Standing 5’5″ (165.1 cm) and reportedly wearing a US size 8 shoe, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has long favored pointed pumps and slender stilettos for formal appearances.
Her heels have also attracted attention for sometimes appearing slightly roomy at the back, a fit fashion experts have described as a red-carpet strategy to accommodate feet as they swell during hours of standing and walking.
One of Meghan’s recurring footwear labels is Aquazzura, and she returned to a familiar pair for the European premiere of The Lion King at Leicester Square in London on July 14, 2019. Attending the couple’s first movie premiere together with Prince Harry, she paired a black Jason Wu cocktail dress with crystal-trimmed Aquazzura Portrait of a Lady slingback pumps she had first worn the previous year.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at The Lion King premiere in London on July 14, 2019, with Meghan wearing a black Jason Wu dress and crystal-embellished Aquazzura Portrait of a Lady slingback pumps (Credit: Mario Mitsis / WENN / Dutch Press Photo)
The premiere marked Meghan’s first red-carpet appearance after becoming a member of the royal family. The event also supported conservation and community initiatives connected with Prince Harry’s charitable work.
Meghan Rewears Her Aquazzura Portrait of a Lady Pumps
Her shoes were Aquazzura’s Portrait of a Lady slingback pumps, a pointed-toe style set on a 105mm, or roughly 4.1-inch, stiletto heel.
The defining detail is the slingback strap, decorated with Swarovski crystals arranged in leaf-like shapes around the heel.
Meghan wore Nikos Koulis diamond-and-black-enamel earrings with her Jason Wu dress
The pumps were not new to Meghan’s wardrobe. She had previously worn the same Aquazzura style with a blue Jason Wu dress at the 100 Days of Peace concert at Central Hall Westminster in London in September 2018.
That made the Lion King appearance a particularly cohesive rewear: the same designer shoes returned with another Jason Wu dress, this time as part of an almost entirely black evening look.
Aquazzura had already become one of Meghan’s most-worn luxury footwear labels. She chose the brand’s nude Matilde pumps for her 2017 engagement announcement with Prince Harry and later wore custom Aquazzura heels with baby-blue soles for their 2018 wedding reception.
Jason Wu’s Black Mesh Dress Keeps the Focus on Texture
Meghan wore a $2,450 black Jason Wu midi dress with a fitted waist, long sleeves, sheer mesh panels and a flared skirt.
Meghan accessorized with Nikos Koulis 18k white-gold diamond and black enamel stud earrings from the Oui Collection
Rather than introducing contrasting colors, she kept the outfit in a restrained black palette and used different finishes to create interest. The sheer sections of the Jason Wu dress, the satin Aquazzura pumps, jeweled slingback straps, and crystal detailing on her accessories all added texture without changing the overall color story.
Meghan paired her black Jason Wu mesh-panel dress with Aquazzura Portrait of a Lady slingback pumps
She completed the outfit with Gucci’s Broadway crystal-embellished satin clutch and Nikos Koulis diamond-and-black-enamel earrings from the Greek designer’s Oui Collection.
The jeweled Gucci clutch also echoed the crystal detailing around the heels of her Aquazzura slingbacks, creating a subtle visual connection between the accessories.
Jason Wu’s black midi dress features a fitted satin bodice, sheer long sleeves, and a flared A-line skirt, shown with classic black pointed-toe pumps
Why Aquazzura Became a Staple in Meghan’s Royal Wardrobe
Founded by Edgardo Osorio in Florence, Aquazzura became a recurring presence in Meghan’s wardrobe during her years as a working royal.
Her choices tended to favor relatively streamlined pointed-toe silhouettes with one distinctive detail, whether a bow, metallic accent, crystal embellishment, or unusual heel treatment.
That pattern extended beyond the Portrait of a Lady pumps. Meghan also wore Aquazzura Deneuve pumps for her first solo royal engagement, choosing the bow-detailed style for a September 2018 visit to the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
She later stepped out in the brand’s Rendez Vous heels at the Endeavour Fund Awards and wore nude Aquazzura Purist pumps for the Commonwealth Day service in March 2020.
At The Lion King premiere, the Portrait of a Lady slingbacks offered another example of that preference: a classic pointed pump shape made more recognizable by an embellished heel strap.