Meghan Markle Wore a Stunning Gold Front Slit Dress at Ms Foundation Awards

Meghan Markle showed exactly how she’s merging duchess style with Hollywood glam this evening in New York City. The Duchess of Sussex attended Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power with her husband Prince Harry and mother Doria Ragland. Meghan was an honoree at the ceremony, taking home a Woman of Vision Award. She leaned into the big milestone moment by wearing an exquisite gold look.

Meghan chose a strapless gold Johanna Ortiz dress with a front slit and small bodice cutout. She accessorized with a CH Carolina Herrera bag and Tom Ford shoes.

Beauty-wise, Meghan had her hair styled on a side part in loose old Hollywood-style waves. Her husband understandably let her take the sartorial spotlight but still looked sharp himself, opting to wear a suit with a blue tie. The couple had a sweet moment on the red carpet, with Meghan gazing up adoringly at Harry as photographers captured them arriving.

This isn’t the couple’s only recent appearance; Meghan and Harry were also seen getting sushi in Santa Barbara over the weekend. Still, they’ve generally kept a low profile this year as they raise their two children Archie and Lilibet in California.

Harry attended his father’s coronation earlier this month while Meghan stayed home in part to celebrate Archie’s fourth birthday, which was the same day. But there was more to her decision than that.

Omid Scobie, the royal reporter who co-authored the Meghan Markle and Prince Harry biography Finding Freedom, told ITV’s “This Morning” the week of the coronation that Meghan also didn’t want to steal the spotlight from King Charles.

Initially, when Meghan’s decision to stay in California was announced, “people around the Sussexes guided press at the time that this was very much about Archie’s fourth birthday. I disagree with that to some extent because I also know from friends of hers that she’s protecting her peace as well,” Scobie said. “She is aware of how much of the spotlight goes on her when she sets even a foot near the story. And I think a lot of that, although it’s often portrayed as intentional that she wants to steal the spotlight, but in this case, [if] she had simply come over and stood next to her husband, I would imagine the commentary and the narrative on the day would be very different for the days to follow.”

Senior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.