Meghan Markle makes surprise appearance at British Fashion Awards

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, made a surprise appearance at the British Fashion Awards last night, where she presented an accolade to Givenchy artistic director Clare Waight Keller.

Keller, who designed the duchess’ ivory silk wedding dress, won the prize for Womenswear Designer of the Year.

Meghan appeared on the stage wearing a black custom Givenchy one-shoulder dress, which she wore with gold strappy heels, gold bangles and a sleek low bun.

The award was initially supposed to be presented by Gone Girl actor Rosamund Pike.

However, as she took to the stage, Pike announced that she was going to be joined by a “special guest”.

The duchess then arrived on the stage as the crowd at the Royal Albert Hall in London erupted into applause.

In her speech she acknowledged the close relationship that she has with Keller, having collaborated with her over the course of several months when finalising the design for her wedding dress.

“I feel especially proud to announce tonight’s winner, who yes is a British designer leading on the global stage with vision and creativity, but also with incredible kindness,” she said.

“Which is why when I met her for the first time 11 months ago I knew we would be working very closely together.”

Last year, Keller became the first ever female artistic director of Givenchy.

Meghan chose her to design her wedding dress due to her admiration for the designer’s “elegant aesthetic” and “relaxed demeanour”.

While accepting her award from the duchess, Keller expressed her gratitude for the degree to which Meghan had trusted her with designing a dress that is now recognisable on a global scale.

“This woman is so amazing,” she said.

“I got to know Meghan on such a personal level and to have someone like that trust you in an incredible moment in their life is something that is just the most unbelievable honour and I can’t thank you enough. It was just the most beautiful moment.”

Some have claimed that the duchess “broke royal protocol” by wearing a dark shade of nail polish to the awards show, as it’s believed that the Queen prefers for members of the royal family to only wear light or nude shades of nail polish.

Whether or not this is the case, Meghan delighted the audience at the Royal Albert Hall with her surprise appearance and thoughtful words about the impact that fashion can have.

“As all of you in this room know, we have a deep connection to what we wear,” she said before introducing Keller.

“Sometimes it’s very personal, sometimes it’s emotional. But for me, this connection is rooted in really being able to understand that it’s about supporting and empowering each other, especially women.”

The duchess is currently expecting her first child with Prince Harry.

The news that the couple are expecting a baby in spring 2019 was announced by Kensington Palace just before they embarked on a royal tour of Fiji, Australia, Tonga and New Zealand.

In addition to Keller, other notable individuals from the fashion industry who were honoured at the British Fashion Awards include Gucci, who won Brand of the Year; Kaia Gerber who won Model of the Year; and Kim Jones, who won the 2018 Trailblazer Award.