Meghan Markle’s summer wardrobe staple is surprisingly affordable

(Image credit: 2018 Karwai Tang)

When it comes to wardrobe basics, Meghan Markle certainly knows which essentials to invest in. Case in point: the outfit she wore at the weekend to support Prince Harry as he played a polo game at the Santa Barbara Polo Club.

For the occasion, the Duchess of Sussex wore black ballet bumps, black shorts and the ultimate summer staple: a blue and white striped shirt, which she accessorised with a straw hat.

It's not the first time she has worn the staple, since she was photographed wearing it to attend Wimbledon in 2018 with Kate Middleton.

That time she wore it with cream linen trousers and a similar hat to the one she wore this weekend in LA.

Striped shirt - £17.99 at H&M

Striped shirt - <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=43250&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww2.hm.com%2Fen_gb%2Fproductpage.0925212009.html" data-link-merchant="www2.hm.com"">£17.99 at H&M

Blue striped shirt - £59 at COS

Blue striped shirt - <a href="https://www.prf.hn/click/camref:1011luCpE/pubref:hawk-custom-tracking/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cosstores.com%2Fen_gbp%2Fwomen%2Fwomenswear%2Fshirts%2Fproduct.oversized-striped-shirt-blue.1058031001.html" data-link-merchant="cosstores.com"">£59 at COS

Amazon Essentials Women&#39;s Classic-fit Long-Sleeve Poplin Shirt - £23.40 at Amazon

Amazon Essentials Women's Classic-fit Long-Sleeve Poplin Shirt - <a href="https://amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Essentials-Long-Sleeve-Patterned-Button/dp/B07J3DGV23/?tag=hawk-future-21&ascsubtag=hawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"">£23.40 at Amazon

A striped shirt is a versatile top that every woman - and man - needs in their wardrobe. For summer, opt for a cotton or linen style, and go a size up for that slightly oversized look. Wear it with white linen shorts or trousers.

In the colder months, go with a silk style that you can pair with jeans and trainers at the weekend, and tailored trousers and heels for work.

The couple's outing comes after they celebrated their son Archie's third birthday, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sharing a sweet tribute to their nephew.

They shared a photo of his christening on Twitter, with the caption: 'Wishing Archie a very happy 3rd Birthday today'.

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.