Meghan Markle Christmas Outfits And Hairstyles Worth Copying
Every December, one set of photographs comes back like a favourite Christmas song: Meghan Markle on the walk to church at Sandringham, wrapped in a camel coat, smiling on Prince Harry’s arm. Of all the Meghan Markle Christmas outfits the world has talked about, that first one is still the most copied — and it teaches almost everything about festive dressing done the calm, elegant way. In this guide we look closely at the famous coat, the whole Christmas walk coat parade around it, and the soft party hairstyle hiding in plain sight in the very same pictures.
It helps to remember the moment. Meghan and Harry had announced their engagement only a few weeks earlier, in November 2017. An invitation to spend Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham was a real honour for a fiancée, and the eyes of the world were on one simple question on Christmas morning: what would she wear for the walk to St Mary Magdalene Church? Her answer became an instant classic.
The Camel Coat That Made Christmas Morning Famous
Meghan’s famous camel wrap coat on Christmas morning at Sandringham — Photo: Mark Jones, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The coat was the whole story. A long camel wrap coat with an oversized collar and a tie belt at the waist — it was widely identified at the time as a design by the Canadian label Sentaler, a thoughtful nod, many noted, to her years living in Toronto. Camel is a clever Christmas colour. It is warm without shouting, it photographs beautifully against bare winter trees, and it lets the pieces underneath do the festive work.
Under the coat, flashes of a deep burgundy dress could be seen, widely reported to be a velvet-trimmed dress by Club Monaco. Burgundy and camel together are one of the great quiet Christmas combinations: rich, seasonal and soft, with no tinsel colours anywhere. Her boots were reported to be a brown suede over-the-knee style by Stuart Weitzman, and on her head sat a sculpted brown fascinator, reported to be by Philip Treacy — the same milliner behind so many royal wedding hats.
Notice what is missing. No sparkle, no bright red, no statement jewellery beyond small earrings and her engagement ring. On the most watched morning of her life so far, she chose calm. That is the real lesson of the look, and it is exactly the same less-is-more formula we explored in our guide to the outfits that prove simple wins — this coat is simply its Christmas chapter.
A year later, in December 2018, she returned to the same walk as the Duchess of Sussex, this time in deep tonal browns — a dark brown coat and dress combination widely reported to be by Victoria Beckham, with a matching feathered hat. Two Christmases, two coats, one message: at Christmas, Meghan does rich neutrals, beautiful tailoring and lets her smile be the decoration.
Tartan, Camel And Burgundy: The Christmas Walk Coat Parade
The Christmas walk coat parade: Kate’s tartan, Meghan’s camel and Lady Louise’s burgundy — Photo: Mark Jones, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Part of why those photographs live forever is that Meghan’s calm camel walked right beside a very different kind of Christmas dressing. The Princess of Wales, then the Duchess of Cambridge, chose a green, red and navy tartan coat — widely reported to be by Miu Miu — finished with gold buttons, a black fur-style hat and black gloves. It was Christmas turned all the way up: pattern, colour and tradition in one coat.
Lady Louise Windsor, walking in front, added the third note in a neat burgundy coat with a plum fascinator, echoing the burgundy hidden inside Meghan’s own outfit. Put the three together and you have the complete Christmas coat menu in a single photograph: one bold tartan, one calm camel, one deep burgundy. Nearly every festive coat bought since 2017 falls into one of those three families.
For your own Christmas, the parade offers a simple way to choose. If your dress underneath is plain, be Kate: let a patterned or brightly buttoned coat carry the day. If your outfit already has colour, be Meghan: a plain wrap coat in camel, chocolate or cream will pull it together without a fight. And if you want the middle road, burgundy and deep green coats are festive the moment you put them on, even over a simple black dress.
The Party Hairstyle Hiding In The Christmas Photos: Soft Waves
Soft, brushed-out waves — the party hairstyle hiding in the Christmas photos — Photo: Mark Jones, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Look again at the Christmas photographs, this time at the hair. Under that sculpted brown fascinator, Meghan’s hair falls in soft, loose waves — glossy, brushed out, and swept gently back from her face so the hat can sit cleanly on top. It is the same hair she wears to evening events all year, and that is precisely why it works so well in December: party hair that does not fight the outfit, the hat or the weather.
Copying it at home takes less than it looks. The waves start as large curls made with a wide-barrel tong or big rollers, left to cool completely, then brushed through with a soft brush until they melt into one smooth wave rather than separate ringlets. A drop of shine serum through the ends gives that photographed glow, and the front section is tucked or pinned just enough to keep the face open. If you are wearing a fascinator or a velvet hairband — the modern Christmas substitute — place it after the waves are finished, slightly to one side, exactly as she does here.
Kate’s hair in the same photographs shows the bouncier sister of the style: fuller curls with more lift at the roots, made to fill the space under a much bigger hat. Between the two of them, the Christmas walk offers both party-hair answers — Meghan’s smooth wave for smaller hats and bare heads, Kate’s bouncy curl for big hats and drama. Our full guide to Meghan Markle hairstyles breaks down each of her signature looks step by step if you want to practise before the big day.
How To Copy The Christmas Look
1. Start with the coat: a belted wrap coat in camel, chocolate or cream is the whole foundation.
2. Add one deep festive colour underneath — burgundy, forest green or navy — and keep everything else quiet.
3. Choose boots or shoes in the same family as the coat; tonal dressing always looks more expensive.
4. Wear your hair in brushed-out waves, and if you add a hat or band, keep it in the same colour family too.
5. Let one piece shine — the coat, the dress or the hair — never all three at once.
Key Takeaways
• Meghan’s most famous Christmas outfit is her 2017 Sandringham look: a camel wrap coat, widely identified as Sentaler, over a burgundy dress.
• The Christmas walk photos hold the full festive coat menu in one frame: Kate’s bold tartan, Meghan’s calm camel and Lady Louise’s burgundy.
• Her Christmas hairstyle is her year-round party hair — soft, brushed-out waves that sit happily under a fascinator.
• In 2018 she repeated the formula in tonal browns, proving the look is a system, not a one-off.
• The copy rule is simple: one star piece, deep colours, calm everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What did Meghan Markle wear for her first royal Christmas?
A: For the Christmas Day walk at Sandringham in 2017 she wore a long camel wrap coat over a burgundy dress, with brown suede boots and a sculpted brown fascinator.
Q: Who designed Meghan Markle’s camel Christmas coat?
A: The coat was widely identified at the time as a design by Sentaler, the Canadian label known for its alpaca wrap coats — a fitting choice after her years living in Toronto.
Q: What coat did Kate wear on Christmas Day 2017?
A: Kate chose a green, red and navy tartan double-breasted coat, widely reported to be by Miu Miu, worn with a black fur-style hat and gloves.
Q: How can I copy Meghan Markle’s Christmas hairstyle?
A: Make large curls with a wide tong, let them cool, then brush them out into one smooth wave. Finish with a drop of shine serum and sweep the front back so a fascinator or band can sit neatly on top.