The secret weapon behind Meghan Markle's recent style success

The past week has been a winning one for the Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan Markle’s currently in the midst of perhaps her busiest week since she became the Duchess of Sussex on May 19. On Monday, she attended Prince Louis’s christening; and on Tuesday, she attended the RAF 100th anniversary event (where she was positioned right next to the Queen on the palace balcony) before then, that same day, flying to Ireland to kick off a packed two-day tour with Prince Harry. Over her 36 hours in the country so far, Meghan has already had to mingle at a cocktail party, try her hand at hurling (in high heels!), greet assembled well-wishers, interact with some high-profile dogs, and otherwise hurry from stop to stop (at least she managed to get half a Guinness in along the way).

Naturally, this hectic itinerary involved a whole lot of outfits. Tuesday alone, Meghan changed her outfit twice, wearing different looks for the RAF event, her arrival in Ireland, and then a reception that night. But after a somewhat divisive first month, during which she stuck mostly to blush and beige tones (with an . . . unusual blue and white drape-y dress mixed in), Meghan now seems to be hitting a “style groove,” as it were. Starting with a winning bright yellow Brandon Maxwell look at a reception last week, Meghan has been opting for bolder and brighter colors that have a more modern flair. If anything, she seems like she’s having more fun with it all, too, which makes sense, given, now that she’s more than a month into the job—with even more time spent making appearances since the engagement in November—she no doubt is getting the hang of this weird royal world of strict protocol and odd custom.

For the christening, Meghan wore an olive green Ralph Lauren look that managed to expertly balance the tricky royal mix of pulling off looking both stylish and traditional at the same time. Her RAF look was custom black Dior, featuring the boatneck look she has shown a particular fondness for (and which got the attention of Mindy Kaling). Her Ireland looks have been stellar across the board, featuring a mixture of influences (she wore a Givenchy pantsuit on Wednesday!). She also made a statement with one of her looks, wearing an Emilia Wickstead black dress Tuesday night, which was notable in that Wickstead made some controversial comments about Meghan’s wedding dress after the royal wedding, theorising it was a copy of her own designs. (Meghan, only a royal for a month and already managing to mend fences and smooth over awkwardnesses with a choice of a single dress!)

While some of this may be due to an increased comfort in the role, there is also reportedly a “secret weapon” at hand. VanityFair's Katie Nicholl reported earlier this week that Meghan's close friend, Jessica Mulroney, offered consulting help on the Dublin tour wardrobe. Per Good Morning America correspondent Omid Scobie, Mulroney “quietly flew in to London last week,” from her home in Canada, for “final prep” on the Dublin looks as well as last week’s Brandon Maxwell dress, the Dior dress, and the christening outfit.

Mulroney was understood to have worked with Meghan before the royal wedding (which is perhaps why these recent looks are reminiscent of her pre-wedding ensembles); Meghan has been without a formal stylist for her first few weeks as a Duchess. It remains to be seen if Mulroney—whose two sons memorably helped carry the train of Meghan’s wedding dress into the church—might continue to consult as Meghan moves forward.

This story was first published by VanityFair.com.

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