SHANE WATSON: What Meghan's recycled dress says about her ambitions

Three years is a long time in fashion, and even longer in the life of the Duchess of Sussex. 

On Saturday evening, Meghan Markle made an appearance at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Gala wearing a scarlet, plunge-necked column dress by the American designer Carolina Herrera that she first wore back in November 2021 at the Salute to Freedom Gala in New York – and she could not have looked more different.

Then, she was hand-in-hand with her husband Prince Harry, who was wearing black tie, a red poppy in his lapel, his military medals and KCVO cross around his neck. 

Her hair was scraped up in a neat ballerina bun, her make up was stage bright, her earrings were diamond, and the skirt of the dress had a billowing satin train several feet long.

This time, almost exactly three years later, she was without her husband and the sweeping gown's detachable train had been left at home in Montecito, revealing the slimline, fitted column dress underneath. 

Her hair fell naturally down her back – in what the Americans call 'beachy waves' - her make-up was barely there; and her only jewellery was a slim bracelet, plus her engagement ring. Same dress, very different times.

Back in 2021, the dress (mark one, with train) was a powerful statement, not least because of the plunging neckline which, it was noted at the time, would not necessarily have conformed to royal dressing protocol, had the Sussexes still been part of the working Royal Family.

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These were the very early days of Megxit when Meghan and Harry were just settling into life in Los Angeles having moved there the previous summer. 

The Oprah interview had been back in March, seven months earlier. Their second child, Lilibet, was born in Santa Barbara that June. 

Seventeen months into their new life the rift with the Royal Family was already sealed and any question of them dividing their time between the States and the United Kingdom was looking increasingly unlikely.

So, you could be forgiven for noticing that everything about the dress then - from the vibrant colour to the thigh-high leg split and the amount of room the skirt occupied on the red carpet - was scene-stealing. This was full-wattage-Hollywood style designed to usher LA's latest celeb couple into a new era of Stateside success.

It's almost as if Meghan ticked the bombshell box - and then said make the skirt detachable so I have the option to hit the dance floor at an Oscars After Party. She looked like a Vanity Fair cover in waiting.

Wind forward three years and Meghan looks practically kitchen supper casual by comparison. It's not just the dress – which has been stripped of its ballgown parts and taken back to its smooth central core – it's the easy breezy casual Los Angeleno vibe. 

Even the shoes – velvet jewel embellished sling backs in 2021 – have been swapped for slick open-toed red satin sandals.

Back when she was wearing the walk of fame ballgown, she was Duchess Meghan with a Netflix deal and a tell-all documentary in the pipeline. Harry's memoir Spare was well underway, and they were both sitting on a $20 million (£15 million) Spotify podcast deal.

There were rumours of political aspirations (hers), monarchy-destroying revelations (his) and deals with big brands and high rollers. She was a published children's author too (The Bench came out that summer). Running for President in 2025 seemed like a strong possibility.

Fast forward to this autumn and the Sussexes have two quasi-royal tours under their belts (one to Nigeria, one to Colombia), but otherwise Meghan's day-to-day projects have taken a domestic, lifestyle-oriented turn. 

The mood is very different now – more down-to-earth, less one-half of a gilded couple, more modern working celebrity Mom. This version of the dress does not require the arm of a Prince to lean on.

Consciously or not, however, Meghan has conformed to royal protocol by re-wearing a slightly altered dress three years on. 

 This is the Princess of Wales's tried and tested policy. From the white chiffon Alexander McQueen gown Kate wore the BAFTAs in 2019 and upcycled for the same event last year, with a subtle alteration to the shoulder detailing, to the black Erdem dress she wore off the shoulder in 2017, also at the BAFTAs, and two years later appeared in again, this time with cap sleeves, the Princess of Wales has long been a fan of reworking an outfit to get the most out of it.

Partly, of course, the explanation for Meghan's very different look is circumstantial: this was not the Met Gala Meghan was attending – it was a children's hospital fundraiser - and a more full-on outfit wouldn't have been appropriate. 

But the pared back dress – the whole look, including the fresh make-up – speaks volumes about where Meghan is in her new life and how she wants to be perceived.

A year ago - after the Spotify deal was terminated - she refiled trademarks for The Tig, the personal lifestyle blog she ran up until becoming a member of the Royal Family, though so far we've yet to see what exactly she has planned for Tig 2.

We're also eagerly awaiting the unveiling of American Riviera Orchard – another food and lifestyle brand that to date has produced a couple of jars of jams in straw baskets for celebrity friends.

All the signs are that, after a rocky few years, Meghan's aspirations have shifted from world domination to becoming the new Gwyneth Paltrow - the creator of the $250 million (£190 million) luxury lifestyle brand, Goop – with, we predict, an extra helping of 'As A Mom...' with every product. 

And with that goes a softer, more accessible, mother-of-two image. Still very much LA but without the Duchess drama.