Meghan Markle said she stuck to a neutral wardrobe in the UK because she couldn't wear the same color as senior royals
- Meghan Markle said she couldn't wear the same color as other royals when she was living in the UK.
- She said she wore "a lot of muted tones" to avoid embarrassing the royal family.
Meghan Markle said she kept her wardrobe mostly neutral when she was in the UK because she was not allowed to wear the same color as the rest of the royal family and didn't want to embarrass them.
"Most of the time that I was in the UK I rarely wore color," Meghan said during a confessional in episode three of her new docuseries, "Harry & Meghan," which premiered on Netflix Thursday.
Meghan's comment was followed by a slideshow of photos that showed her in the UK wearing various white, black, neutral, and navy ensembles, like she did in November 2018 while visiting Westminster Abbey with members of the royal family. At the time, she wore a navy jacket-and-skirt combo that matched the muted shades worn by William and Harry; Kate Middleton, on the other hand, stood out in a deep-green Catherine Walker coat.
"There was thought in that," she continued. "To my understanding, you can't ever wear the same color as Her Majesty, if there's a group event. But then you also should never be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family."
She said she asked herself, "What's a color that they'll probably never wear?" — before deciding to wear "a lot of muted tones."
On Christmas in 2017, for example, Meghan attended a morning church service in a camel-colored Sentaler coat, a brown Philip Treacy hat, and other neutral accessories.
The late Queen Elizabeth, however, wore a bright-orange coat, and Camilla sported a festive red ensemble.
That wasn't the only reason Meghan chose such a simple color palette, she said.
"It was also so I could just blend in," she said. "I'm not trying to stand out here. There's no version of me joining this family and trying to not do everything I could to fit in."
Meghan continued: "I don't want to embarrass the family."
In the US, though, Meghan has opted for more colorful looks.
Behind-the-scenes footage shown earlier in the episode shows Meghan trying on a red gown that she wore to the Salute to Freedom Gala in New York City in November 2021.
The Carolina Herrera dress was bold in color and its design. The custom ensemble was made from red silk, and featured both a deep neckline and thigh-high slit — making it one of the most daring looks Meghan wore that year.