Meghan Markle is launching herself into the fashion world with velocity with a number of big moves revealed just this week.
The Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry, 34, revealed she had guest edited the September Issue of British Vogue at the beginning of the week.
Now it has been revealed she is releasing a fashion line with Marks & Spencer and a number of other UK high street stores.
The collection will raise money for Smart Works by selling garments in John Lewis & Partners, Jigsaw and with the designer brand Misha Nonoo.
Misha Nonoo is a close friend of the Duchess, who has worn her clothing on many occasions.
It has even been reported that she introduced Harry and Meghan.
An M&S spokesperson told Good Housekeeping UK: “Marks & Spencer is excited and proud to be involved in this unique capsule collection as part of our ongoing work with Smart Works.
“We look forward to sharing more information with our customers in due course.”
Images of the Duchess have shown details of her £4,263.81 wardrobe for editing the famous fashion magazine.
She addressed the magazine’s “superficial” reputation in her editors letter for the publication.
She said: “There were facets I felt were of prime importance to include within this issue – elements that would hopefully set the tone, knowing this issue hits stands in August, just as readers gear up for the September fashion shows, where judgement can become clouded and focus skewed toward the superficial.”
One image shows the Duchess in a Gucci grosgrain-trimmed checked tweed dress, which costs £2,300.
In another image with the Vogue editor Edward Enninful she wears the Everlane Japanese GoWeave Essential Jumpsuit, £98.95.
She is seen re-wearing her vintage Courreges coat. A similar version online is selling for £584 on 1stdibs.com.
She also wears two pricey designer pairs of shoes in the images.
These are the Manolo Blahik polka dot slingbacks, which cost £675, and the Deneuve Bow Pointy Toe Flat from Aquazurra, which cost £605.86.
Meghan Markle’s Vogue editorship has caused some controversy.
Fans are asking why US First Lady Melania Trump wasn’t included.
“I love the beautiful HRH The Duchess of Sussex, but I wish she had interviewed our current First Lady Melania Trump @FLOTUS instead. Our FLOTUS truly shined during her recent visit to the UK,” one wrote.
However, Meghan has won praise from others, including one professor who compared her to Queen Victoria.
While many suggested royals should not edit magazines, Queen Victoria herself published a number of journals, as a historian pointed out on Twitter.
Who is Meghan Markle? Quick profile
Meghan Markle was born Rachel Meghan Markle, on August 4, 1981 to parents Doria Ragland and father Thomas Markle.
Her father was previously married to Roslyn Loveless and Meghan has two elder half sibling – sister Samantha Markle and brother Thomas Markle Junior.
Actress
Meghan’s first television appearance in the USA was in an episode of the medical drama General Hospital in 2002.
She later moved on to roles in CSI, Without a Trace and Castle along with bit parts in Hollywood films including Get Him to the Greek, Remember Me and Horrible Bosses.
Meghan was also a “briefcase girl” on Deal or No Deal – but her most famous role was as Rachel Zane in legal drama Suits, which launched in 2011.
She was written out in the finale of the seventh series when her character got married, which aired in April 2018 – just before she got married herself.
Charity and humanitarian work
Meghan Markle’s career in television has gone hand-in-hand with her support for causes close to her heart.
She wrote about the stigma around menstrual health in an article for Time magazine and was a Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada – with whom she travelled to Rwanda for the charity’s Clean Water Campaign.
And her commitment to gender equality has seen her work with the United Nations – receiving a standing ovation in 2015 for her speech to mark International Women’s Day.
Relationships
In September 2011, she wed film producer Trevor Engelson, who she began dating in 2004.
But the pair divorced two years later in August 2013, citing irreconcilable difference.
She was in a relationship with celebrity chef Cory Vitiello for almost two years, before they broke it off in 2016 but the two remain good friends.
And in June 2016, she met Prince Harry on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.
Their relationship began in October that year and just over one year later, on November 27, 2017, the pair announced their engagement.
They married on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Meghan’s heritage
Some have claimed Meghan Markle is the first mixed-race member of the Royal Family.
Historians are still arguing about Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III.
But Meghan will be the first royal to openly embrace a mixed-race heritage.
She has written about the difficulties of being a biracial actress in Hollywood as she claims she is not black enough for some roles and not white enough for others.