Duchess spotted wearing clothes she ‘put into storage in Toronto’ before wedding

WHEN Meghan Markle married Prince Harry at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in May 2018 it was assumed that the couple would base themselves permanently in Britain.

But the Duchess of Sussex’s commitment to living on this side of the Atlantic may not have been as wholehearted as previously supposed.

It has now emerged that when she left her home in Toronto, where the Los Angeles-born actress was based for seven years during the filming of the legal drama Suits, she left behind an entire wardrobe of clothes.

The revelation suggests the couple may have always been planning to spend much of their time across the Atlantic, long before announcing they wanted to step back as senior royals.

Citing a first-hand source, Canada’s Entertainment Tonight TV channel has reported that when the Duchess moved to London in November 2017 to live with the Duke, initially in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace, she put them into storage in Toronto.

Furthermore it reports that a significant proportion of the clothes she left behind, including some of those outfits she wore on Suits, have now been shipped to Vancouver Island.

That follows the decision by palace officials to redeploy two of the staff employed at Frogmore to Windsor Castle.

The clothes left in storage that she has worn since her return include a black cashmere beanie, a parka by Soia & Kyo, a Barbour “Epler” coat and the “Bea” swing sweater from The Row.

Jamie Samhan, ET Canada’s online editor, writes: “It was said at the time she took all her personal items with her. It also begs the question, did Meghan always plan on returning to North America in some capacity?”

The Epler coat was worn by Meghan when she was photographed boarding a seaplane on Vancouver Island. The sweater from The Row is thought to be the same one she wore on Suits.

She was previously seen wearing the faux-fur parka while on her way to a yoga class in Toronto in 2017.

It comes as Jessica Mulroney, the Duchess’s close friend in Toronto, shared a quote on Instagram interpreted as showing support for Meghan, which read: “A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.”

‘It also begs the question, did Meghan always plan on returning to North America in some capacity?’