Meghan Markle’s Bold Yellow Dress in Nigeria Was Much More Than a Nod to Archie and Lilibet, Expert Says: ‘Deeply Symbolic’
Meghan Markle stepped out in a recycled yellow dress during her and Prince Harry’s three-day trip to Nigeria. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may not have spent Mother’s Day with their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 2, it’s been said Meghan honored them with her clothing. However, a PR expert says Meghan’s colorful look may have had a “much deeper meaning.”
Meghan wore a yellow dress with ties to big Archie and Lilibet moments on Mother’s Day
The Duchess of Sussex pulled a previously seen dress from her closet for Mother’s Day, May 12, 2024, in Nigeria. Although she and Harry weren’t with Archie and Lilibet to celebrate, Meghan seemingly honored them with her outfit choice.
The 42-year-old wore a bright yellow Carolina Herrera dress she’d worn at least twice before. The first glimpse the public got of Meghan in the silk dress came in 2022. A clip from Archie’s first birthday in 2020, as seen in Netflix’s documentary about the duke and duchess, showed Meghan wearing the dress as Archie enjoyed cake.
Meghan donned it again the following year, in February 2021, when she and Harry announced they were expecting Lilibet. (The pair sat in the grass in a black-and-white photo taken by photographer and friend Misan Harriman.)
Thought to be “paying tribute to her kids” by wearing the yellow dress, per Mirror, an expert shared it could’ve held a “much deeper meaning.”
“Choosing to wear the same yellow dress on Mother’s Day was deeply symbolic,” Brenda Christensen, a celebrity PR expert, told the publication. “Especially since she previously wore it for other meaningful family milestones. It’s a celebration of motherhood.”
Meghan, who has been known to stick to predominantly neutral hues, confessed she’d injected her outfits with more color on day two of the trip to “fit in” with Nigerian style.
“I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more color so I can fit in with all of you in your incredible fashion,” she said (via Town & Country).
Meghan’s dress may have also been a nod to spirituality and ‘high rank’
Christensen continued, saying the choice to wear yellow may have also been a nod to something else besides Meghan’s children.
“Raised in LA by a yoga instructor mother [Doria Ragland], her connection to spirituality runs deep,” the CEO of Stellar Public Relations said of Meghan. “The colour [sic] yellow, representing happiness and joy, holds profound spiritual significance.”
“In many African cultures, including Nigeria, yellow is reserved for those of high rank due to its resemblance to gold, symbolizing wealth, quality, success, and royalty,” she explained.
Meghan mentioned her and Prince Harry’s children multiple times in Nigeria
Fashion wasn’t the only way Meghan made nods to Archie and Lilibet while in Nigeria. The American Riviera Orchard founder also spoke about her kids during the trip. (Archie celebrated his birthday on May 6, 2024, ahead of Harry’s stint in England and the Nigeria visit.)
During a Women in Leadership event on May 11, 2024, which she co-hosted with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the World Trade Organization, Meghan described Archie and Lilibet as “very chatty, sweet children.”
“I’m so fortunate that we have two beautiful, healthy, very chatty, sweet children,” she told the audience (via Hello!).
Elsewhere in Nigeria, Meghan revealed a sweet moment between her and Lilibet that happened just weeks before the trip. During her and Harry’s first stop, a mental health summit organized by the GEANCO Foundation at the Lightway Academy, Meghan recalled how Lili said she saw herself in her.
“Your teachers see that in you,” Meghan said in a speech (via People). “And we see that in you. Interestingly, so does our daughter, Lili. She’s much tinier than you guys, about to turn three.”
“A few weeks ago, she looked at me and saw her reflection in my eyes. She said, ‘Mama, I see me in you.’ Now, she was talking literally, but I held onto those words in a different way. I thought, ‘Yes, I do see me in you, and you see me in you.’ But as I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well.”
