How Meghan Markle Broke Royal Tradition with Her Dress for Archie’s Christening

This weekend was baby Archie’s christening, a long-awaited event for royal family and fans alike. As usual, the Duchess of Sussex did things a bit differently. Meghan Markle broke royal tradition with her outfit at Archie’s christening by wearing a Dior dress rather than featuring a British designer. Even so, Meghan (and Archie) looked absolutely stunning at the ceremony — and we seriously can’t stop looking at those newly-released photos of baby Archie.

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Vogue Australia identified Meghan’s outfit as a custom Dior dress paired with a matching hat and the same Cartier diamond earrings she wore to her wedding. The look “broke with tradition in the choice of a French-based fashion house rather than a British label,” which Meghan has opted for on previous high-profile occasions. In the first series of baby Archie photos, for example, Meghan is pictured in a Grace Wales Bonner dress: an “up-and-coming British designer.”

While Meghan may not have purposely snubbed this tradition, it does appear she chose her designer with great care. Dior recently announced its first-ever female artistic director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, who has been said to invoke “feminist tones” in her collections. As a vocal proponent of gender equality, Meghan may have been signaling her support for the direction in which Dior is moving.

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This morning, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was christened in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle at an intimate service officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are so happy to share the joy of this day with members of the public who have been incredibly supportive since the birth of their son. They thank you for your kindness in welcoming their first born and celebrating this special moment. Their Royal Highnesses feel fortunate to have enjoyed this day with family and the godparents of Archie. Their son, Archie, was baptised wearing the handmade replica of the royal christening gown which has been worn by royal infants for the last 11 years. The original Royal Christening Robe, made of fine Honiton lace lined with white satin, was commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1841 and first worn by her eldest daughter. It was subsequently worn for generations of Royal christenings, including The Queen, her children and her grandchildren until 2004, when The Queen commissioned this handmade replica, in order for the fragile historic outfit to be preserved, and for the tradition to continue. Photo credit: Chris Allerton ©️SussexRoyal

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jul 6, 2019 at 8:14am PDT

Baby Archie’s christening gown was also noteworthy: per the Sussex Royals Instagram, it has been “worn by royal infants for the last 11 years.” It is itself a replica of a gown from 1841, worn by Queen Victoria’s daughter and replicated in 2004. The couple’s Instagram post emphasizes the rich history of Archie’s attire — perhaps to signify that, even if Meghan’s own dress may deviate from tradition, the Sussex royals do intend to honor what came before.