Meghan Markle’s Nigeria Wardrobe: All the Subtle Nods and Hidden Meanings in Her Outfits

“I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more color, so I can fit in with all of you and your incredible fashion!” the Duchess of Sussex said halfway through the trip.

Meghan Markle brought her signature style to her official international trip to Nigeria with Prince Harry from May 10 to May 12, where thoughtful nods were woven into her wardrobe each day.

Read on to decode what the Duchess of Sussex wore and what it meant.

Meghan and Harry were all smiles for the first outing in Abuja, Nigeria on May 10, where two aspects of her look at Lightway Academy had discrete meanings.

Meghan wore a blush silk maxi dress with a high neck and cutout back from California brand Heidi Merrick, in a style called the Windsor gown. The House of Windsor is the name of the modern British royal family, adopted by King George V in 1917.

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 2, were born, their surnames were announced as Mountbatten-Windsor. (Mountbatten comes from Prince Philip’s side of the family.)

The Duchess of Sussex also accessorized with a gold collar necklace reminiscent of the one Princess Diana wore during her trip to Nigeria with King Charles in 1990.

Harry and Meghan followed in his parents’ footsteps in Nigeria, as Charles and Diana traveled to the west African country for an official tour more than 30 years ago.

Meghan and Harry coordinated for a style moment at the Chief of Defense staff headquarters, where they paid homage to their host country through fashion. The Duke and Duchess dressed in the colors of the white-and-green Nigerian flag through a teal green suit for Harry and white Altuzarra pantsuit for Meghan.

The tribute echoed the royal family’s informal practice of paying homage to countries they are visiting by dressing in national colors.

In a style highlight, Meghan wore a sentimental necklace that belonged to Princess Diana to a reception for military families in Abuja on May 11.

PEOPLE exclusively revealed that the piece, featuring a delicate diamond cross on a gold chain, was a recent gift from Prince Harry to his wife and had belonged to his late mother.

Meghan let the necklace shine by wearing it with a St. Agni white strapless column linen dress and her hair swept up to the event at the Defense

Outfit change! The Duchess of Sussex switched into a red dress by Nigerian designer Orire for a panel discussion she co-hosted with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, on May 11.

In a subtle spin on flag dressing, women in the royal family are also known to honor host countries they are visiting by wearing national brands as a show of support.

Meghan stylishly arrived in Lagos on May 12 wearing a white Carolina Herrera button-down shirt with a blue traditional Nigerian skirt she was gifted during their time in Abuja. The fashion statement came after she shared at the women’s leadership that she was rethinking what she packed for Nigeria, following a parade of neutral hues!

“I am just flattered and honored and inspired. It has been a whirlwind 24 hours since we arrived, and I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more color, so I can fit in with all of you and your incredible fashion!” Meghan said at the event on May 11, which was
attended by PEOPLE.

The Duchess of Sussex was bright in yellow at a reception held at the State Governor House in Lagos on May 12, and the number might feel familiar. The canary floor-length Carolina Herrera dress was made for Meghan during her pregnancy with Prince Archie, and she also sported it for his first birthday in 2020.

Meghan wore the dress again for her pregnancy announcement, when she and Prince Harry shared that they were expecting Princess Lilibet in 2021.

The mom of two said she was “missing my babies” at the event on May 12, which was Mother’s Day in the U.S., but added that “it feels very appropriate to be in the motherland and amongst family,” in a reference to her Nigerian heritage and the connection she feels to the country.