Meghan Markle has become something of a fashion icon of late, with every single piece she wears – including the white LINE coat she wore for her engagement shoot – selling out almost instantly.

It’s a phenomenon that prompted Lyst to slot the Suits actress into fourth place as one of the most influential style stars of 2017, and encouraged people to pay very close attention to the meaning behind Markle’s ensembles, too.

So, when it became apparent that the soon-to-be royal had been favouring one colour in particular, of course people sat up and took notice.

While Markle tends to opt for neutral colours – such as black, grey, white, cream and navy – she has made a point of adding pops of deep emerald green to her wardrobe, too.

There was the P.A.R.O.S.H dress she wore for her first televised interview with Prince Harry (which saw 5,000 people log into the website at the exact same time to get their mitts on the product), and the Burberry coat she wore for her first official trip to Scotland.

When she arrived in Ireland for her “controversial” visit a few months ago, Markle donned a bottle-green skirt by Greta Constantine, and selected an off-the-shoulder number from Self-Portrait for the Invictus Games, too.

But is there any special meaning behind the colour choice? Well, a lot of people certainly seem to think so…

At this year’s Golden Globes (significant for being the first awards show in a post-Weinstein world), actresses wore emeralds to add a purposeful pop of colour to their all-black ensembles.

This was thought to be a nod to the classic tale of The Wizard of Oz – and, in particular, the iconic moment in which brave Dorothy Gale exposes the truth about the “man behind the curtain”.

Others have pointed out that emerald green has long been considered a symbol of renewal and growth – a hue which is thought to inspire “an ongoing search for meaning, justice, compassion and harmony”. And the suffragettes’ colour scheme, devised in 1908 by Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, co-editor of Votes for Women, saw activists don purple for loyalty and dignity, white for purity, and green for hope. 

Members were encouraged to wear the colours “as a duty and a privilege” – and they have been associated with women’ suffrage ever since.

Markle is, of course, an advocate for Women’s Rights, so this could well be her way of paying homage to the campaign. It would certainly be in keeping with her character, too: she has made a point of using fashion to make a point (and break the rules) since it was confirmed she would be joining the Royal Family. 

Then again, she could just really like the colour green – only she will ever know for sure, we guess…

Image: