Nice coat ... you’ll fit right in to my neigh-bourhood!
IT could have been the ultimate faux pas – turning up at an event in the same outfit as your host.
Luckily, when Meghan Markle met Shetland pony Cruachan IV – who was wearing a smart jacket in the same tartan as hers – he didn’t hold the royal-to-be’s copycat coat against her.
Instead, the nine-year-old black pony gave the actress a very familiar greeting by nibbling her hand.
The cheeky horse has form when it comes to meeting royals – he first made a name for himself when he tried to upstage the Queen during a visit to Stirling Castle last summer by nibbling on her bunch of flowers.
The American actress flashed her best smile at Cruachan, who is the mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Pony Major Wilkinson said of the encounter with Harry and his fiancee: ‘They were asking about him, saying he’s a wee star, he knows he’s on parade and is showing off – they said it was lovely to meet him.’
As well as winning the approval of Cruachan, Miss Markle’s £1,995 Burberry plaid coat was a perfect nod towards her Scottish hosts – and ideal for the chill February air. She also wore a pair of high- fashion, highwaisted £290 flared trousers by US brand Veronica Beard.
While most royal women wear skirts or dresses for official engagements, the bride-to-be demonstrated her determination to be a 21st century princess in practical trousers.
And in another stiletto-heeled step away from style protocol, she eschewed the ladylike courts favoured by the royals for spiked shoes that might have made navigating Edinburgh’s cobbled streets a challenge.
While out in the Scottish capital yesterday, the divorcee revealed that the wedding plans were well under way – and her bridesmaids were perhaps more organised than Harry’s ushers.
Asked about her hen do, she told well-wishers: ‘It’s sorted.’ However, she admitted that although it will be ‘fun’, she has no idea what it will entail.
Harry said he knew nothing about his stag do. Francesca Short, 27, who spoke to the couple, joked: ‘I’m sure William’s got something up his sleeve.’
The prince has yet to reveal who will be his best man or which names will feature on his list of ushers.