Meghan Markle spent £500k on clothes in 2018 – the most of any royal in Europe
Meghan Markle only became royalty last May
MEGHAN Markle splurged nearly half a million pounds on clothes last year – the most of any royal woman in the whole of Europe.
The 37-year-old became a Duchess last May, but despite being a royal for little over six months she outstripped any other royal woman in Europe in terms of shopping.
Pregnant Meghan spent a whopping £427,972 (€478,089) on fashion, nearly five times more than any other royal - and that’s not including bespoke pieces where the price isn’t known.
In contrast, the next highest spender was Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, who spent £92,125 (€102,914).
The breakdown was released by royal fashion experts , who calculated the cost of every new piece of fashion debuted by 14 royal women across Europe.
The website said: “The Duchess of Sussex has taken over the top spot in her first year as a royal.”
The Duchess spent the most despite only 256 pieces out of 324 identified, with the website saying the true cost of her wardrobe is “likely higher.”
They added: “Another thing to note is that her wedding ceremony gown is not included, as it was completely custom made for her by Givenchy and thus has no retail price.”
In third place was Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who spent £77,589 (€86,675) on fashion last year.
She debuted 85 new pieces, with her total cost based on 60 items.
Hot on her heels was Kate Middleton, who was ranked in fourth place spending £71,825 (€80,237).
The Duchess of Cambridge – known for recycling dresses – stepped out in 117 new pieces.
UFO said: “Of those 117 pieces, only 81 of them factored into her £71,825 (€80,237) total.
“While her numbers are lower than last year, it should be remembered that she also had a maternity leave during this year which left her out of the public eye for a few months.”
In fifth place is Princess Charlene of Monaco, who spent £54,954 (€61,390), and following her is Queen Maxima of Netherlands, who spent £50,891 (€56,851).
The next British royal to appear in the list is Princess Beatrice, a new addition to the list.
The 30-year-old is in seventh place, spending £50,454 (£56,363), with 62 out of 88 new outfits priced.
The website said: “With her sister’s wedding being a major event in their family this year, Princess Beatrice made sure that she dressed the part all year long introducing Gucci designs into her wardrobe and continuing her love for loafer shoes.”
In eighth place is Princess Marie of Denmark, whose 59 out of 96 new outfits cost £44,115 (€49,281), and following her was Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, who spent £39,472, (€44,095).
In tenth place was the fashionable Queen Letizia of Spain, who spent £37,998 (€42,448).
The website said: “Queen Letizia, who continued her love of high street brands which allowed her to debut 196 new pieces but remain a low figure on the tally.
“While 107 of those pieces factored into her total of €42,448 - it is safe to say that she knows how to get the most ‘bang-for-her-buck’.”
And in 11th place is Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, who had a new wardrobe to the tune of £36,726 (€41,027).
Next is another British royal, Princess Eugenie, who got married last year to Jack Brooksbank.
Despite her big event, the 28-year-old’s key outfits were custom-made so don’t appear in the final figures.
Some 43 out of 60 new pieces were costed, bringing her total spend to £33,579 (€37,512).
The website says: “Princess Eugenie had an exciting year - both in her personal life and in fashion.
“Marrying Jack Brooksbank this autumn wearing a custom gown designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, her wedding weekend accounted for many custom gowns and outfits which are sure to bring her actual numbers up.”
And finishing the tally was Princess Sofia of Sweden, who spent £27,610 (€30,844), and spending the least in 2018 was Princess Madeleine of Sweden, with a total of £23,630 (€26,398).
To work out the cost the team divided all the women’s clothes and accessories into three categories; those which were identified and the price known, a custom or bespoke piece where the cost is unknown, and items which were not identified (UFO).
The website said: “Now onto the data! In total, these 14 royal ladies debuted clothing retailing over £1,070,176 (€1,195,497) during 2018 on clothings and accessories.
“This £1,070,176 (€1,195,497) takes into account the 1,095 pieces which were identified with costs or had costs estimated.
“Excluded from this tally was 568 pieces where the pieces remain UFO or are custom pieces.”
All prices taken from the How Much Was it All Worth graph.
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