Meghan Markle's Expensive Royal Wardrobe

[Blue Clover]

Meghan Markle spent more on her wardrobe in 2018 than other royals | Daily Mail Online

Which European royals spent the most on new clothes in 2018? 

1. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex: L406,662.55 ($508,258.25)*
2. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark: L88,999.57 ($112,831.96)
3. Sophie, Countess of Wessex: L73,570.41 ($93,271.17)
4. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge: L68,334.23 ($86,632.84)
5. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway: L52,307.18 ($66,314.05)
6. Princess Charlene of Monaco: L52,199.00 ($66,176.90)
7. Queen M?xima of Netherlands: L48,338.20 ($61,282.25)
8. Princess Beatrice of York: L47,859.10 ($60,674.86)
9. Princess Marie of Denmark: L43,650.54 ($55,339.33)
10. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden: L37,365.96 ($47,371.85)
11. Queen Letizia of Spain: L36,075.78 ($45,736.19)
12. Princess Eugenie of York: L31,860.80 ($40,392.52)
13. Princess Sofia of Sweden: L26,452.73 ($33,536.27)
14. Princess Madeleine of Sweden: L22,806.53 ($28,913.69)

*Meghan's Givenchy wedding dress is not included in this sum.

[TLLK]

Ah this is from the UFO blog. I believe this is the second time that the blog writers have compiled this list.
@Blue Clover - Last year Queen Rania of Jordan topped the list and the Hashemite Court contacted the blog writers over it. Queen Rania was not included for 2018, but Queen Maxima replaced her. (Maxima was not on the 2017 list.)

How Much Is It Worth?! ? UFO No More 2018.

The total amount ?spent? by the royal ladies on clothes in 2017 ? UFO No More 2017

[royalanthropologist]

I am a bit skeptical of that list, not least because it does not include some senior older royals and queen regnants. I very much doubt that Charles would spend more on his daughters in law than his wife or that any of the royal women have a higher budget than the queen. Perhaps it is a list of royals that buy from shops as opposed to having custom-made stuff?

[TLLK]

@royalanthropologist - I agree that it seems to focus only on the younger royals and it is limited to mainly European royals and no longer covers those from the Middle East or Asia. However with the older royals (QEII, Queen Margrethe, etc...some of them wear bespoke (custom made) items so we really do not know anything about the cost.) I'm a bit surprised that the Belgian and Luxembourg ladies were not included.

Here is how the blog states that it comes up with their calculations and numbers.

When we calculate costs we break down the numbers into 3 categories:

    Pieces that remain UFO (Unidentified Fashion Objects)

    Pieces that are identified and costs can be found

    Pieces where the designer is known but the design is custom or a price us unknown

In very few instances, we will estimate a price of an article of clothing. This occurs when the piece is similar to a ?base model? being sold and there are minor details changed (color, neckline, sleeves, etc).  Out of 1,663 new pieces debuted this year by these ladies - only 34 of these pieces did we estimate a price. We mention this in an effort to convey the most transparent and accurate view of the costs.

**At face value our calculations are what the royal?s clothes are worth, and in theory, what they would cost for you or I to buy. However, we are not saying that these calculations are what the royals ladies specifically spent, as we cannot verify that. We fully recognize that royals may receive discounts, shop sales, or be gifted some of these pieces. However, in order to stay objective, we made the decision to only use the full retail value of the pieces so that we do not show bias. These numbers should be viewed as the retail cost of their new pieces, rather than the exact number they personally spent.**

[royalanthropologist]

True. I think a fairer list would compare official clothing allowances (but I am sure BP and CH would be outraged at the idea that the queen or DOC submit theirs). DM seems to be looking at every angle possible to create Wallis Simpson Mark II but I think they are stretching on this one.

[Blue Clover]

There is tremendous transparency around the clothing Royal ladies wear. You can see the clothing in pictures and some items cost more than others. I can't argue that these numbers are false. The Daily Mail article shows itemized prices for each of the royals highlighted in the UFO report. Who knows why they included and excluded some and not others.

Many Royal blogs have a focus on fashion and do something similar - show where anyone can purchase certain items, so I would argue that the price of the clothing worn and documented in photographs can be tracked by anyone with an interest in such things. Fashion labels and designers do make these things public.

Also, a statement was made about Queen Raina's wardrobe for which she has received much criticism from her subjects about.
Statement From Queen Rania Office : Arabian Royal Agency

STATEMENT FROM QUEEN RANIA OFFICE
2/1/2019

"In accordance with the principle of transparency and the provision of the right information, we would like to highlight a subject that is occasionally circulated through social media sites and some media outlets.

At the beginning of each year, some foreign blogs publish estimates of the spending of clothing and fashion by members of the royal family around the world. We have also seen a number of inaccurate publications on social networking platforms about the cost of what Her Majesty is wearing during her daily activities.

Last year, the UFO No More estimates of Her Majesty's spending on clothing were circulating in 2017. In view of their unrealistic and false assessments, we have asked the blog supervisors not to include Her Majesty in her annual reports. Over the years, there has been a lot of talk about Her Majesty's spending on clothes until it has become the subject of controversy and discussion, Unfortunately, this sometimes came at the expense of much of Her Majesty's efforts in various fields,Perhaps it would have been more useful for our Office to clarify this issue directly and explicitly throughout those years.

Therefore, and in recognition of Her Majesty's interest in making the facts accessible to all to build their thoughts and opinions on them - positive or negative - we have decided to clarify some details on this subject. With Her Majesty the Queen seeking to represent Jordan properly, she is keen to balance this and moderate spending. The vast majority of Her Majesty's clothes are either borrowed by fashion houses, offered as gifts, or bought at reduced preferential prices, while blogs rely solely on "market value" for clothes, creating a false impression of reality.

Some may deplore the principle of "Loaning" But it is a common practice globally and common among fashion houses as a way to highlight their designs. Some may deplore the fact that a person of Her Majesty's status accepts the principle of "Loaning", but we do not advertise or promote fashion Houses on any of Her Majesty's pages on social networking platforms, unless the designs are Jordanian. The focus on clothing and spending leaders's Wives in many countries and accusing them of waste - whether right or wrong, not new, It has been used as a historical political tool. Today, we see some in Jordan adopting this approach to portray Her Majesty the Queen as far from reality, far from the truth. So they may reject this clarification and question it in principle, in an effort to build a false public opinion.

Her Majesty is aware of the criticisms that are being circulated, Her Majesty previously Confirmed That criticism is an integral part of the public work and that it is with responsible criticism and respects it and always takes it seriously and responds to it.But today we find not only criticism, but to the extent of fabrication of information and resort to the method of ridicule and mockery in a way that is contrary to the values of our Jordanian society

We realize that this explanation may be out of the ordinary, but in the absence of facts spread rumors and false information and accumulate false impressions, so we put these hands in these details and leave you free to deal with."

Does it seems odd that the Jordanian Royal Court would write this statement? :hmm: