Meghan Markle embraces revealing styles as she battles the hot weather during ‘quasi-royal’ tour of Nigeria

The Duchess of Sussex has favoured a series of daring styles while travelling in scorching temperatures during her whistle-stop tour of Nigeria alongside Prince Harry. 

Unlike the Princess of Wales, who typically opts for more conservative looks while travelling abroad, Meghan Markle chose a very different wardrobe for the hot weather during her most recent visit. 

From her £450 open-back blush silk maxi by Californian designer Heidi Merrick, which is sold as the ‘Windsor Dress’, to her £2,275 striped sundress with cut-outs by Columbian designer Johanna Ortiz, Meghan hasn’t held back when it comes to dressing for the 95 Fahrenheit heat. 

Meghan, 42, equally chose a bright red midi dress with a ruffled hem and spaghetti straps for her appearance at a Women in Leadership event in Abuja. 

Designed by Nigerian creator Oríré, the vibrant dress allowed the Duchess to ‘fit in’ with the country’s ‘incredible fashion’, she said. 

Meghan, 42, wore a £450 open-back blush silk maxi by Californian designer Heidi Merrick, which is sold as the ‘Windsor Dress’, for her first engagement in Nigeria

Meghan shared her thoughts while co-hosting the event with Nigeria’s director General of the World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

She said: ‘It has been a whirlwind 24 hours since we arrived, and I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more colour, so I can fit in with all of you and your incredible fashion!’

While Kate Middleton tends to opt for more demure dresses – even when faced with high temperatures – Meghan appears happy to show a little more skin. 

For her arrival in Jamaica as part of the royal tour of the Caribbean, which the Prince and Princess of Wales completed in March 2022, Kate chose a high-neck yellow dress with cap-sleeves by Serbian designer Roksanda.

In contrast, the Duchess of Sussex sported a white strapless gown by Australian design studio St Agni to attend a reception with the Nigerian chief of defence, Christopher Musa.

Indeed, in public appearances since she met Prince Harry (including her wedding day which was watched by millions around the world), Meghan has opted for off-shoulder and boat-neck styles in both dresses and tops.

In particular, she set tongues wagging during her first ever Trooping the Colour when her bespoke Carolina Herrera dress with a bardot neckline showed off both her shoulders and her arms, in a break from tradition in royal fashion – but fans went wild for the look nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Kate, also 42, has a tendency to have her outfits customised so as to have less skin on show.

At Crown Prince Hussein‘s lavish wedding to Rajwa Al-Saif in Jordan last year, the Princess of Wales wore an Elie Saab custom gown featuring long sleeves, a ruffled high neckline and intricate detailing on the bodice.

Kate chose a high-neck yellow dress with cap-sleeves by Serbian designer Roksanda for her arrival in Jamaica as part of a royal tour of the Caribbean in March 2022

This £2,275 striped sundress with cut-outs by Columbian designer Johanna Ortiz proves Meghan isn’t afraid of putting her own stamp on royal dressing

The Duchess of Sussex sported a white strapless gown by Australian design studio St Agni to attend a reception with the Nigerian chief of defence, Christopher Musa

Megan chose a bright red midi dress with a ruffled hem and spaghetti straps for her appearance at a Women in Leadership event in Abuja

Eagle-eyed fashion insiders may have spotted something in particular about her look – that it was yet another example of the way that Kate’s dresses are adapted from the catwalk to make them more conservative. 

When seen on the catwalk as part of the Lebanese fashion designer’s Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear collection, the dress featured sheer panels on the skirt and top area. 

Kate’s however has clearly been altered to remove these see-through elements.

The mother-of-three has developed a trick for making sure her off-the-peg garments are tailored before wearing them, to remove revealing hemlines to suit her regal and elegant style.

While Kate looks fabulous when wearing the works of the world’s leading designers, less modest clothes that catch the eye on the catwalk rarely meet the standards of the royal dress code.

The British Royal Family is said to stick to a very specific style guide which rules out inappropriately short skirts, day dresses that are too long, plunging necklines, slits that gape if you bend or sit down, and fabrics that crease.

Since her marriage to Prince William in 2011, Kate has never faltered with her perfectly tailored garments. 

The Princess of Wales put on an elegant display in a soft pink dress by Elie Saab as she joined Prince William for  Crown Prince Hussein’s  wedding to Rajwa Al-Saif in Jordan 

When seen on the catwalk as part of the Lebanese fashion designer’s Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear collection (pictured), the dress featured revealing sheer panels. These did not feature on Kate’s version of the dress

An example of Kate’s simple yet effective alterations was the Princess’ show-stopping No Time To Die premiere gown. British label Jenny Packham dressed Kate in a dazzling gold number for the film premiere at the Royal Albert Hall back in 2021.

The £4,000 gown, which was originally thought to be a custom creation, featured one small change in comparison to its runway edition – an altered neckline to add a touch of modesty.

In December 2019, the mother-of-three transformed an Alessandra Rich dress before wearing it for the ‘A Berry Royal Christmas‘ programme.

By removing a waist-high slit and a revealing keyhole opening at the neckline, and adding a wide bow to the neck of the dress, Kate and her stylists made the piece a fitting outfit for a royal.