In a recent episode of Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast, fashion expert Miranda Holder dissected the Duchess of Sussex's wardrobe choices throughout 2023.
Holder observed that Meghan consistently embraced muted colors in every event, a departure from her previous claim that she wore such hues to avoid overshadowing senior members of the royal family.
"It's quite intriguing; there has been minimal color this year. I went through her outfits, and there are literally only a handful of these color moments for Meghan," she shared with the outlet's chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston.
Royston added, "She suggested that she wore neutral colors because she was fearful of overshadowing other members of the royal family. In other words, the implication was that she kept herself in a box."
Holder speculated that, now no longer a part of the royal family, the public might have anticipated the former actress to "break free from those royal shackles and have loads of fun wearing every single color of the rainbow and expressing her true self."
Meghan, in the Harry & Meghan docuseries on Netflix in 2022, had previously mentioned, "I rarely wore color" during her time in the U.K. She explained the thoughtful consideration behind her muted tones, stating, "You can't ever wear the same color as Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth II] if there's a group event. But then you also should never 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?'"
"I wore a lot of muted tones, but it also was so I could just blend in. Like, I'm not trying to stand out here," added the duchess.
