Even queens get inspired by Meghan’s style.
Queen Camilla and King Charles III headed out for a fun afternoon meeting the public in London’s Covent Garden neighborhood today, and the new queen carried a familiar handbag for their first joint event since the couple’s May 6 coronation.
Camilla, 75, looked lovely in a turquoise coat dress and a white silk scarf, accessorizing with a taupe top-handled bag ($452) from Charlotte Elizabeth, a small British brand once carried by Meghan Markle.
The Duchess of Sussex brought her chestnut-colored Bloomsbury handbag ($477) on a 2018 trip to Northern Ireland, giving international exposure to the female-founded company.
Meanwhile, Camilla carried an updated shape of the same bag today, choosing Charlotte Elizabeth’s slightly smaller Mayflower style, which is currently available for pre-order.
The brand’s founder and designer, Charlotte Jones, tells Pvnew Style that it was “a very exciting moment” to see Camilla carrying her bag today, especially after Markle and Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, have also chosen her styles.
The entrepreneur started her brand after experiencing serious health issues as a teenager, designing the Bloomsbury style from her bedroom and later receiving a grant from the King’s charity, the Prince’s Trust.
After winning the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Award, Jones tells us that King Charles (then known as the Prince of Wales) sent her a personal letter.
“He was sort of praising what I had achieved over the years with my company and through such adversity,” she says. “It was a very lovely thing for him to have done.”
Jones tells us that Camilla’s private secretary requested a catalog “many months ago” after the royal expressed interest in the brand and Jones’ story.
Although the designer personally “dropped it off at Clarence House” she didn’t know when or if the queen would carry the Mayflower bag, saying she was “thrilled” to see Camilla with the style today.
This isn’t the first time Queen Camilla has twinned with the Duchess of Sussex; she also owns the same forest green Demellier handbag ($460) as her stepdaughter-in-law.
While Markle might not share a lot in common with her in-laws, it seems like great taste in handbags is one of them.
