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Meghan Markle's assertion that she could not wear the same color as that worn by more senior members of the royal family has been challenged in a viral TikTok video.
In Netflix's recent Harry & Meghan docuseries, the Duchess of Sussex said she had to wear muted colors like beige, knowing other royals would dress more brightly. However, monarchy fans have found old photos where royal family members are dressed in the same color at events.
For example, a TikTok video viewed more than 4.3 million times and liked more than 190,000 times shows Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth II side by side and wearing the same light shade of blue.
What Meghan Said About Royal Fashion
The duchess spoke in the docuseries about her efforts to fit into the royal family by making wardrobe choices that kept her from standing out.
"Most of the time that I was in the U.K., I rarely wore color—there was thought in that," she said. "To my understanding, you can't ever wear the same color as Her Majesty if there's a group event, but then you also shouldn't be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family.
"So I was like, 'Well, what's a color that they'll probably never wear?' Camel, beige, white. So I wore a lot of muted tones, but it was also so I could just blend in.
"I'm not trying to stand out here. There was no version of me joining this family and me not doing everything I could to fit in," the duchess said.
The Counteragument
The TikTok video shows Kate, then the duchess of Cambridge, and the queen in blue at the Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2019. Also, Kate and Camilla, the Queen Consort are seen wearing cream outfits at the Trooping the Colour ceremony, which marks the British sovereign's birthday, on June 11, 2016. Both were in blue during the same event on June 9, 2018.
The video appears to contradict Meghan's statement that junior royals cannot wear the same color as senior royals, since Kate is junior to both the queen and Camilla.
Other shots in the clip showed the queen wearing camel, beige and white, the colors Meghan said she believed senior royals would not wear. The clip then ends with Meghan wearing green during the Commonwealth Day Service, attended by other more senior royals, in March 2020 on her final day of royal duties.
How Meghan, Harry Tell Their Stories
Even if other royal family members did not stick to the rule Meghan described, that does not necessarily mean her account was not based on her experience. As one TikTok commenter observed: "Maybe that's what she was told.... None of you were there, but you are all so confident that she's lying."
However, Meghan does not say what she was actually told, who told her the rule or when she heard it. She also does not address the fact that other royals have flouted whatever guidance she may have been given.
This seems to be a recurring occurrence. When Harry and Meghan tell stories about their lives as royals, they often make blunt assertions but without any explanatory details.
For example, in the Netflix series Harry accuses the other royals of being jealous of Meghan but does not say how he knows this. The couple cite a moment in November 2018 when Meghan beat the other royals, including the queen, to the front page of The Daily Telegraph after an event. But the Sussexes say nothing about how any royal family member reacted.
No conversation is described to support the assertion, leaving viewers to decide whether or not they believe the couple's story with little supporting evidence or explanation.
The Oprah Winfrey Interview
A similar occurrence came during the couple's Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021, after which Meghan's account of feeling trapped in the palace was questioned.
The duchess said: "You couldn't just go. You couldn't. I mean, you have to understand, as well, when I joined that family, that was the last time, until we came here, that I saw my passport, my driver's license, my keys."
The day after the interview aired, Kate was photographed driving herself into Kensington Palace. The pictures ran on news sites in Britain, America and Australia.
Meghan also said she was told by an unnamed female royal to lie low because she was too visible, even though she had "left the house twice in four months."
Andrew Morton, Diana's biographer, is among those who have pointed out that the princess went on overseas holidays. He also said his friends had seen her out in Kensington.
Meghan's account may have been accurate, but she did not say why she no longer had her driving license and passport. She also did not explain how she was able to fly to her New York baby shower, why other royals have been able to drive by themselves or what was actually said to her about the right to drive.
As a result, people are left to believe or disbelieve her stories based on their feelings about her and the monarchy, since no proof, evidence or detailed explanation is given.
In Britain, recent polling suggested two-thirds of the British public dislikes the duchess. Without a more detailed account of her experiences, rooted in specific examples, many may doubt her stories whether she is telling the truth or not.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more