Meghan Markle at Trooping the Colour 2019 Queen's Birthday
- Meghan Markle, who is on maternity leave, stepped back into the royal spotlight to attend Trooping the Colour with the royal family.
- She wore a navy look and matching hat for the celebration, which honors the queen's birthday.
- Last year, she made her debut at the annual event in a blush off-the-shoulder look by Carolina Herrera.
She's back! Meghan Markle made a brief return from maternity leave to attend the annual Trooping the Colour festivities with the rest of the royal family this morning. Resuming her royal style streak, the Duchess of Sussex wore a navy short sleeve dress by Givenchy with a matching hat by Noelle Stewart for the festivities, which honor the sovereign's birthday. She carried a quilted clutch and gloves with her in the carriage as well.
Gareth Fuller - PA Images//Getty ImagesMeghan and Harry ride into Trooping the Colour 2019 in a carriage with Kate Middleton and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Gareth Fuller - PA Images//Getty Images
The last time we saw Meghan was on May 8, when she and husband Prince Harry debuted their son Archie at Windsor Castle. (She wore a white sleeveless shirtdress by Grace Wales Bonner at the time.) She notably missed a few big royal events since then, like the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor and the U.S. state banquet honoring the Trumps this week.
"It is traditional for new royal mums to take a six-month break from official engagements," royal biographer Duncan Larcombe previously told BAZAAR.com. Meghan's last public appearance was in March for Commonwealth Day, but she's still working behind-the-scenes and taking private meetings with organizations she supports.
Similarly, sister-in-law Kate Middleton attended last year's Trooping the Colour over a month after giving birth to Prince Louis.
DOMINIC LIPINSKI//Getty ImagesMeghan and Harry at Archie’s debut at Windsor.
Meghan made her Trooping the Colour debut last year in a soft pink off-the-shoulder dress by Carolina Herrera with a matching hat. At the time, people mistook the shoulder-baring look as a breach in royal protocol (even we were mistaken), but there isn't really a hard ban on sleeveless or off-the-shoulder styles at such royal events.
Max Mumby/Indigo//Getty ImagesMeghan, Harry, and Isla Phillips on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour 2018.
Royal correspondent Victoria Arbiter later explained to Town & Country:
"There was nothing offensive about her outfit. Last year [in 2017] Princess Eugenie wore a sleeveless dress. In the past, Sophie Countess of Wessex has worn a dress that didn’t quite go off the shoulder, but it was rather revealing on the top. There are no set rules, other than being dressed appropriately for the occasion, which Meghan was. I think she looked rather lovely."
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
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