The Secret Message Behind Meghan Markle’s Daring New Look

In a word: wow. As Meghan Markle arrived at yesterday's Salute to Freedom Gala, an event to honour military servicemen and women in the US, the fashion world couldn't help but comment on her daring choice of gown. The plunging necklace, the thigh-high slit, the audacious colour, the designer pedigree (Carolina Herrera by Wes Gordon), all together it was quite a departure from her red carpet wardrobe as a working royal.

And that, surely, is the point. Now that she, and her husband Prince Harry, are no longer senior members of the royal family, Markle is free (to the same extent as any woman in the public eye who will be subject to intense scrutiny) to wear whatever she likes. So far, that has meant more minidresses (like the mirrored style she wore to this year's Global Citizen Live) and more luxury labels (on the same trip, Markle packed an oversized wool suit from Loro Piana), while still sticking to her style signatures such as sustainable brands and crisp shirts.

This gown, however, red to match the poppy pinned to its strap, was her most revealing (in both senses of the word) to date. As part of the royal family, Markle stuck to fashion-forward yet demure dresses from labels like Safiyaa, which she wore to 2020's Mountbatten Music Festival. (The exception was the stunning one-shouldered gown - Givenchy, naturally - that she wore to 2018's Fashion Awards.) Cut to yesterday, where her voluminous dress in turn spoke volumes about her new situation in life - and perhaps made a statement that, despite recent revelations relating to her court case with Associated Newspapers, she won't be hiding in the shadows. Long may it continue.