Meghan Markle Outfits That Totally Missed The Mark In 2024

Every once in a while, even a real fashionista can miss the mark, and this applies to Meghan Markle too. The Duchess of Sussex had a really busy year in 2024, jet-setting all over the world with hubby Prince Harry. The pair visited Jamaica in January before heading to Vancouver. Later, they visited Nigeria as well as Colombia. For some country visits, they arrived to promote Invictus, an international sporting event for wounded veterans that has long been under Harry's patronage. For other trips, they visited with various charities and passions in mind. 

So with all of this international travel, we got to see Meghan's many different looks. Most were gorgeous. After all, Markle has undergone a stunning style transformation and we love to see what she comes up with. Plus, since leaving the royal family, Meghan's wearing much spicier outfits. But on some other occasions, the outfit missed the mark. Occasionally, Meghan's fashion pieces felt outdated. A few times, things just didn't fit right, or the tone of the overall look was wrong for the occasion. It happens to everyone, and it's no diss at anyone's sense of style. In fact, missing the mark can sometimes mean that a person's being brave and taking risks; sometimes, risks don't pay off, and other times they do. So with a sense of humor and an awareness that we all drop the fashion ball from time to time, let's take a look at Meghan's outfits from 2024 that didn't quite land. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went to Kingston, Jamaica in January 2024 for the premiere of "Bob Marley: One Love." For the event, Markle opted for an all-black look, sporting a simple spaghetti-strap top with a Carolina Herrera Silk Taffeta Ball Skirt, which retails for $2390. She wore her hair in slicked back bun and polished off the ensemble with Jennifer Meyer's $3250 Large Hammered Disk Earrings. While the look was undeniably elegant, there was one problem — her voluminous skirt was far too long and dragged across the floor. In clips from the event, Markle can be seen carrying the skirt as she walks because it wasn't hemmed properly. If she had been able to move naturally without having to hoist up the skirt, the look would have been effortlessly glamorous. But the outfit appeared impractical, since she couldn't walk comfortably in it. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visited Nigeria in May 2024. The visit was largely related to the Invictus Games, as Nigeria joined the competition in 2023 and has expressed interest in hosting the games in the future. On May 10, 2024, Harry and Meghan visited Lightway Academy in Abuja; for the occasion, Meghan chose to wear a peach-tone dress by Heidi Merrick in, curiously enough, a design called Windsor. The maxi dress needed to be hemmed for her, as it dragged on the grass around her and proved to be a tripping hazard. 

On top of that, many felt that a sleeveless dress was inappropriate for a school visit. "The dress almost matched her actual skin tone; it was HIGHLY inappropriate and unprofessional to wear to a school in a conservative country," one person wrote on YouTube. "This is a cocktail party dress! Forget about Nigeria being a conservative country, this is a primary school!" another added. The dress was very nice — although a little too long — and Meghan looked beautiful; it just would have been a better outfit in a different setting. 

On their Nigerian visit, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited the officer's mess hall at the request of Nigerian Defence Minister, Christopher Musa. For the lunch, Meghan opted for a white column gown by St. Agni. Her hair and makeup looked beautiful, but the gown was the wrong size for her body. Throughout the course of the event, the dress bunched around her rib cage. It either wasn't the right size or needed to be fitted better for her physique. 

Some also felt like it was the wrong setting for a strapless dress. None of the other women at the event exposed their arms or collar bones, and Meghan's dress stuck out. On YouTube, fashion critic Beebs Kelley commented on this white dress. "I think that adding sleeves again, or finding a dress that had at least cap sleeves would have been better," Kelley said, noting how Meghan's dress set the wrong tone for the occasion. Kelley also smartly noted that this would have been a wonderful opportunity for Meghan to have worn a gown by a Nigerian designer instead. 

In August 2024, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visited Columbia. While there, Meghan spoke at the Responsible Digital Future Summit at the Universidad EAN on behalf of her Archewell Foundation. For the occasion, Meghan went monochromatic in browns by wearing a blouse by Victoria Beckham, silk trousers by La Ligne, and heels by Aquazzura. The idea itself was great, but the execution wasn't quite right. The fabrics didn't co-exist well, since the pants were shiny and the blouse was matte. Also, the tone and warmth of the browns were off. The pants were a rich, red cinnamon tone while the blouse was a truer brown, and the heels were a mustard brown. But Meghan's hair and makeup looked gorgeous. 

Back in California, Meghan Markle attended the Children's Hospital Los Angeles 2024 Gala in October. She wore a red Carolina Herrera that we've seen before. Back in 2021, Meghan wore this gown to the Salute to Freedom Gala in New York City. However, back then, the dress had a full, ballgown skirt attached to the bottom. This time, Meghan had the gown stripped down into a column shape. The problem is that this dress wasn't really a success the first time around, and it didn't work the second time either. The bust looked puckered and unflattering, and the neckline was too complicated. The fabric also bunched and wrinkled around the skirt. 

People on Instagram didn't like the look of the new iteration of this red dress. "It doesn't fit properly...the first or second time. A big NAY," one person commented. "The colour and the fabric are great! But it looks a little bit strange," another wrote. "It's a strangely styled top and not flattering at all!" a third person wrote. So it's a no both times for this Carolina Herrera look.