Meghan returns to public engagements in all-British designers

The Duchess of Sussex wore a gold Oura ring in a diamond-encrusted sleeve during her Nottingham visit.

The Duchess of Sussex made her return to public engagements in an outfit of all-British brands, and a rather modern accessory: a diamond-encrusted fitness tracker.

Meghan was pictured in Nottingham for a run of three quasi-royal public appearances on Thursday, marking her first joint engagement with her husband, the Duke of Sussex, since their return to the UK.

It’s the first time in four years that Meghan has appeared publicly at events in the UK, since the late Queen’s funeral in 2022.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at The Community Recording Studio in Nottingham (Doug Peters/PA)

The couple returned to England in August, six years after quitting the working monarchy to move to the US. They remain private citizens, but their visits – starting at the city’s Community Recording Studio (CRS) in St Ann’s – had a distinctly royal feel to them.

And Meghan’s outfit was very much in line with what she used to wear on royal engagements. Her style tends to be monochromatic, with a focus on rich colours and bold tailoring.

For her first public appearance, Meghan chose a suitably autumnal all-burgundy outfit – and it’s likely no coincidence that the whole look was sourced from British designers.

The Duchess wore a burgundy look of all-British designers (Doug Peters/PA)

Her wine-coloured loose-fitting coat and matching polo neck came from London-based brand Joseph, and was worn with a pencil skirt from The Fold (a luxury womenswear brand that focuses on tailoring), a belt from high street staple Marks & Spencer, and stilettos by British shoe designer Jennifer Chamandi.

Meghan accessorised with a gold Cartier watch from the late Diana, Princess of Wales – something she’s often been seen wearing since her marriage to Harry. Bringing her jewellery into the modern era, she also wore an Oura ring – a trendy smart gadget that tracks fitness, stress, sleep and more – in a diamond-encrusted sleeve.

Meghan accessorised with Diana’s Cartier watch and an Oura ring (Joe Giddens/PA)

The mum-of-two kept her make-up neutral and her hair slicked back, while Harry wore a casual look of dark blue jeans, a white shirt and dark-coloured blazer.

It’s not the first time Meghan has leaned into the trend for ‘colour drenching’ – which is all about wearing an entire outfit in one hue.

She’s even worn all-burgundy outfits before. Previous examples include a 2018 visit to the Hubb Community Kitchen in London, where she wore a maroon collared mini dress and matching coat from Club Monaco, paired with black tights and Givenchy ankle boots.

The Duchess of Sussex visiting the Hubb Community Kitchen in 2018 (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Or in 2019, when Meghan once again showed off her love for tailoring in a burgundy leather pencil skirt from Hugo Boss and a matching v-neck knitted sweater, worn to a round table discussion on gender equality at Windsor Castle.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle in 2019 (Jeremy Selwyn/Evening Standard/PA)

While this marks Meghan’s first public appearance in the UK in four years, these visits will be “relatively rare”, a source told The Telegraph. Instead, the Duchess is said to be focusing on her children, her As Ever lifestyle brand and rebooting her acting career.