When Meghan Markle shared a new image on her As Ever Instagram feed earlier this week, it was the fashion choice that did the talking. The Duchess of Sussex appeared in a navy strapless midi dress by Roland Mouret, paired with red suede slingback flats.

The dress in question was the Aldrich linen-blend cloqué style, first worn publicly in 2018 during her time as a working royal. Meghan, 44, originally debuted the piece at Kensington Palace just five months after she tied the knot with Prince Harry.

Rewearing the dress now is not simply an exercise in sustainability or nostalgia, it marks a deliberate return to an era that remains culturally resonant: the early days of her royal life.

In doing so, it appears to be another calculated move in her wider effort to monetise her royal association. While she may live across the Atlantic and no longer hold an official role, she remains visually and culturally tethered to the monarchy as the wife of the King’s son and mother of his grandchildren.

The choice subtly reconnects her current lifestyle brand with the global attention she commanded as a senior royal. The addition of the red Dôen slingbacks introduces a softer, Californian note, tempering the sharp British tailoring with a more relaxed, West Coast sensibility.

Together, the look bridges two identities Meghan continues to balance: former Duchess and modern lifestyle entrepreneur.

While the image itself is understated, the fashion narrative is anything but accidental. Reintroducing a royal-era garment places her past firmly inside her present brand storytelling – a reminder that her royal chapter remains one of her most valuable assets.

Since stepping back from royal duties, Meghan has continued to operate publicly under the title Duchess of Sussex – a designation inseparable from the monarchy she claimed to leave behind.

While her Instagram handle is simply @meghan, when it comes to business, visibility and branding, the royal title is never far away.

It may not be a commercial trademark, but it functions as one: instantly recognisable, globally marketable and loaded with inherited status.

Meghan and Prince Harry have repeatedly stated their desire for a more private life. At the same time, they have pursued high-profile media projects, including documentaries, podcasts and public interviews.

These ventures are not contradictory, but they do redefine what “private” means in a modern context.

The balance struck has allowed controlled storytelling rather than total withdrawal from public life, ensuring visibility remains on their own terms – and commercially viable in the process.

Through As Ever, Meghan leans deliberately into lifestyle cues closely associated with British tradition, effectively monetising the cultural cachet of her royal past without explicitly referencing it.

From nostalgic food rituals to heritage-tinged comforts, including home-style cooking and even a hot toddy kit, the brand trades on a curated sense of Britishness that feels anything but accidental.

Though based in California, As Ever repeatedly gestures towards familiar UK cultural touchstones, allowing her to retain the aura of royal heritage.