Meghan Markle's Unexpected Backless Dress Infuses Some Heat Into Royal Fashion

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

When it comes to royal fashion, modesty prevails. Certain members of the British royal family, like Kate Middleton and Duchess Sophie, so often execute their royal duties dressed in conservatively cut hems and necklines, and even non-senior royals like Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie don’t often stray far from the status quo. These sartorial parameters are exactly what make the wardrobe of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, so exciting.

With every passing year since she and husband Prince Harry stepped down as working royals in 2020, Meghan has become more and more comfortable taking fashion risks. While she’s still capable of pulling off her typical royal uniform of a midi dress or wide-leg trousers, she has also experimented with looks we’d once never have expected to find in a royal’s closet.

Behold: Meghan spent a recent date night in a slinky backless black dress. Besides the sultry backless feature, the form-fitting St. Agni piece also included an asymmetrical halter neckline that wrapped around her neck to reveal a sliver of décolletage.

She paired the dress with geometric black and gold earrings, and swept her hair up in her go-to slicked-back high bun.

In photos posted on Instagram by close family friend Ignacio Figueras, Meghan appeared in the look at a dinner supporting Sentebale, an organization cofounded by Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to support young people in southern African countries like Botswana.

The outing follows the Sussexes’ appearance at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Florida last weekend, where Meghan also pushed the envelope on royal fashion, in a white Heidi Merrick halterneck dress with a torso cutout and a pleated midi skirt.

You Might Also Like

• Here’s What NOT to Wear to a Wedding

• Meet the Laziest, Easiest Acne Routine You’ll Ever Try