Meghan Markle spends £120,000 on outfits for Nigeria tour where millions live in poverty

Meghan Markle looked glamorous during her recent trip to Nigeria and it seems she wasn’t afraid to splash the cash on her outfits.

The Duchess of Sussex travelled to the African country with her husband Prince Harry to promote the Invictus Games. Meghan made a number of outfit changes on the trip and ended up spending almost £120,000 on jewellery and new clothes. The decision has been criticised by some given the extreme levels of poverty in Nigeria.

Meghan wore a number of high-end brands on the trip, including Carolina Herrera, Altuzarra, and Johanna Ortiz. She also paid a sweet tribute to Princess Diana, wearing her late mother-in-law’s necklace. Here, we’ve taken a look at Meghan’s stunning looks and how much each one cost.

Day one

Meghan and Harry’s first stop on their trip to Nigeria was a visit to the Lightway Academy in Abuja. Here, Harry delivered a passionate speech about mental health as Meghan nodded along to his comments.

The Duchess of Sussex looked elegant wearing a £450 peach-coloured dress from Heidi Merrick. She accessorised her look with vintage gold earrings from Lanvin, a gold necklace from AURate worth £1,453.20 and a dainty ring from Lorraine Schwartz which retails at £50,000.

Meghan also wore a £4,391.86 diamond hex tennis bracelet from Ariel Gordon and a Cartier yellow gold Tank Francaise watch which is worth £20,824.70. Later that day, Meghan changed outfits as she and Harry visited army wives at the Defence headquarters in Abuja.

She looked incredible in a white tailored suit which included a blazer from Altuzarra (£1273.54) and matching trousers (£460). The former Suits star finished her look with a pair of suede shoes from Manolo Blahnik worth £595 and earrings from Ariel Gordon which cost £219.60. Meghan also kept the gold necklace she had worn earlier in the day.

Day two

On the second day, Meghan and Harry attended a volleyball match in aid of Nigeria: Unconquered, a local charity organisation that supports wounded, injured, or sick servicemembers. For the event, Meghan wore a black and white printed dress from Johanna Ortiz (£2,275.35).

She added a casual pair of black leather sandals from Emme Parsons worth £359.27 and Heidi Merrick sunglasses worth £179.65. Meghan also accessorised with gold disc earrings (£2,594.96) as well as her hex tennis bracelet from Ariel Gordon.

Meghan made a quick outfit change as she attended a luncheon with the Minister of Defence. She opted for a strapless white maxi dress from St Agni Studio which costs £335 and added a pair of £520 sandals from Aquazzura.

Meghan paid a special tribute to Princess Diana during the event as she wore the late Princess of Wales’ diamond cross necklace. Meghan also wore a pair of vintage gold knotted earrings from Dior and a £7,050 bangle from Cartier.

She added her Cartier yellow gold Tank Francaise watch and kept on her hex tennis bracelet from Ariel Gordon. Meghan had a third outfit change on the second day as she opted for a bold-coloured dress to co-host an event on Women In Leadership.

The former Suits actress stepped onto the stage wearing a £265 red ‘Dire’ dress from Nigerian designer Oríré. The dress was “ethically” created and Meghan paired it with her Aquazzura sandals.

She accessorised with a £12,500 ‘Baby Reverse’ diamond tennis necklace from Logan Hollowell and £695 Yellow gold and diamond semi hoop earrings from Kimai.

Day three

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent just three days touring Nigeria. On their final day, Meghan stepped out wearing a skirt made of Aso Oke, a hand-woven cloth from south-west Nigeria, which she had been gited earlier on the trip.

She paired the skirt with a £265 button-down white shirt from Carolina Herrera and a pair of Burberry sandals she had worn previously. Meghan completed the look with a pendant necklace engraved with Archie and Lilibet’s names (£2,039.50) and her pinky ring from Lorraine Schwartz.

She also added her diamond hex tennis bracelet from Ariel Gordon and Cartier yellow gold Tank Francaise watch to complete the look. She then changed into a stunning outfit for a reception hosted by Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Gwabin Musa.

For the event, Meghan wore a bold sleeveless gown by Carolina Herrera which she previously wore to announce her pregnancy with Princess Lilibet, The Duchess of Sussex also wore the dress for Prince Archie’s first birthday.

She completed her look with a pair of £2,605 ‘Large Gold Hammered Disc Earrings’ from Jennifer Meyer as well as her pinky ring from Lorraine Schwartz, Ariel Gordon tennis bracelet and Cartier watch. Meghan then had one final outfit to show off.

She changed into a £1,692.40 ‘Summer Counts Wool and Wilk’ maxi dress from Johanna Ortiz which featured a floral pattern and halter neck detail. She added a pair of black Heidi Merrick sunglasses worth £171.58 and wore a pair of traditional Nigerian coral drop earrings which she had been gifted on the trip.

Meghan also wore a diamond ‘Snowflake’ stackable ring from Birks worth £5,268.19. In total, her new clothing and jewellery over the three days cost £117,207.26.

Extreme inequality

Meghan’s expensive outfits come despite the extreme levels of inequality in Nigeria, where more than 112million people are living in poverty. The inequality is not caused by a lack of resources, with Nigeria being the largest economy in Africa, but instead by those in charge being out of touch with the struggles of everyday people.

Instead, it is due to the misallocation of resources, with political corruption adding to the struggles. In one example of poverty in Nigeria, the amount of money the richest Nigerian man can earn annually from his wealth is sufficient to save 2million people from poverty.