Yesterday, The Duke and Duchess surprised military families in Windsor at a coffee morning in the Broom Farm Community Centre located in the Army housing estate.
In honor of Remembrance Sunday on 10 November, Harry and Meghan wanted to show support for the families of service personnel who are currently deployed overseas.
The below video clip from Forces Network shows the couple arriving unannounced and the surprised parents.
From Army&You magazine, Harry spoke about how difficult it can be for families while someone is away serving —
“It’s unbelievably hard. I have so much respect and admiration for anyone who has to deal with that,” he said.
He also remarked on what it must be like for parents who are away from children.
“I can’t imagine what it’s like to miss so much as they change so quickly,” he said.
The couple shared baby stories with other mothers and fathers during the visit.
Amy Thompson, whose husband Brad is with the Welsh Guards, had this to say about the new royal parents —
“My daughter Aeris is the same age as Archie and we talked about weaning and the children beginning to crawl—she’s just a normal mum and it was like talking to a friend,”
“Harry was saying how little Archie was starting to crawl, how they’ve started eating different foods, [making] all of the funny faces.”
The Duchess also shared some details of Archie’s sleep patterns and teething with a few of the moms.
Army spouse Leigh Smith brought her eight-year-old daughter Molly to meet the Royals.
“Meghan promised not to tell anyone that I was off school,” said Molly. “She asked me who my best friend was.”
“We had a party when Harry and Meghan got married and we’ve followed their story ever since,” added Leigh. “So it was an amazing experience for Molly to shake hands with them. It’s really special and a lovely boost for the whole community.”
Coldstream Guards welfare officer, Capt Colin Lewis, said the visit was a welcomed one after a tough 18 months away.
“The regiment are really appreciative of the support the families provide by picking up the burden when the service person is away. It’s great for The Duke and Duchess to take the time to truly understand the challenges they face. They are very down to earth, and they’ve had a snapshot of the entire community here by talking to lots of people from different backgrounds.”
Tariq Baksh, from the Household Cavalry welfare team felt that Harry and Meghan could relate to many of the families as young parents themselves —
“They’re a modern family and completely empathised with people – our families realised that they’re no different.”
The visit today helped to bring the community together and form new friendships. It looks like Meghan made a new friend with this adorable little girl.
Harry seemed to be smitten with her as well.
Below Meghan received flowers from a little girl as she and Harry were leaving.
Another look as Harry and Meghan chat with the children.
We’ll take a quick look at what Meghan wore for the visit.
UPDATE: Meghan wore what appears to be a light weight wool coat in a bronze/brown color.
It looks like Meghan’s coat could be a style by Massimo Dutti – the Long Wool Coat with Belt in Toffee, $479.
Thanks to Linda Sparkle on Instagram who already owned the coat for suggesting it.
She also wore a white 3/4 puff-sleeve blouse that ties at the neck which Meghan wore loosely tied.
She also had on a black pencil skirt by Misha Nonoo. It is the Prose style in black, $250.
The Duchess wore her Manolo Blahnik BB 105 (Tora heel) pumps in black, $665.
We will continue to update the post as we learn more about Meghan’s outfit details.
I did notice two new interesting necklaces Meghan had on.
The longer pendant appears to have a design on it. I thought maybe it was a locket at first, but it could be a simple pendant. We’ll have to wait and see if Meghan wears the necklaces again or if additional hi-res photos surface showing the pieces.
UPDATE: The two pendants Meghan wore are from suetables, a Canadian based brand.
The brand has confirmed that the Duchess wore their Shirley horoscope pendant in 10k gold, $79 with the Virgo zodiac sign for Harry and the Vanessa charm in 10k gold, $159 with the Taurus zodiac sign for Archie.
NOTE: The charms shown above are from the suetables site are the Aries and Sagittarius charms as the brand did not have images of the Virgo and Taurus charms.
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Reminder, be sure to see our earlier post from today, Meghan in Midnight Blue Sentaler for Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey. Below is a glimpse of what Meghan wore for the event from our Instagram account.
LINKAGE:
- Read more from Army & You Magazine here.
- Forces Network is here.
Heaven says
Has the blouse Meghan is wearing been found yet?
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Heaven – no the blouse has not been ID’d yet. One suggestion was Zara, but upon closer look, it was not an exact match. thanks, Susan C.
Amelie says
It’s hard to see the full outfit since in all the pictures available she’s squatting down, sitting, or you only see part of the outfit from a weird angle. I really like the coat though, including in the blurry full size pictures of it.
I think the blouse is a miss for me because of the long ties that hang down in front of it. I really dislike ties on all shirts, it makes what could be a great shirt fussy and frumpy with the puffy shoulders. The skirt looks okay on the model but I can’t tell how it looks on Meghan since we don’t have any front facing photos of her wearing it.
As for Meghan’s hair, it has that slightly “fried” look of having a straightening iron go through it really quickly. I know because my hair has done the same with a straightening iron and it’s frustrating because my hair takes foreeeeever to straighten. It’s possible that’s not the case but it really does look like she used a straightening iron here.
Andie says
Hello! The pendants are proudly from Suetables. A Canadian jewelry company based in Toronto and Montreal. We are so proud that the Duchess chose to wear our gold zodiac pendants to represent her family. Check us out at http://www.suetables.com & see our Instagram post here which shows the charms! https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Dtycfh4oO/
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Andie – thanks for your message regarding the two necklaces the Duchess wore. We’ve updated our post two included the two zodiac pendants and of course you’ve probably already seen our Instagram post from yesterday. Love the two pieces! – Susan C.
Renee says
The whole outfit is quite fitting of who Meghan Markel is. a women with poise and grace doing her best with the platform she has.I pray that God continuously strengthens her and what she stands for.
Laura says
This outfit is an all-around “miss” for me. It’s the combo of the baggy polyester-look shirt with the shapeless puffy sleeves and limp neck tie, tucked into an ill-fitting black skirt, with the coat, which is very pretty on its own, but an odd mustard color in photos, or contrasted with the black and white. I think Meghan’s hair, completely straight, with the severe center part, looks flat and lifeless, and pulls her face down. I don’t think this hairstyle is flattering on anybody. To me, all parts of this outfit look limp, tired and droopy.
One the plus side, the families and children seemed so comfortable and happy during the coffee. Harry and Meghan look like naturals with children, and their joy is evident to see. What a great way to support and honor local military families and build community in Windsor.
Shannon says
The colour of the coat looks much nicer on the model on meghan it is rather off-putting the shirt&skirt combo do not go with either the coat nor the visit!
Elias says
Is the coat possibly by Massimo Dutti? The long wool coat in the Toffee colorway?
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Elias, We’ve seen the coat and just haven’t had a chance to update the post with this option. It’s possible that she could be wearing this brand, however it’s still hard to tell without seeing other angles and shots of Meghan in the coat. Hopefully she will wear it again and we will see more of the coat to be able t properly ID it. Thanks, Susan C.
ME says
could the necklace be the one by Missoma? https://www.missoma.com/shop/categories/necklaces/coin-necklace/6585/ode-to-rome/
WhatMeghanWore says
Hi Myriam – that’s a good suggestion, but I don’t think that’s the exact one. Meghan’s top pendant is similar, while the bottom pendant appears smooth around the edges and a bit more on the oval side. There are a number of these out there that I’ve now seen. Thanks, Susan C
Larissa says
I quite like this outfit. The puff sleeves are a fun departure for Meghan that go well with her long straight hair; I think an updo would have made the sleeves look overwhelming. I do wish she’d tied the bow a bit better though, it seems to be suffering from the same lackadaisical knotting that many of her dress and coat belts suffer from. The coat is a gorgeous colour that looks great on Meghan, is a nice nod to military, and makes a great backdrop for the poppy.
My biggest quibble is the centre part. Meghan has a lovely and symmetrical face, I think when her hair is wavy the centre part is fine. Up to this point I have found it too severe with high buns. But with her hair heavy and straight like this I think the centre part also just makes her hair look like it’s overwhelming her.
louise says
It doesn’t matter what she wears because she is so kind and that outfit makes her glow.
Ava says
I like the coat, hopefully we eventually find out more info about it
This skirt and blouse outfit was a miss, only because neither fits her Since the skirt and blouse are not fitting her well, she looks a bit uncomfortable, like we all do when we know the clothes we have on are not properly fitting. It makes her look a bit ‘frumpy’— which we know she is not.
Where are her people who are suppose to help her with her clothing?
She has had a few misses lately, and I would like to see her step it up a bit.
SuzyQ says
Agree with Bonnie. The fit of the skirt in particular is bad. I do like the blouse quite a bit, but it’s not the best cut for her. I’d like to see a full length of the coat. The color is quite good. I was quite surprised at the picture showing the back of her hair. I have been thinking its getting long, but the split ends and broken off pieces look terrible in that shot. Surprised her stylist/ aide hasn’t said anything.
SuzyQ says
I saw a full length of the coat in one of the videos of the event. It is a great color, but another wrap coat that swallows her up and just doesn’t hang right. This was a relatively casual event. I would have loved to have seen her in trousers with a better fitting blouse or smart sweater. Then perhaps the J Crew sweater jacket she likes would have been a better outer wear.
Brandi says
Meghan’s hair looks longer in these pics, was this event before the Field of Remembrance trip? It looked much shorter there like she’d had a fresh trim.. anyway I hope we can get a better pic of the coat soon. On my phone it appeared to be an olive green/brown sort of color which I LOVE. All the kids seemed to enjoy their visit today.
Patty says
She looks beautiful as always and what a wonderful gesture of support to the military families in the community. I was raised in a military family and wouldn’t have cared if she’d worn jeans and a t-shirt but she’d have been torn to bits for that, I’m sure. I’m also the mom of a soldier in Afghanistan, and I know how much support from leaders back home helps my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren. I thank Harry and Meghan for their thoughtfulness toward military families.
Bonnie says
Nothing too special about this outfit. The skirt doesn’t fit properly in the back, as you can see in the photo. The white blouse, with the puff sleeves gives a boxy vibe. The coat is an odd colour and without having a shot of Meghan standing up, it is hard to actually see the style of it. And I think her hair needs a trim., as the ends are looking straggly.
But the main thing is that Meghan and Harry are out in the community. Windsor is their neighbourhood. The fact that they spent time with military families has created so much good will. Their love for children is most apparent. This is all much more important than their clothes.