Meghan Markle's outfit for last official royal outing was apparently specially planned

(Image credit: Getty)

Back in early March, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the UK one last time, to attend the Endeavour Fund Awards, which Harry founded. It was the first time the royal couple had made a public appearance together since moving to Canada and renouncing their titles and official duties.

For the occasion, Meghan chose to support a British designer (not unusual for women in the royal family), which was Victoria Beckham, whose designs the Duchess of Sussex has worn several times in the past.

She accessorised the turquoise blue pencil dress with her trusted Manolo Blahnik heels and a clutch bag by Stella McCartney. Her outfit made headlines at the time for being so bright and powerful, and quickly earned the title of 'the revenge dress'. A picture of the couple, surrounded by rain caught in the flashes of cameras, even went viral.

Now an unauthorised biography of the couple claims the outfit was carefully selected to illustrate how powerful they were, with or without the royal family.

Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand shared in their Finding Freedom biography that the outfits 'served as a showstopping reminder of their ability to command the world’s attention.'

They wrote, 'Earlier in the day Daniel Martin (who, when planning all her looks for the week, had joked, ‘Go out with a bang!’) had done her makeup and George Northwood her hair.'

'The sparkling rain in the frame was pure coincidence, but the confident walk into Mansion House venue and Meghan’s blue midi dress by Victoria Beckham, were carefully planned,' they added.

For the five-day goodbye tour, Meghan Markle wore several statement outfits by other UK designers, which included a floor-length red gown by Safiyaa, and an emerald green Emilia Wickstead dress and cape combo on her final outing, for the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.