to.
But more concerning for some is the cost of Meghan’s wardrobe over the tour. According to Daily Mail , if the duchess continues on this trajectory, her wardrobe budget could total as much as $129,000 for the 16-days. As the publication points out, this is approximately the same amount as her sister-in-law, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, spends on her wardrobe in an entire year.
Meghan, who has spent most of her life in Hollywood, is a fan of designer pieces, and some of the garments she has worn on this tour so far have totaled over $2,000, without including the cost of any accessories.
So far, up to and including the welcome reception and dinner that she and Harry were greeted with in the Kingdom of Tonga, Meghan’s wardrobe has already totaled almost $82,000 over the past 10-days. This does include the cost of the few items she owned prior to the tour, but not that of the items on loan or gifted to her, such as the diamond drop earrings she is borrowing from the Queen and her late mother-in-law Princess Diana’s aquamarine ring.
Although she has taken a number of prior-owned shoes and accessories with her on tour, every single outfit she has worn bar just one has been new. To be fair to her, Meghan is pregnant and fitting into some of her old clothing may be a bit of a challenge given that her baby bump is definitely becoming evident. Add that to the heat, and confined clothing that doesn’t really fit well is probably the last thing the duchess wants to be wearing.
There is another factor at play as well, and that is the unofficial tradition that members of the royal family often wear clothing created by designers or labels from the countries they are visiting. A number of Meghan’s outfits have been Australian designed as a nod to the country she and Harry are spending the most time in.
Given Meghan’s own personal wealth prior to marrying into the royal family, it is also entirely plausible that she might have footed the bill for some of the pieces herself.
The couple still have a number of black-tie engagements coming up on their tour, which will likely see Meghan in more glamorous evening gowns before she boards her flight back to the U.K.
