Meghan Markle has helped her fiance Prince Harry elevate his fashion sense

MEGHAN has made her Markle already — on Prince Harry’s dress sense. Immediately after the 33-year-old royal announced his engagement to the American actor, his wardrobe went up a notch in the style stakes.

MEGHAN has made her Markle already — on Prince Harry’s dress sense. Immediately after the 33-year-old royal announced his engagement to the 36-year-old American actor, his wardrobe went up a notch in the style stakes.

Before he met Meghan, Harry dressed in the typical posh boy uniform of chinos with a checked shirt or daggy T-shirt on a casual day and shirt and blazer for a more formal occasion. He was also a fan of a fleece, even when he wasn’t in the Arctic.

Admittedly, Harry does scrub up well and always looks dapper in a suit and his army uniform. But after the engagement announcement in November and Meghan moved in with him into Kensington Palace, it was obvious the Suits star got her hands on his separates.

Gone are the gaudy colours and in has come a neutral palette of charcoals, browns and blues, with artfully layered expensive woollen sweaters and coats.

Ever since Prince Harry started dating Meghan Markle, he has stepped up his fashion game. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Take their appearance in Cardiff last month, when Meghan opted for all black, in a Stella McCartney coat and Hiut jeans. Harry was similarly in smart-casual attire, wearing a navy sweater over a tie-less shirt matched with blue trousers, dusky blue desert boots and a navy coat.

In Brixton, London, last month the pair co-ordinated in earthy neutrals, as Harry teamed a grey sweater again over a tie-less shirt with black trousers, brown suede shoes and an olive-green coat. It perfectly complemented Meghan’s oatmeal-coloured Smythe coat, black Burberry trousers and fawn Jigsaw scarf. This was no coincidence.

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Unlike other female newcomers to the Royal Family, including Kate Middleton and Lady Diana Spencer before her, Meghan is extremely experienced in red carpet and event dressing and this confidence shows — such as her choice of the fashion-forward Alexander McQueen cropped-legged tuxedo pant suit she wore to the Endeavour Fund Awards in London this month and the ultra-glamorous engagement photos of the pair. Her Hollywood flair is having an impact on Harry’s image, elevating him from safe to sartorial in weeks.

Prince Harry dressed pretty casual before dating the actress. Picture: Peter Nicholls — WPA Pool/Getty Images

He dressed well, but it wasn’t his best. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

“It says a lot for Harry’s personal magnetism that he can reach the status he has while dressing like a divorced actuary from Sydney’s lower North Shore,” says GQ Magazine grooming editor David Smiedt. “Megan clearly knows good draping, fabrics and cut when she sees it and Harry has benefited from this wisdom. Especially when it comes to sharp suiting. It’s like he used to be one of the guys who worked for Q in the James Bond films and now he’s actually 007.”

He’s not the first man to make a fashion transformation after falling in love. Take a look at David Beckham, who was all floppy hair and tracksuits before clapping eyes on Victoria Adams.

But once the two got together it was a His ’n’ Hers festival of matching outfits, from their purple wedding reception regalia to their legendary looky-likey leather pants. He became a poster boy for fashion brands, including Adidas, H & M and Armani and Victoria went on to set up her own successful fashion label.

Meghan is known for Hollywood-style dress sense and may have passed a few tips to Harry. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Or how about Justin Theroux, who dressed like a teenage boy in logo T-shirts and mucky black jeans before he got serious with Jennifer Aniston. But after they became more than Friends, it was all slicked-back hair and sharp suits on the red carpet.

“Falling in love certainly has an effect on how you dress,” says Tom Cridland, who founded his eponymous male fashion brand with his partner — after she sorted out his dress sense. “For some people, dressing can be a chore and, in those situations, I’ve seen their looks totally transformed after starting a relationship,” he says.

“Without Debs, my life would probably be a mess. I was overweight, didn’t exercise, smoked, binged drank. She definitely turned me around and we’ve built a sustainable fashion brand I’m really proud of.”

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But the biggest love makeover of all was Shane Warne, who was a boofy bloke known for many things but not his personal style, before he fell in love with Liz Hurley. After that, in came sharp suits, a slimmed down physique, coiffed hair and gleaming white teeth under a tanned face. He looked amazing at first, but as the love affair grew more intense so did his tan, until finally, both imploded.

So let’s hope Harry keeps Meghan happy, for the sake of his sweaters.