For the royal watchers who have been following the ups and downs of Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and their estrangement from the royal family over the last few years, it was no surprise that the Duchess of Sussex didn’t make an appearance in London for the coronation of King Charles III this past May. It did come as a shock when the public got a glimpse of how she spent her day instead through paparazzi images showing her on a hike in Santa Barbara, wearing leggings, sunglasses, and a pair of well-worn Merrell boots. 

Despite her in-laws’ mini-fashion show across the pond, one of the day’s most memorable images was taken when Meghan took off her J.Crew jacket and showed off her toned and tanned biceps. It was also representative of her fashion choices for the rest of the year, which were low-key, unique, and put a special emphasis on showing a little more skin than she ever did as a royal. 

In 2023, Meghan and Harry found themselves in the headlines a bit less for what they did than for what happened to them. From the May car chase in New York City that spawned days of deconstruction and skepticism to the fever pitch of speculation when the couple’s Spotify deal ended after only one season of Meghan’s podcast Archetypes, it might have seemed like the couple’s most challenging year. Earlier this month The Hollywood Reporter even named them as one of the year’s “losers.” But if you only look at the clues in Meghan's fashion choices, it’s not hard to tell why sources close to the couple told People that they’ve never been happier. 

For the first two years after Meghan left the royal family, she kept a pretty low profile. There were a lot of reasons for that—the pandemic and the stresses of having two children under five certainly had something to do with it. But in 2023, she made more public appearances than ever before. From two Beyoncé concerts and a Taylor Swift Eras night to an outing at a hockey game, Meghan had plenty of opportunities to have fun, and ultimately her days in front of the camera proved that her wardrobe had shed any traces of the buttoned-up royal era. 

For nighttime events with a party atmosphere, she opted for strapless, skintight dresses, like the bronze-colored Johanna Ortiz number she wore at the Ms. Foundation Awards alongside Gloria Steinem or the turquoise gown by Cult Gaia she wore to the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games. For more formal daytime events, she wore more chic and creative shoulder-baring looks, from a Toteme sleeveless turtleneck dress at an Invictus Games reception with Canadian athletes to a spectacular cream-colored blazer by Altuzarra at a World Mental Health event. When spotted by the paparazzi off-duty, she has opted for tank dresses, like the tan Madewell dress she wore on a trip to the farmers market and a flowing floral dress by Chloé while vacationing in the Grenadines.

On a big return to the red carpet at the Variety Power of Women awards, she wore a tan Proenza Schouler gown that artfully showed off only one of her shoulders. Later, the brand shared on Instagram that the look was custom for the duchess, a version of their normally two-shouldered “Rosa” dress altered to show off Meghan’s apparent favorite feature. For the first time, Meghan addressed the recent revival of interest in Suits, the show she appeared on for seven seasons before her 2018 wedding for Harry, and mentioned that she has a few more projects in the pipeline. 

The year began with her husband’s memoir Spare, which aimed to settle scores with his family and brought up some of the most unfavorable past headlines about her relationship with Prince William and Kate Middleton. But after a few months spent lying low, she spent the year laying the groundwork to spend 2024 on her own terms. This week, sources told Us Weekly that she and Harry have been turning down plenty of offers, hoping to focus on quality over quantity. Though she might consider a Suits return at the right time, one source said Meghan is “100 percent more interested in directing and being behind the camera.”

As for her in-laws, the source added that she is past it. “Harry and Meghan want to go in a different direction. They’ve said what they needed to say with regard to the royals,” the source said. “They’re moving on.”