Meghan’s Nigeria outfits were a triumph of style and soft power that will set you back a cool £130,000

From sweeping gowns and heirloom jewellery to a simple, traditional hand-woven skirt and repurposed blazer, the Duchess of Sussex’s eight outfits for her three-day private visit to Nigeria were a masterclass in charm-offensive power dressing. Albeit one with a value in excess of £130,000.

The 42-year old Duchess, who allegedly didn’t hire a stylist but insisted on dressing herself, was ostensibly there to support her husband Harry visiting wounded soldiers and local charities.

But all eyes were firmly on her — and the pressure was on to roll out a repertoire of outfits that would turn what wasn’t officially a ‘royal’ tour into something worthy of the same level of attention.

Whatever your thoughts on Meghan, it’s difficult to fault her sartorial choices on this occasion. To kick off, she wore a delicious apricot maxi dress by Californian designer Heidi Merrick, called (no doubt significantly) the ‘Windsor’ and retailing at £1,106.

The dropped waist and billowy hemline was a departure from the meticulously tailored midi dresses that we were used to seeing on Meghan’s ‘royal’ days. Teamed with vintage gold disc Lanvin earrings and a stack of bracelets, including her beloved $5,500 (£4,380) Ariel Gordon Diamond Hex Tennis bracelet (rumoured to be a gift from Harry) and Princess Diana’s Cartier Tank Francaise watch, which retails at £21,400, the look was very feminine, if perhaps a little outré for a visit to a local school.

Still, a chunky wooden necklace gifted to the Duchess that day thankfully gave the look a little more earthiness.

Meghan Markle wears a Heidi Merrick gown, £1,106; an Aurate collar necklace, £556; Lanvin earrings, estimate £450; a Cartier Love Bracelet, £7,050; and a Cartier Tank watch, £21,400

She sports an Altuzarra white trouser suit, £1,800; Manolo Blahnik court shoes, £545; Ariel Gordon Royal Signet studs, £219; and the same Aurate collar necklace from earlier in the day to an official military reception

Later that day, Meghan swapped the dazzling maxi for a simple white trouser suit for an official military reception. If the jacket looks familiar, that’s because it is: Meghan first wore the Altuzarra Acacia blazer in 2018 for an Invictus Games reception in Sydney, Australia.

Back then she teamed it with black jeans and shirt. This time, it got a more polished airing with Altuzurra’s kick-flared white trousers and heels. The look felt ‘Bianca Jagger-meets-Girl Boss’, which is fitting since the Duchess recently launched her own brand, American Riviera Orchard.

Day two saw the wardrobe value soar as Meghan mixed things up for a local volleyball match in a £2,275 palm-leaf print dress by Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz — a firm favourite of hers.

Ortiz has a talent for creating feminine outfits that feel fresh and — whisper it — a teeny bit sexy, which is something the Duchess would have swerved when she first married Harry. The peep hole and thigh split are certainly a departure from how we’ve seen Meghan before, especially when teamed with simple, walkable Cecilia sandals (£385) from American shoe designer Emme Parsons.

At a local volleyball match Harry walks with Meghan who exhibits a Johanna Ortiz sundress, £2,275; Heidi Merrick sunglasses, £185; Emma Parson shoes, £385; and Jennifer Meyer earrings, £2,794

At the Nigerian Defence Headquarters Meghan styles a St Agni dress, £335; Aquazzura shoes, £565; an Ariel Gordon bracelet, £4,379; Dior earrings, £350; a Lorraine Schwartz pinky ring, £49,460, and bracelet, £12,000

That evening, Meghan headed to a reception at the Nigerian Defence Headquarters in an ivory strapless column dress by St Agni that looked oddly bridal. Still, it felt like one of only a few sartorial missteps and was saved by the beautiful vintage Dior earrings and Princess Diana’s gold and diamond cross pendant.

A few hours later, Meghan was centre stage at a Women in Leadership conference, looking like a Spanish flamenco dancer in a scarlet red dress with ruffled hem, teamed with a chignon and simple gold jewellery.

‘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,’ she laughed on stage.

The dress, with its dainty spaghetti straps, was by Lagos-based designer Orire and costs just £265. Even if it was a last-minute change of outfit, it was a diplomatic masterstroke, flattering the place Meghan now refers to as ‘my country’ after a DNA test she took in the U.S. showed that she was 43 per cent Nigerian.

The Duchess steals the show at a Women in Leadership conference with an Orire scarlet midi dress with ruffled hem, £265; Aquazzura shoes, as before; Kimai earrings, £695; and a Logon Hollowell necklace, £12,608

Meghan wears a Carolina Herrera shirt, £1,278; a wrap skirt, traditional; Lanvin earrings; Heidi Merrick sunglasses, £177; and Burberry sandals, £900

But it was on day three that Meghan stole the show, in what was perhaps my favourite outfit of the entire 72-hour tour: a £265 Carolina Herrera white shirt with a traditional Nigerian cloth skirt.

We are used to seeing the Duchess in a variety of crisp, white button-down shirts. She wore one for her first ever public appearances in 2017, and has worn them on rotation ever since. But the blue striped skirt was gifted to her at a reception in Abuja when she first arrived, so one suspects this was another last- minute addition to her wardrobe. If only she had ditched the sky-high gold heels, too (Burberry Prorsum Berkeley heels that she has had since 2013), in favour of something simpler.

Naturally, she added the wow factor with her choice of jewellery — a disc pendant by Ariel Gordon, worth around £2,000, as well as bracelet stack and Cartier watch.

Later that day, for a formal state reception, she turned to Herrera again, this time a sunshine-yellow trapeze maxi dress which completely overshadowed husband Harry in his low-key oatmeal blazer. It’s not the easiest shape in the world to work with, but teamed with flats (again) and with her hair pulled back, it was both modern and elegant.

For a formal state reception Meghan wears a bright Carolina Herrera dress, estimated at £3,500, matched with Jennifer Meyer disc earrings, £2,794 and collar necklace and jewellery from earlier in the day

Meghan styles a Johanna Ortiz printed dress, £1,587, with gold Burberry sandals in the evening

For her final outfit of the tour, Meghan chose Ortiz again and a £1,587 cream, draped, sleeveless dress with an elegant tie detail.

Accessorised with coral drop earrings and her £15,000 Against Evil Eye Lorraine Schwartz bracelet, she opted once more for her repurposed Berkeley gold sandals to finish things off.

Of course, there will be those who will sneer at the exorbitant six-figure retail value, not least the £50,000 pinky ring by Louise Schwartz she wore throughout.

But if the aim was to flex the same soft power of the royal family they’ve jettisoned, then, for the most part, it was nothing short of a triumph.

Additional research by Emma Mesquita and Laura Connor