Report: Cost of Meghan Markle’s designer bags

The Duchess of Sussexhas a penchant for luxury fashion and has acquired a handbag collection worth $350,000, according to a retail expert. Meghan Markle, 44, has also spent between $35,000 and $40,000 on shoes since 2022, making the former Suits actress the royal with the most expensive accessory wardrobe. Luxury retail specialist Christos Garkinos recently analysed the royal wardrobes of six women – including the Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and Queen Camilla- in what he called a ‘fascinating case study’.

Mr Garkinos noted that, while his estimates are ‘purely directional’, Meghan has the highest per-item spend despite having a smaller collection than any of the other royalsand the fewest number of official appearances. ‘Her mix [of shoes and bags] is smaller but higher-ticket,’ he told the Daily Mail. The Duchess’s mix comprises Dior’s iconic Lady bags, Fendi’s Peekaboo design, as well as minimalist pieces from Polène and Strathberry, Mr Garkinos added. She favours shoes designed by Aquazzura, Manolo, and Chanel. ‘Even with fewer official appearances, her accessories skew luxury-house core,’ he noted.

Meanwhile, Catherine, 43, ‘mixes approachable British brands with a few heritage investments’ for a timeless collection that’s worth around $305,000 in total. The Princess of Wales, who is always impeccably styled, recently topped British Vogue’s inaugural ‘Best Dressed’ list in recognition of what has long been known as ‘the Kate effect’. The fashion bible noted her ‘quiet support’ is a valuable endorsement for any brand and suggested her ability to sell out enviable wardrobe items made her the ‘eternal influencer’.

Most recently, royal fans rushed to get their hands on the chocolate brown DeMellier bag that Catherine debuted during her visit to the Anna Freud Centre last month. The petite Hudson worth £415, currently only available to pre-order for delivery next May, appears to be a new addition to what is already a sizeable accessories wardrobe. ‘However, what makes it valuable isn’t extravagance,’ Mr Garkinos said. ‘It’s balance.’ He continued: ‘Catherine knows when to splurge and when to repeat, which is why her pieces age so well in the public eye.’

While analysing her shoe collection, Mr Garkinos pointed out that Catherine is loyal to Gianvito Rossi and each pair retails for around $800. As far as bags go, the collection is ‘punctuated’ by Chanel and is believed to be worth around $250,000. Queen Camilla’s shoes and handbags are likely worth $165,000 as Mr Garkinos said she is all about ‘loyalty to brand and comfort’. Over the years, Camilla has shown off an exquisite range of totes and clutches, but she seems to favour royal-endorsed Aspinal of London and Launer – the late Queen Elizabeth’s bag brand of choice.

Camilla was a vibrant sight at the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2023, wearing a cobalt Fiona Clare coat, which she teamed with a matching Philip Treacy fascinator. It was accessorised with Queen Elizabeth II’s Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch, and the £1,400 ($1,874) High Society clutch from Launer. Her footwear is primarily sourced from Sole Bliss, and Camilla reportedly owns 13 pairs of its ‘bunion-busting’ styles. She made her debut in the brand at the 2018 Royal Cornwall show, wearing their £159 Ingrid Camel leather block heels.

Since then, she has invested in more than a dozen pairs of shoes and trainers from the firm and has worn them on nearly every Royal engagement – including the week after the Queen’s death when she had a broken toe. While the Duchess of Edinburgh and Zara Tindall’s collections are estimated at around $40,000 each, Princess Anne is the ‘minimalist of the group’. Her handbags and shoes together likely total under $25,000, but that number doesn’t tell the full story,’ Mr Garkinos noted. He explained how she rewears her pieces for decades – often British leather goods and sensible pumps – and that commitment to longevity is her ‘quiet superpower’.

Mr Garkinos concluded: ‘If we measured cost per wear instead of total spend, she’d top the list by far.’ While the Duchess of Sussex didn’t make it to British Vogue’s ‘best dressed’ list this year, she has also captured the interest of royal fashion watchers since her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017. The most notable example of her influence came that year when she was spotted carrying the Edinburgh-based brand Strathberry’s ‘Tri-Colour Midi Tote’ in burgundy during her first royal engagement with the Duke of Sussex.

The $495 style sold out within 11 minutes as the family-owned Scottish brand went global. According to Meghan, it ‘changed everything in terms of how I then looked at putting an outfit together’. Speaking to The New York Times, Meghan said: ‘Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting.

‘That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring.’ It is in stark contrast with Catherine’s new policy to keep the focus on her work, rather than the outfits she wears to official engagements. A Kensington Palace source, earlier this year, told The Sunday Times that it will no longer release these details the way it has done since Catherine married Prince William in April 2011. The desire to keep the spotlight on the causes closest to the Princess’ heart came after her cancer journey gave her a ‘new perspective’, the source added.