The Duchess of Sussex arrived at Royal Albert Hall this evening in an Aritzia Babaton dress for the One Young World Summit Opening Ceremony.
The Summit is a global forum bringing together young leaders from around the world to further social impact with a mission “to create the next generation of more responsible and effective leadership”.
Meghan attended the opening ceremony in her capacity as Vice President for the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.
The Duchess of Sussex arriving at the Royal Albert Hall for the One Young World summit opening ceremony this evening. @PA pic.twitter.com/BxTHRPUx40
— Luke Powell (@LukePowell88) October 22, 2019
The Duchess first joined One Young World (OYW) as a counselor in 2014 at the summit in Dublin where she addressed the young leaders on the importance of women’s rights and the role men play in achieving equality.
Below, Meghan and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the 2016 summit held in Ottawa, Canada.
From Hello Magazine, the Duchess’s comments when asked about becoming a counselor for One Young World —
“When I was asked to be a Counsellor at One Young World my response was a resounding ‘yes’. One Young World invites young adults from all over the world who are actively working to transform the socio-political landscape by being the greater good. They are delegates who are speaking out against human rights violations, environmental crises, gender equality issues, discrimination and injustice. They are the change.”
The summit, which takes place over 4 days at some of London’s most iconic buildings, includes more than 2,000 young leader delegates from more than 190 countries.
British school performers opened the ceremony with a cover of The Clash’s London Calling.
#londoncalling @OneYoungWorld ? pic.twitter.com/G3CHGG2lvj
— John O’Brien MBE (@Johnwritlarge) October 22, 2019
British actor Warwick Davis, most notably known for the movies Willow, Harry Potter and Star Wars, hosted this evening’s event.
Lord Mayor of London, Peter Eslin gave a few words.
Today the stars are not on the stage, they are in the audience.
All of you are making a huge difference in business, in culture and wider society”
“The air is charged with creative thought and new ideas.”
One Young World was started in London 2010 by founders, Kate Robertson and David Jones (as seen below from a previous year). This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the first summit.
Below, Kate and David share their opening ceremony remarks.
We are honoured and excited to be bringing the 10th #OYW Summit to London. We want to inspire young leaders to change the world for the better.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan was introduced and delivered remarks as well.
London is the most diverse city in the world”
“Our diversity is a strength, not a weakness”
“You are always welcome in London”
Next the One Young World counselors and ambassadors were introduced one by one. Among them were singer Ellie Goulding, Forces for Change ambassador, educator and advocate Sinead Burke as well as singer and activist, Sir Bob Geldof, from the 80’s New Wave band, The Boomtown Rats.
Bob Geldof at a previous year’s OYW summit.
The Duchess was the last to be introduced as one of the counselors.
Sussex Royal shared this video of the Duchess being introduced.
More from Sussex Royal Instagram —
Surrounded by today’s generation of impactful young leaders, The Duchess of Sussex attended the 10th Annual One Young World Summit Opening Ceremony at the @RoyalAlbertHall in London along with 2,000 young leaders from 190+ countries.
This is her third time in attendance as a counselor for these extraordinary young leaders from around the world, and her first time attending as a member of The Royal Family and Vice President of The @Queens_Commonwealth_Trust.
For more information, visit @OneYoungWorld or our previous post to see her support of this organisation in recent years. #OWY2019″
Sussex Royal also revealed that later this week The Duchess will hold a roundtable discussion with several of the OYW young leaders to “address the issue of gender equity worldwide, and how we can all play our part to reach equality for all.”
An enormous Union Jack flag was rolled out over the audience towards the end of the ceremony.
Meghan wore repeat pieces for tonight’s ceremony.
She was in her Aritzia Babton ‘Maxwell’ dress in Acai purple.
We first saw the dress for her and Harry’s engagement earlier this year in Birkenhead, UK – January 2019.
She also wore her Manolo Blahnik BB 105 suede pumps with the ‘Tora’ heel in navy, $665. Select sizes are available at Neiman Marcus. The stiletto heel style is available in all sizes at Barney’s, ($665).
It appears, Meghan also wore the two bracelets she had on for the WellChild Awards last week; they have not yet been identified.
Are you following us on Instagram?! Our latest What Meghan Wore Instagram posts are below:
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REMINDER – For those in the US who have been asking, the Harry & Meghan: An African Journey will air tomorrow night, 23 October on ABC at 10pm and hosted by Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts.
The piece covers the royal couple’s recent 10-day tour of Africa, including Archie and shows the Duke and Duchess speaking exclusively to iTV’s Tom Bradby about the causes and issues they care most about. It will also highlight “their fresh and personal approach to being modern royals,” ITV says. Read more about it here from Image.
While we’re letting you know about the broadcast, we would like to keep the focus on what Meghan wears. This really isn’t the forum for discussion of what is going on in a broader context. Unless you believe the issue relates to Meghan’s wardrobe choices.
I have watched the documentary and Tom Bradby has done an excellent job with the entire piece. If you haven’t already seen it, I recommend watching and taking the time to listen.
Thank you – Susan Courter, WMW.
LINKAGE:
- Read more about the Duchess attending past One Young World Summits here.
- Watch the recording of today’s One Young World 2019 Opening Ceremony here.
- Hello Mag piece is here.
Shannon says
The colour of the dress is gorgeous and a good autumnal shade i like the style of the dress but the sleeves and the fit are too big!I think the navy shoes with the diamante buckles would of looked much better then the navy ones she wore and the hair is too flowing for such an event it would of looked nicer and appropriate styled back.
Larissa says
I liked this dress the first time and I like it again. This was absolutely the right occasion to bring out the bold colours, when all eyes would be on the stage. Dressing dark would have made it difficult to spot her from the furthest seats, I think. Love the hair down this time, it’s getting long and I think her shorter style suited her better, but she has the right amount of curl and bounce in it here. Navy shoes are definitely not a colour I would ever consider but I think she makes it work. Great look!
Mikaela says
Love the dress (that purple!) as well as her hair and makeup. The shoes aren’t a great fit with the entire look though. I think she should have gone with black over blue and I don’t think suede photographs as well under stage lighting and with flashbulbs at night.
Mrs. Hurley says
She looks great. I happen to like the look of the dress on her and the color as well. Purple is also my favorite color! I’m curious, perhaps this is a silly question, is Meghan allowed to tell people not to curtsy?
Amelie says
Oh nice to see a rewear of this dress without the red coat! I didn’t realize it was a rewear at first. She definitely had the slit altered (for modesty purposes I assume, the slit on the original dress is so high!). I love the color on Meghan, it’s nice when she occasionally breaks out of her neutrals palette. But the dress does look a tad too big, it actually looks a bit too big on her when she was pregnant too weirdly enough. I think the sleeves need some minor tailoring and it would be good to go. I actually think I prefer the red shoes she wore the first time around instead of these navy heels. Though I keep going back and forth as to whether I liked this dress with the red coat she wore the first time, it’s such a bold look! I also think I would have preferred her hair up and out of her face since it’s so long and acting like a curtain here.
Jackie says
The Duchess looks absolutely great! I am a firm believer in the best revenge is dressing well. Her hair, her face and the dress all a total win. I love the navy suede shoes with it as well.
How many re-wears have we seen. She has only been a Royal for a little over a year, yet she is literally rewearing all her clothing. In SA she only had 2 new outfits. The other Royals have been there for years so when they do a rewear it’s understandable., yet they ( other Royals ) are seen in new clothes all the time. On their tours and in the U.K. Why is this Duchess not allowed new clothes like the other Royals?
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Kathleen says
This color is great on her, but the fabric swallows her up. Looking at the photos of Meghan’s pre-duchess style, I don’t see the same issues of fit (which seems common now). I wonder if it’s a result of trying to adapt her style to the rules that the royals have to follow. It must be hard to figure out what works for your body and style, and have to relearn everything with a different set of rules.
SuzyQ says
I do like this color on her. She looks very well in strong colors. I don’t think the dress fits properly. This time too loose and long waisted. I wish Meghan would have a tailor look at everything before she wears it. The dress really required better accessories. A necklace or bigger earrings. I don’t recommend a belt for her, so a necklace that laid along the collar line would have been great. The navy shoes didn’t have any connection, a coordinating clutch in navy would have helped, but I think black patent would have been great. Her hair looks very glossy but is a tad too long. A trim or an updo would show it off better.
Carol says
Meghan looks so wonderful in this color. I wish she would wear colors more often rather than neutrals, navy or black.
Genevieve says
This was a miss for me. I think this is the kind of dress you wear at home or when running errands, certainly not in going to such an event. It was so plain and uninteresting. Very disappointing.
Bonnie says
Have to respectfully disagree with you, Genevieve. I never run errands looking like this and I doubt many other do. You must be much more glam. I agree that the look is plain and I likely would have worn a longish necklace or something to add a bit of interest, but otherwise I think this dress was appropriate for the occasion
Laura says
I love this purple dress and I’m excited to see it worn again. A bright pop of color, simple, unfussy, and very flattering. And I was one who hated the bright rd and purple color combo, so seeing this bright, elegant dress stand on its own is lovely. I am just confused about how it fits Meghan now very well around the waist, but it also fit her 6-months-pregnant body. Is really stretchy, or did I she scrunch it up and wear it empire-waisted?
Linda B says
The Duchess looks GREAT here. The color is a bright pop, the fabric moves beautifully, and she looks completely at ease and in her element. Speaking of elements, I drive a Honda Element just about the color of her shoes, so of course I like them, too.
Jennb2111 says
This beautiful dress and her gorgeous flowing hair. She looks amazing.
ava says
Meghan looks beautiful in that color dress– WOW
Would have paired it up with black suede heels.
Her hair looks a bit lighter, or may be the lighting??? Not sure, but the longer length looks great on her, and she wears it well.
I wish her all the best, and will watch the broadcast this evening.
Ava Pittman says
The dress is lovely, vivid bright colour, the shoes are a rare miss for me. Preferred what she wore previously, the red shoes really lifted the outfit.
Brandi says
Meghan looks great, the jewel tone purple is very flattering on her. The dress looks comfortable too. I like her choice of navy heels with it, its unexpected but it works. The red coat and shoes from the dress’s previous outing was a bold choice but like I said it works ? It makes me want to experiment with color combos a bit more.
Thanks for the post, I hope both Susans are doing well!
Kim says
Thank you for the info that the show would be aired tonight was not aware of it. Now, will be taped.
Kay Khyabani says
The DoS looked beautiful. I love the dress. Sadly it is no longer available as it is one of the few dresses of hers that I can purchase! 🙂 I think the navy heels are fine. I would’ve probably done either nude heels or the her black ones with the double buckles as Jessica mentioned. 🙂
Ellen says
Love this look. I didn’t realize that it was the same dress she had worn while pregnant. I like that it’s not belted, as I think the tightly cinched belts sometimes throw off the fit. The color is beautiful, the fit is good & it’s dressy without being over the top given the audience. Well done.
Paula Egan says
Beautiful colour and the duchess is just radiant in it. She should wear colour all of the time because its beatiful
Melanie says
The positive: I like the color of this dress, it’s unusual and interesting. And I kind of like the navy shoes with it.
The negative: it doesn’t fit Meghan properly. The sleeves are too long and the bodice is sized for someone with a longer waist, as you can see the fabric folding. I think the overall length is just a smidge too long, and the slit/vent could be a bit deeper without venturing into unroyal territory. And the whole look is severely under accessorized. It needed at least a necklace and a clutch; she looks too casual and unfinished without. It looked really odd to emerge from the car and stride up empty-handed. Finally I’m baffled by all the hair.
Paula says
And the waist is actually an inch above her waist as is common with all dresses now-a-days. If Megan buys to fit her figure now, the public complain. If she re-wears clothes, the public complain. She looked stunning and the purple is beautiful with her colouring
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Laura says
I agree about the fit. Seems odd she wore it when 6 months pregnant, and then thought it would still fit 6 months postpartum. In my opinion. The fit was “off” on the first wear, since it is not a maternity dress, so it pulled in some places, scrunched up, folded, etc. The fit is off again for this wear, because it is clearly much too big for her.
However, I love the color on her, and I think the fabric flows very nicely, making for an elegant look.
Ndozi says
I had forgotten about this purple dress! It was nice to be renewed of it with that gorgeous red coat and red heels That red coat is divine.
I like the way it looks on her now, and I do like it with those dark blue heels aswell. I much prefer how dresses like this fit and flow on her than the repeated green dress she wore the other day. I love how these colors look against her hair and skin. Her hair looks nice – is it extensions?? I’d like to see her wear it half up and half down.
Maluhia says
Susan, so glad to see you back and posting! Hope all is going well.
Meghan looks so stunning here! I love this dress. I love the classic simplicity of many of Megan’s outfits like this. I also adored when she mixed this purple dress witb that red coat last year!
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Maluhia, This is Susan Courter – I have been doing the posts for WMW. I think there has been some confusion as both Susan Kelley (of What Kate Wore) and myself manage What Meghan Wore – sometimes Susan K posts and sometimes I post. Last week’s post and this week’s post were done by me. 🙂 – Susan K. is doing much better and back – thank you for asking! – Susan C.
Dawn C says
She looks gorgeous! My only “miss” is I wish her hair had been done so it wasn’t in her face so much. She’s practically glowing. No need to hide that beauty.
Tami says
Meghan is so beautiful in purple and her hair has never looked shinier and more gorgeous.
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Katie says
Love the color but would have loved to see this with a belt- maybe leopard print (with different shoes). Her hair looks fabulous.
Brenda McTaggart says
Meghan looks beautiful in this dress and the fit is perfect. I would love it if she wore more of this style.
Jennifer Sullivan says
Agree!! This style is much more flattering on her! She looks more relaxed too and her hair has been looking amazing!
CanadaSue says
The Duchess looks very elegant in this beautiful dress. Her hair is gorgeous. Wishing her the very best as she continues with engagements until her break with the Duke and their son.
Bonnie says
This seems like a really high energy event and Meghan looks happy to be there. She is really concentrating on repeating her clothes, which is just fine with most of us.
I think Meghan looks lovely tonight. We didn’t really get a good look at this dress the first time she wore it and I never did like the red/purple combination with a brown purse. But with navy shoes the colour of this dress really dazzles It looks both comfortable and dressy. Meghan’s hair is very luxurious and I do prefer it when she wears it down.
Deb says
I think Meghan looks gorgeous – the colour is perfect and the cut is very flattering! It is nice to see her in something that is not belted!
Marcy says
I think it’s this bracelet https://www.maisonette.com/gifts/by-price/over-the-top/gold-kensington-bracelet
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Marcy, Thanks for the suggestion. It is a close match, but it appears Meghan’s bracelet is more of an octagon shape vs. the round of the Zofia Day bracelet. – Susan C.
Jessica says
This dress is beautiful on her. It’s working so much better on her now than during pregnancy–now it’s flowing and draping the way it was clearly designed to. Just gorgeous with her dark hair and her slim ankles and legs flashing through that modest slit (it’s a bit lower here than in the model shot, no?). I’m not sure about the navy heels, but it was obviously a considered choice that just comes down to taste. I think if it were me, though, I’d have chosen a pair of her beautifully detailed black heels (remember the ones with the double buckles? Why haven’t we seen those again?!), which would look so sharp with those long, flowing raven tresses.
It’s nice to see the Duchess looking so well and staying focused on the patronages that clearly mean so much to her.
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