Meghan Markle Faces Backlash Over $37,000 Outfit Worn During London Meeting With Malala Yousafzai

Meghan Markle turned heads in London when she met up with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. But it was the jaw-dropping price tag that got everyone talking.

Meghan, 45, was photographed embracing Malala, 29, outside London’s luxury hotel Claridge’s on Wednesday, October 7, before the pair went their separate ways.

In photos published by the Daily Mail, the Duchess of Sussex wore $2,247 white satin Masina trousers by Ralph Lauren, an $832 pale beige cashmere sweater by Los Angeles-based label CO and a light brown $2,240 Tove Studio coat. Her black Chanel purse was valued at more than $9,000, while her Saint Laurent ivory-and-tan “Chris” flats retailed for $1,050.

That brings the estimated value of her clothing and bag to over $15,000. She finished the look with a Logan Hollowell Lovers Duet Diamond and Emerald Chain necklace, valued at an estimated $21,415. Altogether, the ensemble reportedly came to roughly $37,000.

The figure didn’t sit well with some online commenters.

“Holy moly what the heck did she just waste £28,000 on?” one person wrote in the outlet’s comment section. “Thank goodness there was a camera crew to capture the touching moment. Look at me, look at meeeeeeeee.”

“Looks more like 28 quids worth of outsized ‘hand-me-downs,'” wrote another.

Some also criticized the price of the outfit in light of husband Prince Harry‘s efforts to secure police protection in the U.K.

“£28K for an outfit and they want British taxpayers money to fund their security and lifestyle,” wrote one angry reader.

The couple’s security arrangements have been a point of contention since they stepped back as working royals in 2020, and Harry, 42, has pursued legal challenges over decisions by the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) about the level of protection he receives in the U.K.