This is the one time Meghan couldn't break the fashion rules

(Image credit: Rex)

Meghan Markle is known for shaking up the sartorial rules a little (see her sheer engagement dress and her Trooping The Colour dress), however Royal Ascot was one occasion where she had to abide by the Royal fashion etiquette.

The Duchess of Sussex today made her first appearance at Royal Ascot, alongside Prince Harry and The Queen, and chose to wear a design by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy for the occasion.

It's the third time she's gone with the French fashion house, after her wedding dress of course and the cream dress she paired with The Queen's earrings just last week on their first outing together.

As we all know, Royal Ascot rules are super strict, and Meghan's white shirt dress ticked all the right boxes (though there was no sign of that special name badge all the Royals have to wear).

Traditionally, dresses should be of modest length, and shoulders should be covered by a strap that's at least one-inch wide straps.

Plus, any old fascinator won't do, as you have to have a base of at least four inches in diameter, which again Meghan's hat more than covered.

She also kept her midriff covered (another big no no) with a chic black belt, which gave the traditional lace pattern a bit of an edge. Because Meghan is a maverick after all.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.