Some women just look amazing in retro styles and retro silhouettes. The Duchess of Sussex is one of those women. This Erdem ensemble would have looked at home on a pregnant character in Mad Men Season 2. And it looks at home on Meghan, 2019 Season. Anyway, here are more photos of Meghan and Harry at that stop at Canada House today. Their visit was very well-received, and Meghan even referred to Canada as her “second home,” because she spent so much time living in Toronto, shooting Suits. Canadians loved that! Meghan and Harry also got all kinds of Canadian-themed gifts for the baby too, like a little maple-leaf onesie and baby moccasins.
How cute are these little moccasins that were given to Harry and Meghan for #BabySussex #RoyalBaby ? pic.twitter.com/BNhqtkShqb
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) March 11, 2019
Super-cute. Meanwhile, I should have known this whole “Meghan is losing yet another aide” story would blow up into yet another controversy. Over the weekend, the Daily Mail broke the story that Meghan’s assistant private secretary Amy Pickerill will be leaving the palace employ in a few months. The initial story included the details that Pickerill is leaving the country, and I made the argument that it’s more than likely that Pickerill either got a better job offer abroad, or she’s moving for a boyfriend or partner, something like that. But British media outlets are still pushing the narrative that Meghan is so difficult to work with, and that’s why staffers are “quitting.” For what it’s worth, People Mag had this story:
Meghan Markle is losing her trusted aide Amy Pickerill. The parting — said by a close source to be “amicable” — will happen after Meghan gives birth to her first baby with husband Prince Harry, as Pickerill is staying to help the couple until after that important time. Meghan, 37, and Harry, 34, are still hoping to move into their new home at Windsor’s Frogmore Cottage before welcoming their child in late April. After leaving her position as Meghan’s assistant private secretary, Pickerill plans to move abroad, PEOPLE confirms.
“They will stay in touch and Amy will remain as a personal adviser to her in the longer term. They are very close,” a source adds. “It is very amicable.”
Pickerill, who started her career at Kensington Palace as a press spokesperson, has been “instrumental in helping the duchess adjust to her new life in the U.K.,” the source says.
Yeah. Sometimes people just want to move on. Very few royal-staff positions are decades-long endeavors. Sometimes those staffers get shifted around between the palaces and households, and sometimes they want to leave the (poorly paid) royal work for positions that pay better in the private sector. A few years of “royal work” looks good on their resumes too. What strikes me is that there was never this kind of gleeful, overhyped speculation about the Cambridges being “difficult” when they also lost various staffers in their first years of marriage.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I agree – some women can’t pull of retro styles without looking like they’re “dressing up” or wearing a costume, but Meghan can. She looks great here.
I really disagree. I think this is hellacious, overheavy, wintry, xmasy, i dont think she does appliques well. and looks boxy and swallowed up by the thickness of this. she looks much better in lighter and more flowing fabrics. she looks like a total fish out of water in this outfit. I may be the only one with this opinion, but ooof, this is not working for me.
I agree, bros. I hate this coat. It’s awful. The color is atrocious. The buttons are for 80-year-old women, and the weird rhinestone bedazzling is an inexplicable embellishment choice. There are a lot of antique stores where I live, and they often sell coats like this from the 1940s and 1950s in the basements. It looks like one of them – and in the worst way possible. And every time I see those shoes, I see the Playboy Bunny logo.
The love that it’s getting is really making me question the commentary on other women’s outfits in the comments section. I’ve noticed a lot of fitted, but still not camel toe level of clothing, or deep cut tops gets poo-pooed but this kind of outfit (that my 92 year old grandmother would write off as ‘old lady clothes’) is being adored. The color is fine, Meghan is stunning, but it’s just a hideous outfit.
Lots of Emporers New Clothes vibes.
Yeah, not crazy about this. My first thought was that she’s gone to Camilla’s or the Queen’s designers/dressmakers. Those embellishments! And there’s something about the fabric causing the coat to bell out in an odd way. Pretty color, I’ll say that. And I’m guessing it’s the yoga that gives Meghan the strength to do deep knee bends in such high heels! I’m moving on to a daily practice now.
Or, different people have different opinions and taste? LOL at “emperors new clothes vibe.” It’s entirely possible that some people look at an outfit and hate it, and others look at it and love it.
I don’t love this look, but I do like it (minus the embellishments), but I don’t get the implication that if you don’t hate this look you aren’t qualified to comment on fashion posts or whatever.
I love the style of the coat, the low shawl collar, the swing shape, the color (especially!). I just don’t like the embellishments. This would’ve been a winner even “plain”.
My mom had this same style coat in a taupe shade (in the early 60s). I was really little, but I still remember watching her get dressed, and always wanted a coat like this; she looked so elegant when she dressed in it, with her stiletto pumps, and envelope clutch…. It definitely was a very Jackie Kennedy inspired look!
I can also see a 60s Barbie in it and that’s not a slam -Barbie was rocking some great looks back then. I love a swing coat and think she looks terrific ! I do not understand how Megan can squat down in those heels! But good for her.
Yes and this color is amazing.
Amy is married to Edward Lane Fox who resigned as Harry’s private secretary before the wedding. Maybe they are just over royal service? I always heard that it was understood that Amy’s role was to help manage Meghan’s move from Toronto to London and and to support her in her first year of marriage and now that she’s going on maternity leave, it’s the right time to leave.
Amy and ELF aren’t married unless they have been incredibly private about it and Amy chooses to not wear a wedding ring. I think that bit of info came from a mislabeled photo caption from the Sussex wedding?
Oh! You might be right! I saw it in an article somewhere but might totally be misinformation based on a picture from the wedding (which i think was included in the article). So disregard that portion!
I thought both were temporary transitional appointments. I seem to remember reading that months ago. In that case, neither is a surprise – nor indicative of anything nefarious.
“Very few royal-staff positions are decades-long endeavors. ”
Maybe because of the crap salaries they pay? This week they were looking for someone to help ferret out the trolls on all their social media platforms. For the princely wage of $30k a year. It is impossible to survive on that wage in London. I expected that Meghan will be paying her from her own money.
I think she pulls off just about every look, I even liked that beige sack she wore a couple of weeks ago (I may have been in the minority).
The stories about staffing is water off a ducks back at this point.
Eh, I remember all the stories about how the Cams couldn’t keep staff, how difficult they were (anyone remember the 2 married staff that stayed only 5 mos. before high-tailing it back to TQ’s staff?). I wouldn’t put any store in any of it.
Most palace staff doesn’t seem to stick around long (low pay, long hours); only a select few, in *high* positions. Most do it for the resumé bump and move along.
Yeah, I remember that, too. Cambridges couldn’t keep staff.
I like Amy a lot and from all the pictures we’ve seen from her- she’s always smiling, helping Meg, and really seems to enjoy what she does.
Sometimes we find something better or it’s just a new chapter starting in our lives. I’m sure Meghan understands as she left her home country not many moons ago to start a new life in a foreign country.
Nice to hear Amy will continue to be an adviser for her. I think this is a good time as the Sussex will be able to enjoy their new baby and down time before forming a more permanent team.
I noticed that too – she always looks like she’s enjoying herself. So many chapters in life, which I understand more and more each day.
Is her dress strapless? I’d love to know what it looks like.
I agree. I love this look on her. The coat is beautiful and freen is my favorite color so it’s a win all around for me. Also love that pictute of her and the little girl. She and Harry both have a gift for engaging with children. As for the Pickerill stuff. Much ado about nothing but the Daily Fail will get a few stories out of it.
I think those royal staff positions are very underpaid compared to what people could earn for the same work elsewhere. I read this weekend that they are looking to pay about $30,000 for a computer analyst to moderate or devise a way to moderate the royal social media accounts- seems awfully low pay to me for someone with that kind of skill set. And add to it that Ms. Pickerill, private citizen, is now having her name and picture blasted all over world media- no thank you, your majesty.
To be fair, pay rates in London are ridiculously low. I have a hard time understanding how anyone can afford to live there, considering their cost of living is quite high as well. I have a cousin in London and after a breakup YEARS ago considered relocating from NYC to London. The pay rate for what I do was a *fraction* of what I make here in NYC and the cost of living was not much less. I …did not go.
All that to say- pay is low by US standards but seems pretty standard for the UK.
edit: yeah I just checked again. The average pay rate for my job (controller) is less than half of what I’m being paid here in NYC.
They are. I work as a communications officer, and I get much more than what a royal communications officer gets, and I don’t even live in London, I live in Berlin which has a low living cost compared to other European capitals. But the difference is I work for private sector. I don’t fault Pickerill for moving on, it’s natural for comm people to start off with gov work and move on to private sector. (I used to work for a government institution and it was a lower pay as well).
I see the exact opposite – she looks much better in today’s styles or the clean, sophisticated 90s. 1960s definitely does not suit her and do nothing for her modern look.
Yes-she’s definitely a contemporary woman. She looks best in those styles. In that regard, she and the DoC are a complimentary Ying and Yang. Katherine does old-fashioned very well, and Meghan is modern.
Honestly it sounds like a lot of these aides who have been moving on are doing it mainly because they are just done working for royals in general; it doesn’t seem like its anything personal. I just think its one of those things where as soon as the first stories broke about Meghan being “difficult” it became so easy to just lump all these departures under that reason.
Have there even been that many? I feel like its always discussed like theres been a ton of turnover but the only one I can really think of who left fairly abruptly was the one who left after the wedding (whose name escapes me.)
No, there really haven’t been. Melissa something was the one who left after the wedding, but she was a low level assistant who’s never even been named in official logs/court circular. That’s the only one that was unexplained.
Samantha Cohen was always a temporary hire, who delayed her retirement at the request of the Queen to help out the Sussexes for 6 months (though she stayed longer).
There’s a staff person for the Cambridges and Sussexes who recently quit, but of course there’s no headlines about how all 4 of them are difficult. They tried to blame Meghan for ELF leaving, but he was always due to leave too after many years of service. A female head of security left, but she left the police force altogether. Now Amy wants to move.
I seem to recall there was, in fact, a lot of chatter about William and Kate (particularly William) being difficult, and people not wanting to work for them.
Not that I think Meghan is difficult (although I do think both Wales brothers are demanding and spoilt), but I disagree that this kind of gossip is limited to Meghan and Harry.
I would hazard she probably just creates more work than the rest – because she does more work, herself.
Amy has a bachelor’s and a post graduate degree. She also held a high ranking position in a large corporation before signing on for royal duty. I think she wants to move on and does not want to be a secretary as a life long career. Simple as that. She has done her duty to queen and country. Let her be.
Meghan’s coat looks like a heavy winter coat. I bet she feels warm and cosy.
With credentials and experience like that, one can’t blame her for wanting to move on to something more challenging and rewarding. Not to mention working for royals is not as lucrative as one may think.
I bet she’ll get an excellent letter of recommendation from Meghan. Imagine being able to have her (or any royal) as your reference. She’s probably an automatic shoo-in for any future position.
This is her best look yet
I love this colour and style on her.
I would imagine these positions are high profile/high stress jobs no matter which Royal they are working with. If it was me, I’d do a stint for the resume and move off to a less scrutinized private sector position.
Isn’t that the position The Other Daughter Who Shall Not Be Named not only wanted but felt entitled to? Royal advisor?
I thought she demanded to be head of Meghan’s PR or some such. A natural assumption for a sibling you used to cruelly refer to as the maid’s kid.
I’d love this for me. She looks great in the color and shape. In college I had one like this that I bought at an upscale thrift shop in NYC. It was silvery grey, and reached to my upper thighs. I wore it over pencil skirts and retro Stilletos. I remember it being called a trapeze coat. I lost it in my big move to CA. I’m dying to see what the dress looks like.
That’s the best outfit she’s worn yet.
I love that Harry is still “loved up” with Meghan. The firm hand holding (WE are a TEAM), and his hand on her back, the fact he always keeps an eye on her when they are out and about! The adoring gazes! Love it!!
Ooof, I kinda hate this, but looks like I’m the only one haha. Love the color on her, but to me the fabric and style is so costumey and it doesn’t fit her properly in the chest all.
I do remember hearing the stories about the Cambridges so I don’t think this being reported on is unique to Harry and Meghan. I always tend to think of the BRF as a corporation. Any worked for KP, she was specifically assigned by Harry to work with Meghan back when she was just the girlfriend/fiancé and thus likely had no real power over staff. Now she’s a full-fledged member of the family (therefore upper management) and when any upper management person is brought on at any company there’s a natural shaking out while everyone sort of feels everyone out and decides if the new work environment is their speed or not. She and Amy might like each other and it might still not be working out for whatever reason. Both can be true. If they continue to have trouble keeping staff then I think you can start to question them as bosses but in this initial transition period I would think some turnover would be expected and not a big deal. But any time People mag, legendaryily celeb-friendly mouthpiece, drops the word amicable not once but twice in the same article, it does make me wonder how amicable it actually is….
I looked at the picture of her stooping with the child and all I kept thinking was, I would never be able to get up from there!
The color is great on her, but I don’t like the fabric and the embellishments.
I am sorry that Amy Pickerill is going. She always looked very happy and as though she really enjoyed her job. Staff come and go in the RF but only anything to do with Meghan’s staff is front page news.