Meghan looked radiant in a red Self-Portrait dress for the tour arrival in Tonga.
Kensington Palace posted a video of the arrival.
?? Hello Tonga! #RoyalVisitTonga pic.twitter.com/5OygU3uumT
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 25, 2018
The Duke and Duchess being greeted by dignitaries and officials at Fua’amotu Airport.
They were also welcomed by Her Royal Highness, The Princess Angelika Latufuipeka, who is at the far left in this photo, closest to the aircraft.
You can also see the Princess here, just behind Prince Harry.
The Princess is the only daughter and eldest child of of King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho.
We have another quick video.
Unfortunately, we can’t see the face of the little girl below, Melenaite Tu’ipelehake, who gave Meghan flowers. I believe she is the granddaughter of a woman who presented the Queen with flowers in 1953.
Emily Nash tweeted a picture from that 1953 welcome.
“To this day, I remember with fondness Queen Salote’s attendance at my own Coronation, while Prince Philip and I have cherished memories from our three wonderful visits to your country in 1953, 1970 and 1977… pic.twitter.com/z4qVzlV7wH
— Emily Nash (@emynash) October 25, 2018
It looks like a beautiful plant or arrangement.
There was also a musical and dance performance.
And lots of friendly faces eager to see Meghan and Harry.
Much as in Fiji, there were signs welcoming the Royals.
Thousands of schoolchildren lined the road to Consular House.
15km of road all lined with the children of Tonga. What a welcome for Harry and Meghan! #RoyalVisitTonga?? pic.twitter.com/ClrhUP9FNi
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) October 25, 2018
Kensington Place tweeted a video of the view from Meghan and Harry’s perspective.
??? What an incredible welcome, thank you Tonga! Have a look at The Duke’s view as he and The Duchess of Sussex drove towards the Royal Palace. #RoyalVisitTonga pic.twitter.com/H6XlzUZXzc
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 25, 2018
Many of those waiting to wave and greet the couple brought Tonga flags.
While others had Union Jacks to wave.
When they arrived at their destination, the couple had a private audience with King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u. More about the country from the Washington Post:
Tonga, home to just 106,000 people, is also known as the friendly islands. It was a British protectorate before gaining independence in 1970 and remains a part of the Commonwealth group of nations.
Tonga is an archipelago of 170 islands; just 35 of them are inhabited, according to 9News Australia.
Now for our look at what Meghan wore.
Meghan’s dress is from Self Portrait. It is the Red Embroidered Midi dress (£380 / $524) and is available for pre-ordering at Self Portrait, with an expected shipping date of December 14th.
The dress initially came a full-length maxi style; we show it at Harrods ($455, now sold out).
It is described as a lightweight crepe in fabric that is 100% polyester. This offers a better view of the embroidery detail, the very intricate seams of the godets, sleeve buttons and self-belt.
Here is an even closer shot.
Many will remember Meghan wearing Self Portrait when visiting Australia House in April. The green Cokd Shoulder Floral Printed Dress is now back in stock at Self-Portrait (£300, about $390).
If wondering why the Duchess opted for red, it is likely because of Tonga’s flag.
We saw the Manolo Blahnik BB pumps in navy that Meghan wore earlier in the day. And her Dior handbag, a version of the D-Bee bag.
The Duchess wore two of the Ecksand rings we first saw the evening of the Invictus Opening Ceremony, the bezel cut sapphire and marquis cut diamond.
Meghan’s earrings look like the Natalie Marie Diamond Sun Studs ($2450 AUD, roughly $1745 at today’s exchange rates) we first noted at the Invictus reception earlier this week.
I wanted to include a better photograph of the Princess, whose jewelry looked just amazing. I wish there was a better view of the belt as it also looked terrific.
We are off to start post #3 for the day (or night, depending on one’s whereabouts). If you haven’t read our first piece of the day about the Fiji departure, click here.
By the time many of you see this, the third post will be complete and you can read about the Theia gown Meghan wore.
Love this dress. Love seeing her in brighter colors. Who is suppose to help her with her wardrobe? She shouldn’t have to worry about tags being left on clothes.
Oh, Meghan! A tip: Once you are showing, dresses that are cut or belted at the waist are no longer flattering.
Lovely color? Yes.
Proper fit and cut? No.
The belt encircles her bump, the least slender part of her body. It is the last place one would want to draw the eye to, but that’s what this dress does.
It being 2018, I would think being visibly pregnant was okay.
Maybe by 2019?
This is my dream color for Duchess Meghan. I love it. Love the dress and love the dark blue accessories. Her hair free and loose is refreshing. Truly she looks so very lovely. This look including the fitted bodice is a runaway hit with me. I am sure heads will role for the tag being left on the dress, but I hope they don’t role too far. At the end of the day we just don’t live in a perfect world.
I was surprised to even see a tag on the dress as it was a custom modified version for Meghan–anybody have any info on this? Could it be a slip? Either way red really suits her as does the teal from this morning and the white evening gown for night. I wonder if she has a color that doesn’t suit?
I was wondering if perhaps Meghan’s team attach tags to garments and accessories to help with logistics. So garments chosen for Tonga are labelled as such, then packed together in the same luggage to enable them to be easily found on the day they’re needed. However, this is pure guesswork.
Very pretty and unique dress with all of the details. I’m sure the color choice was appreciated by the Tongan people she met. Unfortunately this and the green dress were quite tight in the chest and mid section. I think that is what caused the shoulders in the green dress to bunch up. I say unfortunately, because many of us know the feeling of wearing something that is too tight and pulling. It’s hard to feel confident and especially for Meghan as all eyes are on her. I wonder if her stylist could have avoided these issues by purchasing clothing in a size or two larger and then tailoring them just before she left. I know this is a difficult time to fit, but I feel like her stylist/tailor let her down.
Fabulous color and cut on her. The dress is refreshingly lighter in weight and style — the Wu dress seemed too heavy for Fiji and her — and the skirt flows beautifully. In some shots it looks almost coral — and matches the skirt of the little girl handing her flowers, in a fun twist — but in most it looks a brighter red. This is one of the few times she’s carrying off a belt at the waist beautifully. It’s a lovely design on her. And hurray for bold color!
I love love love this dress!! It looks so pretty blowing in the wind! And it looks more like Meghan’s style and something she’s comfortable in as compared to the green stiffly tailored dress from earlier in the day.
I love this dress! The fit is obviously a little off, but nonetheless, I think Meghan looks very pretty. She should wear red more often.
This dress is okay, red looks good on Meghan. Did she request the embroidery detail to be also in red? It looks different on the designer provided pictures, it’s in a different color? I think I like the different color, it makes the embroidery stand out more, on Meghan the red embroidery disappears into the dress and you can’t really see it which is a shame because that is what makes the dress interesting.
The tag think is slightly embarrassing but not a crime. I know I’ve done the same several times with my clothes. Moving on!
Meghan’s dress, a salute to Tonga’s red flag, is not only appropriate but beautiful. The embroidery, buttons on sleeves, godet flares on the skirt and lowered back zipper give interest and style. This dress works in both the midi and full length versions. I imagine the midi length, available as a pre-order for mid-December delivery, will be popular for the holidays.
It will be interesting to see how and when Meghan adjusts to maternity wear. Cultural trends have changed quite a bit since I was pregnant – when mom’s started wearing maternity clothes at 3 months along. I can say one thing those elastic waist jeans with stretch panels were comfy!
I always like to watch Rebecca English’s video, thanks for including today’s snippet of Meghan and Harry’s arrival. It looked pretty windy and overcast…there’s a super typhoon racking havoc in the northern Pacific so it’s good the royal tour is in the southern pacific. Pray for everyone’s safety.
Hooray for red flags when they get Meghan to splash out on some bold colour. What at first glance looked like a plain dress turns out to have the most exquisite and subtle detail. I love it.
The cut-out work on the upper bodice and the embroidery running down into the skirt are beautifully done and it’s practically a work of art how the skirt has been flared into knife-pleated gore panels. The neatness of the belt is a joy to see, and even the long row of covered buttons at the wrist are demure enough not to crowd the overall effect. Ditto the seamed panel squeezed in between lower bodice and waist.
I like how Meghan has been able to carry over her navy accessories from Fiji into Tonga and she has cannily slipped into silver-toned earrings. Thanks for giving the Tonga Princess Angelika a shout-out, I was wondering who that lovely lady was!
Did you see that she left the returns tag on the hem of her dress. It was only noticed 5 mins after they got off the plane. How embarrassing must that have been.
I do like the dress though
I did see it on the picture with her holding the basket of flowers there is a white square at the bottom of her hem. Also on another site I visit there was a close up shot of her shoes as she came down the stairs of the plane and you could see the tag and print on it.
To me it is obvious that the green dress and the red dress were fitted before Meghan’s body started to change with the pregnancy. Both of these dresses are too tight, especially in the chest area. This is most unfortunate, but certainly understandable. The red dress has some pretty features and the colour is lovely on Meghan.
I love this look! I agree with Becky in that there is nothing wrong with Meghan’s black or navy wardrobe because she looks wonderful in those with her dark hair and eyes. But wow, she is a revelation in a red most people could never wear.
Red is a great color for her. While I don’t hate the navy shoes, I feel like the black slingbacks would have been a better choice for both dresses. I just think that would have been a tad less conservative. Both the green and the red are great dresses that I could see her repurposing for appearances in the UK later on.
OMG. Thank you for the sneak peek of the Theia gown. From the shoulders up it looks divine!
The self-portrait dress is nice, but it does look like she’s busting out of it. No shame in that; it’s just probably time to step up to proper maternity wear. There’s no avoiding it for the short-waisted among us.
I’m trying to reconcile the various pictures of the dress from the designer. In the first one, it looks like the broderie Anglaise is either more transparent or is picked out in a contrasting color, as opposed to the later pictures and the version the DoS wore today. What’s going on there? For what it’s worth, I prefer the higher-contrast look.
Love the cut of the dress and the detailing. Another great look for Meghan!
Saw other photos where her staff had forgotten to remove the Self Portrait tag, the one that warns if this tag is removed you can’t return the dress. This shows that they didn’t wash that dress before wearing.
Textile engineer David Brookstein once recommended in the New York Times that if you wear lots of new clothes on a regular basis, especially in the States where formaldehyde sprays on new clothes is not regulated like in other countries, it’s sensible practice to wash the clothes before wearing them. From what I understand, especially if cotton or cotton blends as they are often treated with antimicrobial sprays or formaldehyde resins. This all isn’t like a huge problem, as our skin can break down smaller amounts, but if you’re in a situation where you’re wearing new clothes often or from cheaper sources or with children, might be a reasonable consideration.
I didn’t know this. thank you for informing us/me!
I wasn’t aware of this. This is good to know. Thank you.
The red in her dress and the Princess’ necklace’s are amazing. This pictured “popped” out amongst the others.
Lovely dress and she looks lovely in it. The details on the bodice make it special.
The Princess has such a pretty face, and fantastic jewelry that she deserves a mention. I, too, wish there were more photos and close-ups of her amazing accessories.
I love this color on her! I’m not one to get up in arms when we see her in black, navy and cream for days on end, because I like those colors on her, but this red looks really great. I love the skirt on it. I also think she is doing a good job coordinating accessories (wearing navy shoes both with the green dress and then this dress, which probably makes it easier when considering what she needs access to on the plane for changing.) I have loved her jewelry on this trip.