Meghan was in an elegant navy ensemble tonight for the Queen’s Birthday Party concert at Royal Albert Hall.
The Queen’s actual birthday is today, April 21st. The ceremonial celebration is, of course, the Queen’s Birthday Parade in June, also known as Trooping the Colour.
But this year was different because of the recently-concluded Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings, with representatives in London from 53 Commonwealth countries. It was decided to honor the occasion with a special concert. The royal family turned out en force.
It was a full royal box for the celebration at Royal Albert Hall.
The Queen is 92 this year.
Harry and Meghan just before the show got underway.
The concert included performances by Kylie Minogue, Alfie Boe, Shaggy, and many other entertainers.
Sting also performed.
As did Tom Jones.
Meghan and Harry enjoying the concert.
The Prince delivered remarks, and officially launched the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. The Trust is a new entity created to “…champion, fund and connect young leaders who are working hard to change the world.”
Harry is President of the Trust; proceeds from tonight’s concert benefit the organization. From his remarks:
As we celebrate your 92nd birthday this evening and in recognition of your incredible life of service, I am delighted to say that the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust has now been launched to support young leaders around the Commonwealth.’
‘This organisation, in your name, will provide a platform for those working to make a difference in their communities across 53 countries. Happy Birthday Your Majesty.’
Here is a video of Harry’s remarks.
#PrinceHarry speaks at the Queen’s Birthday party #HappyBirthdayHerMajesty pic.twitter.com/zvhMafFJn1
— Carolyn Durand (@CarolynDurand) April 21, 2018
Meghan wore Stella McCartney this evening.
She was in the designer’s ‘Stella Cape Dress.” The piece hits below the knee, has a round neck and raglan-style zipper at the left shoulder/collarbone. The fabric appears to be a knit, although we don’t have any information on the content of the material. Our thanks to Laura (aka Japanese_Ginger) for her terrific ID work on the piece.
We saw a new handbag tonight, the Zodiac bag by Naeem Khan.
The name comes from the constellation symbols on the outside of each bag in the collection. Meghan’s version shows Leo (her birthday is August 4th), all twelve zodiac signs are available in a variety of colors.
The exterior is plated brass with a mirrored and suede-lined interior. The bags retail at $1490 at Naeem Khan.
Thanks for the handbag ID go to another Laura (aka Solid Moonlight) for locating the bag.
Meghan wore her Manolo Blahnik heels, the BB Pumps in navy suede.
The shoes, named after French film star Brigette Bardot, feature a point toe and 4″ stiletto heel. They are available in mix of sizes at Barneys, in most sizes at Manolo Blahnik, and in limited sizing at Neiman Marcus, they are $625 at all retailers.
UPDATE APR 22: We have confirmation from the company that Meghan was indeed wearing jewellery by designer Shaun Leane.
She is wearing the designer’s Silver and Gold Vermeil Talon Earrings, $315 US.
Meghan is also wearing Shaun Leane bracelets. One bracelet is the Silver and Yellow Gold Diamond Signature Cuff Medium, $1,395 US, the other is the designer’s Serpents Trace bracelet, not yet launched. The designer tells us the launch date for this piece is set for May 2018 with a price of £550, about $768 US at today’s exchange rate. We will provide an update once we are told when the piece is available for purchase in the store.
We are told that Meghan owns several other pieces by the designer and they are hoping to see her wear the jewellery again.
The brand makes sense for Meghan; among other things, Mr. Leane had a longstanding relationship with the late Lee McQueen, collaborating on extraordinary pieces for Alexander McQueen runway shows, and we know Meghan’s appreciation for the McQueen design aesthetic.
Via ShaunLeane.com (Click image to visit site)
You can see more pieces and read about the collaborative work here. There is also an excellent British Vogue piece here with the designer on “5 Lessons He Learned from Alexander McQueen.”
Our thanks to Nicole and Jessica on the FB page for their input on the earrings, as well as Laura on Twitter for suggesting the hook style.
Meghan’s hair was up.
Another look at HM on stage following tonight’s concert.
We send Happy Birthday wishes as well.
We’ll leave you with the Irish Guard playing Happy Birthday this morning.
This morning The Band of the Irish Guards @IrishGuardsBand played Happy Birthday during changing of the Guard for The Queen’s 92nd Birthday. @ArmyInLondon #HappyBirthdayHerMajesty #QueensBirthday pic.twitter.com/kQmogKs2nP
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 21, 2018
ADMIN NOTE: We need to ask everyone unfamiliar with the comment policy to look at it; we have had some comments we’ve been unable to publish and a few even slipped by that shouldn’t have. As some readers have pointed out, there are appropriate ways to talk about elements of Meghan’s wardrobe and/or appearance that we may not like. Thank you to everyone for being mindful of this and approaching the topic respectfully.
LINKAGE:
- Learn more about the newly created Queen’s Commonwealth Trust at the organization’s website here; the group’s Facebook page is here and Twitter feed here
I’m not blown away by the dress with kate absent this was kinda meghan’s chance to shine and she didn’t sparkle the shoes also look a weird colour in one photo!
Absolutely flawless…..Normally I would not look twice at that shape of dress. I happened to find an Adriana Papiel in black. I purposely ordered a size up to have altered. It’s already slated to be my go to in the fall for a trip to London, and a holiday party. It will be rather warm in Texas for a few months. Now…..how to justify buying black suede Manolo’s?…..
Meghan looks so elegant and beautiful! I love the contrast of her classic navy cape dress with such modern gold jewelry and that stunning purse. Although I have never posted a comment before, I have been a faithful follower of What Kate Wore for a long time and I now love What Meghan Wore too! Would you consider adding the date at the start of posts in a way similar to WKW? Thank you for your lovely website – it always brightens my day!
A brilliant updo, stunning dress, heavenly clutch and great shoes. This is my favourite look of MM’s so far. *claps*
I have been fairly critical about the tailoring of Meghan’s clothes but this is the first outfit I have loved!! Perfection. Ok, I would like stronger jewelry BUT her clothes fit, are approprite & look great. Well done.
Aargh – I keep forgetting to ask why there are regular references to “Manolo Blank” in these updates? Is that a nickname for the Blahnik brand and I’m just out of the loop? It’s listed that way twice that I noticed in this post, and in at least one other previous post. Just seems odd to me.
Thanks Brit – It’s Manolo Blahnik. Apparently the MAC has a habit of auto-obnoxious correcting the name to “blank”. Susan K has know taught it Blahnik. We are hoping it has learned. 🙂 – susan c.
Oh wow. This is fantastic. That dress is borderline ugly – in the stock photo. But craft it in a beautiful shade of blue and move it from hanger to Meghan’s person and she is sylphlike loveliness here. At first it looked like she was carrying an old-fashioned portable radio, but getting the backstory (and closeup) on the bag gets an enthusiastic thumbs up in my book. This updo is her best so far, elegant and the lights hitting her give an almost inky-blue sheen, just gorgeous. One of her very best looks – she’s had quite a weekend!
In looking over the photos once more, I MUST also say: Princess Anne is a delightful late bloomer on the sartorial front. These past few years have seen her hitting home runs on a regular basis, and she did it again here – she looks terrific!! Eugenie and Beatrice too, a banner night for the Family!
Perfection! Meghan got EVERYTHING (okay, except for that errant lock of hair) right!
By the way, please do not censor the comments. Please allow people to express themselves fully and truly. Those who are interested in a website such as this clearly like Meghan. Trust your contributors to comment honestly and fairly.
I think that errant lock of hair really helps here – given the simplicity of the dress, I think it might have looked severe if she had pinned everything back. Goodness knows, I’m in the camp of not being wild about the deconstructed bun, but she looks terrific here.
Meghan looks every inch a royal in this elegant cape dress.
It is so understated and beautiful, the perfect backdrop for that bejewled purse that does elevate this to the sublime. Happy sigh… What an entertaining week it has been for us royal watchers.
(I especially appreciate Meghan keeping us busy as we wait for Baby Cambridge #3 to appear!)
She looks very elegant and chic. I’m not sure how I feel about cape dresses in general since I’ve never worn one and not sure I’d like the look on myself. So I’m not 100% on board with that overall aesthetic but she does look great. The constellation handbag is different and I like it, and the jewelry is very pretty. I’m not sure I’m sold on the blue shoes but that’s pretty minor. In all I think she looked perfectly appropriate for the queen’s birthday celebration.
An amazing outfit! So Meghan but also so appropriate for this event. And accessories were perfection.
Beautiful! Love the dress and the delightful new bag. Also love the hair, much more styled than we have seen before when Meghan has let a side lock escape. Agree with FLISS: very classy and hope we see more Stella McCartney.
Gorgeous!!!!
Meghan looks stunning.
I love the purse, I told my hubby that I wanted one, until I saw the price . . . . . lol
A very good choice – I think Stella McCartney should be one of Meghan’s go to designers. I think Meghan looks perfect. A simple yet unusual dress with well chosen accessories. A classy look indeed.
Gorg. I agree with Louise who stated Meghan is “on a roll” lately. She does elegant and understated so well. And the lovely bag as a jewelry-like accessory (via Elizamo) is such an apt description–the bag is a perfect accent to the ensemble. Personally, I do not care for zodiac signs incorporated on anything because I think astrology rather silly – but I find it quite adorable that Meghan is wearing her own sign on her bag. Her hair, too, looks better and better each time we see her–it epitomizes the simplicity and un-fussiness of her style.
She looked like a celestial vision. That hardback with Leo on it? I must get one! By far her most elegant look! Can’t wait for more to come. Bravo to all involved in ID ing the pieces!!?????? What a week it’s been!!
I’m completely made up to see a Stella McCartney creation brought into the spotlight, such a classy label which fits right in with Meghan’s style aesthetic. SM can take five years off a woman with the cut of a neckline alone. Even better, it means Meghan can fly the British flag for Her Majesty’s birthday.
The cut, the line, the drape of the cape dress are masterful and overcome the heaviness implicit in this particular fashion. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a clutch which so effectively takes on the role of a piece of jewellery. It’s such an unusual piece with the fixed bar handle and in the pics you provide looks more like a travel jewellery box than a bag. But its colour and decoration are spot on to relieve the plain navy.
Meghan’s hair seems to get more glossy with each outing and this is a near perfect updo. I know she has a stated preference to have one element in an outfit which is loose and unstructured, and here we have a wandering lank of hair, but I’m tempted to wonder whether adherence even to a rule like that might not be limiting in its own way.
Given the lack of features on the plain navy, however, this is probably a good outfit on which to practise the loose hair trick, and I can be grateful for it in as far as it keeps Meghan’s own individuality to the fore and she hasn’t been totally royalised, if I might use such a term
I couldn’t agree more with your response! It is exciting to see how Meghan’s choices reflect both her personality and style as she establishes her role in the Royal Family. Stunning!
Didn’t Queen Letizia have similar earrings?
I regularly read WhatKateWore and am so happy to find the Meghan version. I love this dress. I wore a black full length cape dress to an event this winter. I’m going to have it shortened because I felt like Morticia Adams. This length is modern and not so overwhelming on her small frame as a full length version. The clutch is to die for, the shoes are okay. I really want to reach through the screen and tuck that strand of hair behind her ear!
Love the chic minimalism of this look, you can never go wrong with Stella McCartney. I have to say my favorite thing was her handbag. It’s incredibly unique, I just love it! Of course Happy Birthday to her majesty, what a lovely and meaningful evening this was.
It’s amazing how stunning this dress is when Meghan wears it, compared to how cocoon-like it looks in the model shots. I guess that’s what makes a designer dress worth the money, and probably why having a stylist is so helpful. She looks incredible, but I’m sure if I saw this on the rack at a discount store I wouldn’t look at it twice.
Love her shoes.
Love the colour and style and looks so elegant. M is certainly stamping her own individual style and not being a slave to a particular look.
Are the earrings from Shaun Leane? I cant see properly but he has styles similar to this. He is a british designer with stunning pieces. Love his work.
Perfect! Well done Meghan
Oh my, this is simply stunning! Love it! The dress is so elegant: the cape detail, the colour, the length. Monochrome with the shoes is classy. And then that bag! As others have said, the gold twinkles against the navy to replicate the stars in the sky like the pattern.
Absolute perfection. Her best look to date.
The dress is stunning – she looks amazing
I really like this whole look. The dress isn’t something I would be drawn to on a hanger, but it looks sleek and stunning on Meghan, and the navy is so rich on her. Pure modern elegance. The bag is unique and gorgeous (and thanks to your post I’ve learned Meghan and I share a birthday) and I’m really enjoying the more polished but still unfussy updo. She’s on a roll lately, such a pleasure to see three lovely outfits in a row.
When I first saw photos of Meghan this evening I literally squealed with delight! This whole look is so elegant, I really don’t have much else to say about it. And I must have this purse, I must!!
I think we are seeing Meghan’s signature updo, a low bun/chignon with fresh and youthful tendrils on the sides. I wonder if this how she’ll wear her hair for the wedding?
Her style is such a breath of fresh air in the rather conservative sartorial royal world. Well
done, Meghan!
I love that she always acessories with braclets and rings it always adds something to the outfit.
I have loved all of Meghans looks since she became engaged to harry. And I love this one even more! The green print dress she wore with the blazer was perfect as well. She has such a good sense of style and I love that she is already rewearing her shoes.
Oh, sorry–autocorrect did weird things to my words. Admin, feel free to edit.
Oh, heavenly…literally, with that divine constellation purse. The gold jewelry against the navy look like stars in a night sky. The dress is just wonderful–mature but modern and bold.
I am guessing that these blue suede shoes just don’t photograph as they should; comprise. Both hers and the Duchess’s seemed slightly mismatched to their otherwise impeccable outfits on Commonwealth day, and I have to think that was a trick of the light rather than poor styling. So I am not troubled by the seeming mismatch here.
Her updo is evolving; I think it looks quite nice tonight. A really, really beautiful look overall.
Excellent article. I love that dress, one of my favorites of what she’s worn, and of course, who doesn’t love a pair of Manolo Blahniks!!
Perfect night-time elegance for this kind of event. I love the contrast of the navy with the purse (which is exquisite in its uniqueness.) Updo is very appropriate here.
Matching navy to navy is always hard, and I’m not sure what the flash is responsible for here, but the shoes to cape colors look a little odd — they may look much better in person. Overall a total win — beautiful outfit that looks great on her.
Meghan looks gorgeous.
This is such a fantastic dress. I think this is my favorite of Meghan’s outfits thus far. It fit her perfectly, the length was just right, and the shoes worked nicely. I love the purse, too. And did you know Meghan, the late Queen Mother and Barack Obama all share a birthday?
This look is enchanting! I’m amazed by the versatility of the fashions that Meghan wears so brilliantly and beautifully. I love the clutch! I also like how the gold in the clutch and the jewelry stands out against the beautiful shade of blue. And Meghan and Harry match so well.
Lovely, elegant cape dress. They look so happy. Enjoyed seeing them arrive with William as the “third wheel” instead of Harry.