Meghan Markle's NYC Handbag Was a Sweet Nod to Princess Diana

(Image credit: Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

For such a high-profile public engagement as the Sussexes' New York City visit last week, it's unlikely that Meghan Markle left any sartorial choices up to chance—so the fact that the handbag she was seen carrying has two hidden meanings hardly seems like a coincidence.

Firstly, her handbag was a Dior Lady D-Lite, a canvas version of the classic Lady Dior bag. This bag was named after Markle's late mother-in-law Princess Diana, who was often seen carrying the black quilted leather version, as pointed out by Hello!.

"[The Lady Dior] became iconic thanks to its association with a role model beloved by so many," Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri told the Financial Times. So Markle clearly wanted the memory of her husband's mom alongside her while in New York.

Here is Diana with the bag:

And with a larger navy version:

But that's not the only significant feature of Markle's handbag: It was also monogrammed with "DSSOS," as pointed out by a very observant Twitter user. The initials stand for Duchess of Sussex (and not "Madame Duchess" as she will henceforth be known). You can see the detail below:

Markle was spotted carrying the Dior handbag while leaving the Global Citizen Live concert on Sept. 25. For that event, the duchess wore a beautiful embellished white mini-dress by Valentino with pointy black pumps. The couple took the stage to advocate for COVID-19 vaccine equality around the world.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.

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