Here are some more photos of what is basically a magical Girlfriends Tour between the Duchess of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II. As soon as Meghan met the Queen and the corgis, Ol’ Liz couldn’t wait to plan a girlfriends’ excursion, just for the two of them. Liz wondered if they should pack up the Land Rover and drive to Scotland, but Liz didn’t want to scare Meg off completely. So Liz organized an overnight on the Royal Train and a day full of fun activities with her new favorite person.
Personally, the more I see of Meghan’s Givenchy, the more I dislike it. I still understand why Meghan chose it, because it is conservative and the right length and her wanton, American shoulders are being covered by multiple layers of stiff fabric. But it’s still not a good dress. Thankfully, Liz helped Meghan accessorize: apparently, the Queen gave her new BFF a matching pair of pearl-and-diamond earrings.
Queen Elizabeth provided Meghan Markle with some new sparkle for their first solo outing together. The monarch gave her new granddaughter-in-law an elegant pair of pearl and diamond drop earrings, which appear to be a smaller version of her own.
People have been buzzing about the earrings for hours now – Hello Magazine theorized that Harry (or the Queen) possibly gave Meghan the same diamond-and-pearl earrings which were once owned by Diana. But in the side-by-side photos, it definitely looks like Diana’s earrings were larger. I prefer to think that either A) Liz had some new earrings made for Meghan which are smaller replicas of her own or B) Liz had these in her vault and she pulled them out just for Meghan. Hello goes on to confirm that the earrings were absolutely a “gift from the monarch.” Now I have a vision of Liz presenting them to Meghan on the Royal Train. BFFs.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Well dang, okay. The Queen likes Meghan.
What did Guy the beagle get?
My guess? A royal dog sitter and fan while H+M were on honeymoon. And he’ll now be invited to have scones with HM’s dogs. Yes, her dogs get scones baked fresh just for them.
Are you serious about the scones, nota?
Yes, on special occasions. She’s also known for feeding them her own scones under the table. And there’s an eating pecking order. For the dogs. The dogs!
There was an article in Town&Country where they interviewed her dog trainer. They don’t eat dog food, they eat food prepared specially for them, sometimes with scones as a treat.
I admit, I’ve baked dogs treats for special occasions myself…
I own four cats and they definitely have a pecking order when it comes to getting fed. Woe betide me should I mix it up. They get confused and start eating out of the wrong dish, which causes hassles and hisses, and then don’t understand why they can’t finish the food they started, plus their own.
OT nota: What greeting did the teacher use to say hello to Meghan? “How do you do ____ ____? Is it Duchess Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, HRH, Ma’am, her given name or what?
It is not unusual for dog owners to prepare meals for their dogs on a daily base. Industrial food is not necessarily good for the animals, there are many allergies around, BARF (feeding them everthing raw) has become basically a religion for some people. So by cooking for them, the Queen follows just an old fashioned tradition of dogowners. By the way this people do hunt, so it is not that everything has to be purchased for feeding the dogs.
A dog’s life?
I don’t know what he got but Guy, a rescue beagle from Kentucky, is one lucky hound dog. I still can’t get over that pic of him riding with TQ.
Lady D, the formal address to a duchess is “Your Grace”.
@auntlou, that’s for a non-royal duchess. For a royal duchess, it’s “your royal highness” the first time and “ma’am” after that.
Guy has to walk 3 steps behind TQ’s dogs.
Gah! Matching pearl earrings! What a lovely gesture.
They both look to be having a ball!
It’s so sweet. All these pictures make me smile.
The earrings really were a lovely gesture. And it pleases me so much to see Meghan and the Queen looking so happy in each other’s company.
The Queen loves her some lime green. I love it on her too. She looks amazing!
She has several lime green outfits. I think this one is a repeat from D-day events in 2014 and last year at Ascot. “I have to be seen to be believed” – certainly seen in that shade.
I love it. She always looks thrilled when she’s wearing her most fun colors – and it just suits her.
Also LOVE the earrings. I’m not a huge pearl fan, but I really like how this pair was designed.
She has said she wears bright colors because she knows that people wait for a long time to see her and she wants them to be able to see her. Which I always thought was lovely.
Sarah Paulson found someone she can stand next to in her highlighter-coloured dress.
It feels like she can pull off ANY color. I’m jealous! She dresses so wonderfully.
The Queen is wearing that colour as a show of respect for the Grenfell Tower victims on this one-year anniversary of the fire. That shade of green was chosen by the community to represent them.
Lovely gesture by the Queen and she looked wonderful.
The Queen is class all the way. AMAZING color.
My grandmother loved her… she passed away in early 2018 and chose a head to toe hot fuschia outfit to be buried in… I think in homage to HRM!
That is so sweet!
Such a classic style! I love them. I can’t wear studs (my ears weren’t pierced evenly and studs make it noticeable) so I have a set of pearls I never get to wear.
The pearls themselves look as if they might be old, though really lustrous. Maybe they’re from the Queen’s personal collection.
I love them too! I had my ears pierced when I was about 12 or 13 but the holes closed up a few years later (I got infections and have little “deposits” in the lobes now).
I never bothered to get them re-done…but earrings like this tempt me to go for it, even if it is almost 30 years later, lol.
If you decide to get them redone, find either a doctor or the best tattoo parlor in town and get them hand pierced instead of heading to the mall. Your ears will thank you.
Ooh, thank you for the info, Des. My brother is getting married next month and I was actually debating getting them redone for that occasion, but I’ll for sure check out a tattoo parlor or my doc instead.
Sounds like keloids scars to me
I had that in my nipple after a nipple piercing gone wrong. It prevented me from breastfeeding my first two. So for my third baby I did my research and I read where (I can’t remember) if it’s vitamin e or a, that you can Massage on it and eventually it will break down the scars. I did that every day during my pregnancy and sure enough it broke down the scars and I was able to breastfeed.
YES, what Des said. It’s very important to go to someone who does all kinds of piercings all the time and is a pro at it.
LadyMTL – Do it now, then. Give your ears a chance to heal before switching earrings. I had mine re-done 2 weeks before my son’s wedding and the doc told me I shouldn’t change earrings for at least a month. I told him mine were platinum and he said if I do change to then keep them in until I’m healed, not switch back and forth.
Your ears will need time to heal, so a month probably won’t be enough time. Also, if you have sensitive skin (ie if you’re allergic to certain metals, it’ll take longer to heal). Don’t go anywhere that uses a gun, needles are what you want.
Maybe eensie little cysts protecting you from “foreign matter”?
“As soon as Meghan met the Queen and the corgis, Ol’ Liz couldn’t wait to plan a girlfriends’ excursion, just for the two of them. Liz wondered if they should pack up the Land Rover and drive to Scotland, but Liz didn’t want to scare Meg off completely. So Liz organized an overnight on the Royal Train and a day full of fun activities with her new favorite person.”
@Kaiser making my Thursday.
I agree! Love the story tellingd magical girlfriend trip. I think these two have chemistry together and I think the Queen sees someone who wants to work and is interested in the Royal family history and service. Not just the power and prestige.
Who knows, but it’s great to speculate.
Meghan is a dog lover like the Queen. I love this girlfriends trip fantasy also. I would add that when they get back TQ will invite her for a day playing with tiaras and other baubles. I have a fantasy that TQ takes bubble baths in a special tiara.
HA ha ha. I would love to hoinfor a girlfriends trip to castles and jewels. I wonder if she’s grown immune to them.
It’s really sweet seeing the Queen and Meghan get along. It’s actually been pretty awesome seeing how kind Phillip and Elizabeth have been to Meghan and Doria.
Everything about her outfit is giving me life on this Thursday morning! This dress is everything!! Also, maybe the Queen can talk her into wearing a little color. Lol. I always love the bright, cheery shades the Queen wears.
Interesting how when Kate wears the Queen’s jewels they’re always only loans, never gifts.
A) why does every single article about Meghan have to include comparisons to Kate? Let them both live!
B) if we’re really going to go there, it’s most likely because Kate will one day have complete access to all the jewelry in the royal vaults, and Meghan needs to build her collection.
They’re gorgeous earrings! HMQ has good taste.
I thought, “Well, because Kate is the one other woman whose experience with the Queen has served as the public baseline for how women marrying into the BRF (specifically, Charles’ line) are treated.”
But then I realized that’s not a good enough excuse. There’s no shortage of criticism to say about Kate. This feels petty.
There will be comparisons, just as there are with William and Harry.
It’s part of life, it’s part of what the public does, saying Stop , certainly won’t stop the public or press from doing so. It’s part of the Royal public life. Royals are compared to others in Royal life and it happens with European houses too.
Yes they are individuals but at this point , comparisons will be made, it’s part of the process of what the press and public does for the most part when a new woman marries into the Royal family.
Kate can handle it and I’m sure Meghan can.
@Elisabeth: Hear, hear! Your statement makes absolute sense. Unless the monarchy is abolished or something drastic occurs to upset the current line of succession, the next three monarchs will be men: Charles, William and George. I doubt any of them are going to be wearing QE II’s jewels. They will most likely loan or gift some outright to their consorts Camilla, Kate, and Meghan as well. And when the appropriate time comes, Charlotte and George and Louis’ wives (in 20 or 25 years; I don’t want to rush the lads). There’s plenty to go around, I’m sure LOL!
ALLLLL of the royal jewels will be Kate’s one day. If I were Kate I’d set up a nice comfy sofa and wine fridge in the royal vaults and spend my days with the jewels playing dress-up.
Not all the jewels. Some of them are personal gifts that the Queen is going to give to Anne or others. The rest belong to the crown. Which means that Camilla gets them first and she in turn has to pass them down. It’s going to be interesting to see how many jewels remain in the main collection once the Queen passes.
The Gloucesters ended up with a haul of tiaras as private property. I keep hoping that when the current D&D pass away, their kids will sell those back to HM or Charles to pay the taxes.
All of the jewels or most will be the Crowns or Prince Charles,then William’s and then go to George, they stay w the Crown. If Kate and William were to divorce, not one tiara would go to her. The jewels stay with the Crown.
Ha I wouldn’t bet on that. Your post reminds me of a song that I heard in 1991-1992 that had lyrics like “oh ye queen don’t you change Diana “. In those days a large percentage in the UK and else where in the world were convince that AAALLL the jewels would one day be Diana’s. Hhhmmm, life can be a you know what? Looks like they’re gonna be Camilla’s, if she and PoW outlive HM. As they say, never say never, anything can happen. Who would have thunk it that 10 years post Mr &Mrs Smith AJ and BP would be fighting over kids and ready to murder each other if they had the chance?
They stay with the crown. Only private and gifts will be hers. She can’t take private gifts from Meghan or anyone else. ??? Why do you think the jewels are part of the ROYAL collection and not per monarch. They would have nothing if that were the case.
As Nic919 stated, not all of the jewels are the property of the crown. Some of them have been inherited privately, like the haul of jewels from Lady Greville that brought in a couple of huge tiaras. Or the Strathmore Rose tiara, which was a private gift from the Queen Mum’s father to her for her wedding.
That is how the Gloucesters ended up with so many tiaras. They were the private property of Queen Mary, she gave them to her daughter-in-law Alice on marriage (to HRH Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester). They ended up as the private property of the Gloucester line.
Tiaras are loans. The only jewelry that belonged to QEII that I can recall Kate wearing is HM’s wedding bracelet. Had she worn other jewelries that belonged to HM (genuinely asking)?. Had Kate worn it again? Also we don’t know if Meghan will wear these earring again. Until then, I’m holding judgement.
I think she has a pair of diamond earrings that she wears that belonged to HM (or the QM maybe?) and she wore one of the queen’s diamond necklaces to the diplomatic reception in December. (reportedly based on the brief picture we saw, I don’t think it was ever confirmed that its possible it was not the queens.)
Kate has worn the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace more than once.
Please, make a whole season of “The Crown” about their friendship.
Ok I love Megan’s dress. Don’t shame me. QEII looks great too, love the sweet bow brooch.
I like it. But it is very Melania or Vicky Beckham, not that it’s bad. Melania has some great outfits.
The only thing that bothers me is all the smiling. I get Meghan is excited, but tone it down.
Lovely earrings.
Milla, I feel like — from the pictures — that both Meghan and the Queen were smiling at the same time, or same situation. Unlike many pictures we’ve seen of Kate for example — at events where Kate has this huge guffawing manic grin going on and either no one around her is laughing or the others have small smiles at best. So your “tone it down” seems a little harsh here, unless maybe you feel that way whenever any royal ladies are laughing in public ??
You aknowledge she’s pretty, but think she smiles too much. 😉
Agree, YankLynn. I didn’t see any pics or video footage where Meghan is the only one smiling or laughing. And, as many have noted here before, a photo is only a moment in time. I get that people will scrutinize everything she does, but smiling (not LOL stupid smiling)? Maybe some people’s expectations of her are just too high.
What? Now she’s smiling too much?
Geeeeez.
Agree with the pro-smilers above! And apart from anything else, regardless of how at ease Meghan seems, this has got to have been a pretty nerve-wracking experience for her so if her only ‘crime’ at the end of what seems to have been a pretty perfect day is that she (nervously) smiled too much, I don’t think she has anything to worry about.
I’m so pleased for her that she’s had such a warm welcome from the crowds. That probably caused her to smile a lot too.
I’d love to be a fly on Doria’s wall, watching her watching the coverage of her daughter having a grand day out with the queen.
Look up more photos on daily mail. I don’t think that smiling is bad, just that she should and she probably will, tone it down.
I cannot understand why compare it to Kate. Kate looks like a nervous wreck sometimes, but there’s no Kate today.
Also, hate that colour of Queen’s suit…
@Milla – just for info, today is really not the day to hate the colour of the queen’s choice of suit. She’s wearing that shade of green in sympathy with and in tribute to the shade of green adopted by the survivors and supporters of the Grenfell Tower fire which killed 72 people on her Kensington & Chelsea doorstep.
The anniversary of that awful day is today.
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/C1F4/production/_102025694_procession_pa.jpg
@skylark
I forgot for a minute. Sorry. And i heard about another fire on the other side of London this morning… So sad.
Meghan is a happy smiley person and she has been like that since childhood, good have people like that.
I like it too! and I like that her styling is more modern than the usual “royal” stiffness the windsors seem to require – looser hair, no hat.
She did a wonderful job today. Perfect balance between warmth and professional.
Two ladies who met Meghan said how she took time, didn’t rush through and answered them thoughtfully and sweetly, then thanked them for coming.
Keep that lovely Smile Meghan .
She did great today and wasn’t a stiff.
I like it too!
Me too, but I love structured clothing and anything that deviates from the standard look.
My people! I love this dress (and I liked the TOC dress). She looks great.
I love the dress. She looks great.
Sorry Kaiser but I’m loving Meghan’s dress. The silhouette is great with her figure. The styling seems contemporary but hits the “conservative” check boxes for an event side by side with the Queen. I imagine the Queen leaning over breakfast tea to remark how clever that her dress has a built in cape ! It seems to have tailored for her too so those that had heartburn over some of Meghan’s earlier dresses (I have been one !) should be pleased at the fit.
Mostly I love the pictures of them laughing at the performance and clearly enjoying the day with each other. I’m happy for Meghan on that score. It could have gone perfectly fine but been much more staid and instead they have a happy memory clearly.
I like it too, it’s so chic and well tailored and she looks happy and comfortable. It seems more in keeping with her pre engagement style while still being event-appropriate, unlike the tacky 80s throwback she wore to trooping.
I actually quite like the dress! I dislike how visible and caked on her makeup looks in some photos though! She knows how to do good natural makeup, so whyyyyyyy?
Yeah, I hate to even put this minor quibble out there, but she’s looking orange.
But yes, I’m in the minority (I guess) who loves the dress! I love clean tailored lines like this.
Maybe it’s a new one and it oxidized? There’s nothing worse than thinking you have a match and the twenty minutes later you look like a Trump.
My guess is that her “go-to” foundation looks too chalky with her tan, so she got a new one that was supposed to match her tan but is too orange.
Ummm……..that is her skin color. Not orange, but tanned. You can see her freckles and all. The slight differences in colors are from differences in photographs. Watch the video.
There is no heavy foundation anywhere.
I like the dress. It fits with the royal convention (I think), and allows her to work within her own personal style. I really do believe she’s a minimalist with clean lines. I like the clean looks rather than when she takes those button risks. It accentuates her figure without being “slutty”.
I believe so too. This is Meghan’s style , clean lines.
I read several months ago, that she loved Carolyn Bessettes clean, elegant lines in her clothes.
I laughed when I saw the dress. She got such flak about her shoulders, so this is what she gives us. I love it.
That’s what I am thinking, too! Like “Oh, you want me to cover my shoulders? OK, I’ll cover them!” I hope this is a light trolling directed at the critics.
That being said, I hate the look of the shoulder wrap part. I think the rest of the dress looks amazing and chic.
I was thinking the same thing. lol
I’m liking this one, too. The 2 outfits side by side: https://twitter.com/lindazoon/status/1007282122414002176
I tweeted this Olenna, thank you!
You’re welcome, CB! I love fashion sketches!
Very cute. Thanks for the smile.
At first glance the shoulder cocoon of the dress freaked me out. But it looks better in the pics of her walking around. I love the belt with it. Good to see Meg and Liz so happy together.
matching earrings!!! I love it. LOOOOOOOVE!
I can’t hate the outfit. I love the structure.
Earrings are classic.
Meghan doing events with the queen right away and not getting picked apart by faces, or skirt length. Or breaking protocol… its refreshing. Its notable because she’s seen as less an image and more a figure.
Totally. There is more to Meghan than her clothes and hair and it shows.
There will be pap shots of Katie Keen and the kids in the Fail omorrow, esp tiv n the success of today and the obvs chemistry between the 2 royals.
I bet Louis makes an appearance too. I am thinking more on the weekend though. Not tomorrow.
There’s substance. The press will still try to minimize her to a clothes horse, but if she keeps giving us more it will pass.
I think the more you see MM’s dress, the more it looks alright. The earrings are pretty. It was a windy day, her hair looked a bit messy blowing around and it looked like she had problems walking in such high heels but what I really noticed is how tan she looks from her honeymoon.
I love how the queen dresses. Those vibrant colors always make me laugh.
Lol “wanton American shoulders”
I love Meghan and the Queen and their friendship and love of dogs! Their faces show how keen they are with one another!
I like 3/4 of the dress. Not crazy about that cape shoulder look. Love the earrings! I had a pair just like them that my parents gave me for Christmas one year. I wanted them because they were like Diana’s. I wore them all the time for years. I lost one of them about 5 years ago and now just have the lonely pearl and diamond leftover. I keep hoping it will show up somewhere unexpected.
You’re really restricted from hugging or using your arms in that dress, right? Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but… she’s literally being bound by that outfit. Plus, it hides her breasts and her shoulders. She’s wrapped up like a mummy. It makes me feel claustrophobic just looking at it!
Yes–I couldn’t take having my upper arms strapped to my body. Sometimes dresses have “falling off” sleeves or straps that also confine the upper arm. Like straight jackets.
I kind of wish she were wearing a hat. God, I love hats.
I’m the opposite of you Kaiser. The more I see the dress the more I like it. She looks chic and elegant and professional all in one.
Those earrings are lovely and what a sweet gesture from the queen.
Maybe, I’m not objective, but I love this whole look, the shoes, the purse, the jewelry and of course the dress.
I absolutely love the dress, I don’t like trends at all, I always prefer classic lines in simple colors from great quality fabrics that are well tailored.
It’s a great classic piece that suits Meghan really well an it’s appropriate for the occasion.
The only thing I would seriously think about in Meghan’s place is how to style the hair, so it’s not blowing all over the place, as seen on Daily Fail.
Half up-dos, ponytails, French twists would help a bit with managing her hair in windy conditions.
It’s certainly not fool proof, but would help a bit.
I agree, you’ve summed up what I was thinking too. I love her dress, I love the lines. She looks wonderful in these elegant classics lines.
I love her hair it’s beautiful, but would like if she wore it up or back to off her face with a nice clip or back or pinned, in twists or the messy buns she looks great in. Still she did a splendid job today and she and the Queen seem to really be comfortable together, which is nice to see.
I love Meghans style and the Queen looked wonderful.
@Bailie – You’re plenty objective! I loved the entire outfit the minute I saw it. So clean and streamlined and elegant. And the more I see it, particularly in motion, the more I love it. Frankly, I’m baffled at the criticism of it. Agree re the hair though, that was the only off-note and it did detract a bit from the overall look.
@Loren and Skylark :
It baffles me too that some don’t like this dress, because I think it’s very elegant and could be re-worn with maybe a white blazer, black or even a navy one. Maybe red, because the dress is a lovely neutral color.
It almost seems like the little cape might be removable, if it is removable a light cashmere cardigan would work.
I think it’s very smart to invest in pieces that can be worn many times with different jackets or cardigans and accessories.
I think I see a hint of short sleeves under the little cape.
She has great hair, lovely bone structure, beautiful skin tone, nice eyes, great smile and most importantly Meghan seems warm and kind, so she can certainly do well with a bit of unstructured up-dos and occasionally a nice ponytail.
It’s really nice to see how they click, the Queen looks wonderful in her outfit, I love her colorful clothing choices, it’s fantastic on her.
Yes, may be the cape is removable which would extend the life of the dress, I think it is lovely, very appropriate and stylish for Meghan.
I think she is refreshing and a bit more professional than Kate.
Yes, she did well. Professional and warm. I love her hair, she’s gorgeous , but I hope she wears it back for more Royal engagements, it seems to get in her way at times.
I loved her dress, Beautiful .
I see a hint of a short sleeve (at least that’s what I think it is) on her right. The dress is ok but the colour is meh, imo.
It could be the dress underneath has short sleeves, and the cape can be worn or not worn over it. This would be a good working dress for her to re-wear a lot with different jackets.
It does have sleeves, you can see the edge of them in various pics. And the cape definitely looks like a separate garment so yes, it looks like a very stylish and versatile dress and, on the basis of what it looks like today, certainly something that could be worn regularly on its own with a change of (colour) accessories.
Several Royal columnists covering the event said The Queen and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, had great chemistry together. Warmth between them, even some sweet , quiet laughs between them.
I love Meghan’s dress. She looks stunning!
Absolutely.
I agree! I think this dress is very chic. Very Givenchy in the 60’s but modernized. Love love love it! Also, I think the Queen and Meghan really do like each other and it’s wonderful!
Gotta give Meghan credit: she always looks like she wants to be there during public engagements and she is thoroughly engaged. Kate suffers by comparison, especially since the press has been calling her lazy all this time.
The dress is a classic piece, but I wonder how much we paid for it……surely a classic Reiss or LK Bennett outfit would have been more appropriate.
Oh my, my, my . The Queen has a new best friend and certainly amused.
I love the Duchess of Sussex’s (royal title here because she is classy) body language in the fourth picture which says “it’s all about her Majesty people – nothing to see here!” – that is classy and very much how The Countess of Wessex is with the Queen too.
I’ve had a rough week with very few smiles, but these pictures have been a joy and treat to see. This was a success and I’m not comparing Kate and Meghan, but you know Kate is going to come out in the next few days. I hope she doesn’t but I don’t think she can help herself at this point. Prove us wrong Kate!
I wasn’t under the impression that Kate had to crawl under a rock now that Meghan is on the scene! Or is there some protocol that states that neither Duchess are allowed to be seen in public within 7 days of each other?
Kate should continue to live her life, and if she wants to make an appearance at the polo, ascot, wimbledon, her baby’s christening etc, she doesn’t need anyone’s permission to do so. Kate is not going to disappear even if some people wished it so.
It is her suspect pattern of appearances, allowing everyone to be photographed, and not complaining that is gee, so typical of her. Like not being at polo for three years and suddenly showing up with the kids.
Yes, this has been definitely one of Meghan’s best engagements and I think the Queen benefited from having Meghan with her, as they are two royals who really get the crowds out…fancying being able to to see the Queen and Meghan.
Kate had both Camilla and the Queen by her side 😉
Where is Camillsy?
That shoulder cap thing looks like the plastic lid on my antiperspirant container.
I love those earrings. The Queen gives them to all the women in the family. Princess Anne, Sophie, Kate and Diana all have/had them. So Meghan has them now too. I dont think these lessons are just because Meghan is amazing I think the family have learnt the hard way newbies need help when they start off.
Looks like the Queen is stingy.
It looks like the Queen has grown very fond of Meghan. Nice to see.
Those earrings are TINY!!! Is that a message?