Meghan Markle discarded her traditional low-key look for a bolder, more overtly glamorous appearance, judging by teaser clips of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s primetime interview with Oprah Winfrey, sparking comparisons with iconic American socialite Wallis Simpson.
For the sit-down, to be broadcast on Sunday, 7 March, Meghan Markle didn’t skimp on dark eyeliner, either, with make-up that was reminiscent of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
Prince Harry’s spouse also paid tribute to Princess Di with a Cartier diamond tennis bracelet, worth $25,000, from the royal’s jewellery collection, said to have been a gift to Meghan Markle from Prince Harry dating back to the outset of their romance.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor also had earlier versions of the Cartier “Love Bracelet”.
The 39-year-old Markle, who is pregnant with her second baby, is seen in clips broadcast during the US TV show "60 Minutes” wearing a black, long-sleeved dress by Armani which reportedly retails for $4,700 belted above her stomach, and featuring a floral embroidery design over one shoulder.
The centre-parted hairstyle, with a low bun, that Meghan Markle chose to wear her long dark hair in for the interview was seen by many as dramatically similar to how Wallis Simpson looks in a portrait dated 1936, prior to her marriage to King Edward VIII.
The twice-divorcee who became the wife of the Duke of Windsor triggered a constitutional crisis that resulted in the former British king Edward VIII's abdication in December 1936 to marry "the woman I love".
Viewers, however, were quick to zoom in on certain subtle differences in the outfits of the two Americans women, with Wallis's short-sleeved dress noticeably covered throughout with a floral pattern.
To round off the outfit, Meghan Markle selected $750 shoes from one of her favoured designers – Aquazurra.
On social media, many weighed in on the fact that Meghan Markle seemed to be ‘borrowing’ Diana’s look.
Some likened Meghan Markle's posture to Wallis Simpson's.
The Duchess of Sussex and Duchess of Windsor have often been compared to each other after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to step away from their royal duties.
Twice-married socialite Wallis Simpson embarked upon a scandalous relationship with Edward, Prince of Wales, in the mid-1930s.
After briefly ascending the throne as King Edward VIII, the romance led the royal to abdicate the British throne in December 1936 to enable him to marry the divorcee.
Meghan Markle, who was earlier married to film producer Trevor Engelson, met Prince Harry through mutual friends in 2016. The couple wed two years later.
In a recent interview to TV host James Corden, Prince Harry yet again blamed the “toxic” environment in the UK and attacks by the British press on him and his wife for the move to quit his duties as a senior royal.
As the two trailers vowing "shocking" royal revelations hit the screens they showed Prince Harry seated with his pregnant wife in what has been claimed to be the garden of their £11 million Montecito home in Santa Barbara.
"I'm just really relieved and happy to be sitting here talking to you with my wife by my side because I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for her going through this process by herself all those years ago", says the Duke of Sussex in the trailer.
Earlier in the year Prince Harry and Meghan Markle confirmed that they would not be returning to the UK as working royals, in a decision that has “saddened” everyone in the Royal Family, Buckingham Palace said.