Meghan Markle makes first royal patronage visit – and her shoes will floor you!

January 10 was a big day for Meghan Markle – so with royal fans firmly focused on her every move she made sure she brought her top fashion game. Following the announcement of her new roles within the royal family, the pregnant royal – who is expecting her first child with Prince Harry in spring – made an official visit to the headquarters of her new patronage Smart Works in London, and she looked nothing short of fantastic.

Smart Works is one four patronages which has been handed to Meghan by Queen Elizabeth. The organization aims to help long-term unemployed and vulnerable women regain the skills, confidence and tools to succeed at job interviews, return to employment and transform their lives. The other causes which she is lending her support to were revealed by Kensington Palace the same morning, with the other three being The National Theatre, The Association of Commonwealth Universities and animal rescue charity Mayhew.

Fierce footwear

Fashion fans went wild for the America-born royal’s fierce shoes. The jazzy cow-print numbers featured perspex sides and were a major talking point.

Designer details

The Duchess of Sussex combined a tan coat by Oscar de la Renta with a black dress by coach for the occasion. She was met from her car by founding members of Smart Works, whose services include providing snappy outfits for their clients to wear to interviews as well as one-on-one interview training and access to a special client network.

Sleek hair and makeup

The former Suits star wore her hair in a sleek bun, with subtle makeup to finish the office-ready look.

Secret visits

During the trip she revealed she had made secret visits to the charity ahead of her patronage being revealed: "I'm so happy to be here. You guys know I've been quietly coming by... close to a year." She added: "It's nice to be able to now do it publicly and really talk about the work that you do."

Bag ladies

There's always a bag for every occasion! Meghan and the chair of Smart Works, Lady Juliet Hughes-Hallett took a look at the purse selection.

Duchess turns stylist

During the visit, Meghan got the chance to turn stylist and offer her own advice on dressing to land the job you want. The Duchess helped for Patsy Wardally pick out a chic outfit for an upcoming interview. She also got the chance to sit chat with her and offer advice during a one-on-one coaching session. 

The final touch

Meghan and Patsy had some fun picking out a few accessorize that would finalize her look.

A simple reason

Meghan Markle had a chat with the women of Smart Works and shared why she was drawn to the organization. “It’s not just hand-me-downs,” she said during the discussion. “It’s saying ‘okay, this is the blazer that I wore, that helped me land this interview. And I want this to be the piece that helps this woman have that part of her story.’”

She continued: “So to know, as a woman – coming in – as I would imagine, that you have so many women believing in you, in all the next phases, is the piece that make it so special.”