Meghan Markle’s subtle style message proved she was set to become Prince Harry’s wife

Meghan Markle once opted for a subtle style message that showed she was set to become Prince Harry’s wife long before their fairytale wedding. 

• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first public appearance together as a couple at the Invictus Games back in 2017. 
• For this important appearance Meghan is said to have chosen a crisp white shirt that had a particularly insightful style name. 
• This royal news comes as the Queen ditches her walking stick after mobility issues for her latest royal engagement. 

Royal outfits are often far more symbolic than they first appear, with many of Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton’s dresses and suits for events and trips championing particular designers. This was most recently seen as Harry and Meghan received an NAACP award where the Duchess of Sussex stunned in a vibrant blue gown designed by Christopher John Roger. 

But it seems even from her first ever public appearance with Prince Harry back in 2017, Meghan could be seen to have been sending subtle style messages. When Meghan and Prince Harry’s relationship first blossomed, she was already a famous figure in her own right playing Rachel Zane on hit legal drama Suits.

Meghan Markle left Suits shortly before her and Prince Harry’s royal wedding in 2018, but she was first introduced to the world as his girlfriend a year earlier.

The couple stepped out in public in Toronto (where Meghan was living at the time) where they attended the Invictus Games, of which Prince Harry is a founder. Prince Harry and Meghan watched the wheelchair tennis match between New Zealand and Australia together.

And while both their looks were remarkably casual for one of the Queen’s grandchildren and his partner, Meghan’s white shirt could be seen to have a subtle hidden message. According to the Daily Mail at the time, the now-Duchess of Sussex wore a $185 (£137) shirt designed by Misha Nanoo with the style intriguingly named The Husband. 

She paired The Husband shirt with ripped blue jeans and dark sunglasses, her hair worn in loose waves. But the smart shirt definitely did the talking and the statement piece’s name might have been a secret sign even back then that things were very serious between her and Prince Harry.

As reported by the publication, bookmakers Ladbrokes suspended betting on an engagement announcement hours after this appearance. While the Daily Mail claimed that the shirt was “perhaps a subtle indication by Meghan that she won't be a single lady for much longer”. 

It’s never been officially confirmed by the Duchess herself that she chose this meaningful shirt for a specific reason. However, Prince Harry did tell James Corden during his appearance on The Late Late Show last year that he knew his relationship with Meghan was “special” very early on. 

"The second date I was starting to think 'Wow, this is pretty special,'" Harry told him. "It was just the fact we hit it off with each other and we were just so comfortable in each other's company.”

Reflecting on the way he and Meghan connected so strongly, he continued, "There were no distractions and that was great. It was an amazing thing, we went from zero to 60 in the first two months."