The Duchess of Sussex stunned at her first solo appearance this month at a children’s hospital gala in Los Angeles – and boldy walked the red carpet in a glitzy low-cut dress

Meghan Markle had heads turning as she dazzled in a glitzy red dress marred by controversy – with insiders claiming the move was her own “version of Diana’s revenge dress” with hints that the Duchess may be “moving on towards a new chapter.”

Meghan, 43, debuted the daring new look at a children’s hospital gala in LA on October 5 as she rubbed shoulders with stars like Demi Lovato, Jamie Lee Curtis and Colin Hanks. The bold number featured a plunging neckline and detachable, billowing overskirt, which Meghan finished off with tousled hair.

But insiders say the dress was worn to send out a particular message, with Meghan drawing inspiration from her late mother-in-law.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the 2024 CHLA Gala in LA ( 
Image:
Variety via Getty Images)

Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing her ‘revenge’ dress in 1994 ( 
Image:
PA)

A source from California shared with Mail+: “The belief is that this red dress is Meghan’s version of Diana’s revenge dress. Physically this looks like a new Meghan, as if she is moving on towards a new chapter. Some feel it’s no accident.”

Princess Diana famously broke Royal protocol when she stepped out in a revealing off-the-shoulder, short black dress on June 29, 1994, the same day Prince Charles admitted his infidelity. This bold move was seen as part of Diana’s “revenge” couture following the collapse of her marriage to Charles.

Diana had purchased the dress in 1991 and thought it was too risque to wear at the time, but in a historic move, she donned it for the first time at a 1994 dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens – coinciding with the night Prince Charles confessed his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles during a notorious TV interview with Jonathan Dimbleby.

Meghan, who was undeniably the focus of attention at last week’s Gala, last wore the dress in 2021 during one of her and Prince Harry’s first public outings after welcoming their daughter, Princess Lilibet. The glitzy gown made headlines at the time, with Royal fashion enthusiasts commenting on its unusually “daring” neckline – a style choice Meghan likely wouldn’t have made had she not stepped back from Royal duties.

The Duchess has previously gone for more neutral ensembles and said she was compelled to wear subdued colours during her time as a working Royal. In the 2022 Netflix special, Harry and Meghan, the Duchess showcased her more thoughtful approach to fashion. She revealed her wish to make a statement and dress “like a rainbow” during her final week as a working Royal two years ago, after years of trying not to “overshadow” or “ruffle any feathers” with the establishment.

She said: “To my understanding, you can’t ever wear the same colour as Her Majesty if there’s a group event. But then you also should never be wearing the same colour as one of the other more senior members of the family. So I was like…well, what’s a colour they’ll probably never wear? Camel? Beige? White? So I wore a lot of muted tones but it was also so I could just blend in.”

But her recent move to re-wear the £4,595 Caroline Hererra dress suggests that these worries may now be a thing of the past.