Meghan does a Diana in Jordan: Duchess channels her late mother-in-law in a £1,050 white tweed blazer – but puts a Kate-inspired spin on her look

Meghan Markle appeared to opt for a royal-esque ensemble as she and Prince Harry kicked off their two-day visit to Jordan this morning.

The Duchess of Sussex stepped back from her royal duties in January 2020 for personal and financial freedom before moving to Montecito, California, a sought-after haven for celebrities, where she now lives with the Duke and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

But the former actress, 44, still seemingly wanted to dress the part of a royal as she visited one of Prince William and Kate’s favourite countries.

For her first outing of the day, Meghan donned a £1,050 white tweed blazer from royal favourite Veronica Beard, an American brand previously worn by Zara Tindall and the Princess of Wales.

She teamed the figure-hugging, ’80s inspired jacket with a white T-shirt and matching £448 wide-leg, high-waisted trousers from the same designer.

An all-white outfit featuring a sophisticated blazer has long been a favourite style choice amongst royal ladies, with Princess Diana famously wearing a similar outfit to Meghan’s to meet Mother Teresa in New York in June 1997.

The Duchess’ late mother-in-law sported a stylish jacket with a knee-length skirt and cream blouse. Meanwhile, Kate is also known to sometimes favour a white blazer and matching wide-leg trousers for royal engagements.

Meghan and Harry travelled to Jordan at the invitation of World Health Organisation (WHO) and attended a roundtable discussion with people from the United Nations and many of its agencies, diplomatic representatives and donors.

The Duchess’ style choice for the occasion not only resembled ensembles previously worn by Kate and Diana, but also a past outfit of her own.

Meghan sported a £3,200 Valentino white suit as she stepped out at the Invictus Games in The Hague in 2022.

Weeks earlier, Kate appeared to kick off the trend during her tour of the Caribbean in March 2022, when she donned a £1,370 white jacket with matching £575 trousers by Alexander McQueen.

Celebrity stylist Rochelle White previously told The Daily Mail how a white suit has become a must-have for royals, including the likes of Princess Isabella of Denmark and her mother Queen Mary.

The expert said the suit has become a ‘timeless piece’ which gives off a ‘powerful and successful look’, saying: ‘A white suit is a timeless piece and I feel that these looks have been picked for that reason.

‘Sometimes, suits can be seen as powerful and give off a successful look and feel, and even sometimes can be seen as having it all together. This look has been worn by many celebrities, models and royals.’

Meghan and Harry’s trip – which Buckingham Palace officials are understood to have been informed of in advance – comes just a fortnight after William’s diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia. 

Harry’s estranged brother and sister-in-law Kate already have close ties with Jordan, and were surprise guests at the royal wedding of its Crown Prince in 2023.

The Waleses watched Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II marry his Saudi Arabian bride Rajwa Alseif at an Islamic marriage ceremony known as a ‘katb ktab’.

Kate’s family lived in Amman for a period in the mid-1980s when she was young girl and the couple enjoyed a 2021 holiday in the Middle East country with their children.

William also welcomed Crown Prince Hussein to RAF Benson in Oxfordshire for a tour last October to meet his former flight squadron during the Jordanian heir’s UK trip.

In addition, Crown Prince Hussein’s mother Queen Rania is a member of the Earthshot Prize Council, the judging panel for William’s environmental prize. 

William visited Jordan in 2018 and was joined on a number of official visits by Crown Prince Hussein, with the two men memorably watching a football match together.

As for Harry and Meghan, the couple will meet Jordanian leaders and senior health officials and engage with WHO teams across today and tomorrow.

The Sussexes will also visit frontline health and mental health programmes and meet World Central Kitchen staff co-ordinating food relief for Gaza from Amman.

And they will go to the social development organisation Questscope’s youth centre to hear from young people participating in creative and wellbeing programmes.

Around the table today sat senior figures from UN agencies like UNWRA, UNHCR, World Food Programme, Unicef and diplomatic attendees from countries like the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Canada the EU.

Philip Hall, British Ambassador to Jordan, thanked the Sussexes for travelling to the Middle East: ‘So I would simply say thank you very much indeed for coming.

‘Your visit, your support, your appreciation of the efforts that the United Nations, including of course, the World Health Organisation, the government of Jordan and others, are making here is enormously appreciated. So thank you for coming.’