Meghan Markle Shares the Moment from Royal Life That ‘Changed Everything’ About Her Style Choices in New Interview

Mar. 15, 2025

Meghan Markle attends the “Keynote: Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen,” during the SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals on March 8, 2024, in Austin, Texas.Photo:SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty

SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty

Meghan Markleis adding to her investment portfolio, she announced in a new interview released on Aug. 28.

Speaking to theNew York Times, the Duchess of Sussex told the outlet that the small portfolio of female-run companies she supports has just gained a new addition — the handbag brand Cesta Collective, which Meghan, 43, found organically while shopping online.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arriving in Lagos, Nigeria on May 12, 2024.Andrew Esiebo/Getty

Andrew Esiebo/Getty

Just as Meghan found the brand organically, her decision to invest came about organically, as well. Ryder and her co-founder Courtney Weinblatt Fasciano wrote Meghan a thank you note, and eventually Meghan offered to become their first outside investor. (The exact terms of the deal are confidential, but Ryder and Fasciano confirmed to theNew York Timesthat it was a minority stake.)

This isn’t the first time Meghan carrying a handbag has done gangbusters for business. The Duchess of Sussex told theNew York Timesthat she realized how much attention went to her sartorial choices in 2017, not long after she became engaged to Prince Harry. After Meghan carried a Strathberry bag to her first royal engagement on Dec. 1, 2017, the bag sold out 11 minutes after Meghan was seen carrying it.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the Terrance Higgins Trust World AIDS Day charity fair at Nottingham Contemporary on Dec. 1, 2017 in Nottingham, England.Karwai Tang/WireImage

When Meghan learned the impact of her fashion choice that day and how it allowed the Scottish company to expand its workforce, it “changed everything in terms of how I then looked at putting an outfit together,” Meghan said. “Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting.”

She added, “That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring.”

Meghan Markle in Bogota, Colombia on Aug. 15, 2024.Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty

Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty

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Meghan’s decision to invest began withthe vegan instant latte company Clevr Blends, which she began backing during the pandemic. Her portfolio has expanded to between five to 10 brands, she said, and said she sees them as a complement to her own forthcoming lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.

“Investing in them has helped me line up for this chapter where I’m investing in myself,” Meghan said.

source: people.com