Meghan Markle brought back a sentimental piece from her royal working days for her appearance at Fortune's 2025 Most Powerful Women summit. The Duchess of Sussex attended the event on Oct. 14 in Washington, D.C. wearing a pair of custom Dior heels that she had made for her son Prince Archie's christening six years ago, HELLO! can confirm. Archie, now six, was christened in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle in July of 2019. For the intimate service, the Duchess teamed her bespoke shoes with a white Christian Dior dress and a matching hat.
This time around, Meghan paired her Dior heels with a Gabriela Heart blouse, Brochu Walker skirt, Polène earrings and a ring from a Ukrainian designer, while styling her hair down. The Duchess participated in a conversation, titled "Next Level Influence," with Fortune's editor-in-chief, Alyson Shontell on Tuesday at the summit, where the As ever founder spoke about her business, Netflix series and social media.
© Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Fortune MediaDuring the session, the With Love, Meghan star was asked what she's learned about herself as a leader and CEO. The Duchess said: "You know, it's been incredible because when I was on Suits, that was my last time really in a position with a very large team. We had a crew of 200 people, and I worked on the show for seven years, and I loved the crew. I loved that experience and the culture that's on the set as well. And so I think being able to now have my own business, it's very different than being on set. And even the set for With Love, Meghan, that's a crew of 80 people. It's still a very large crew. But for my business, I've been very decisive about having a lean team. I think you want to have a great soundboard of people that are with you and with varied points of view. You want someone who's going to push back. You want someone who's going to be so creative and savvy in a space that might not be my skill set."
© Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Fortune Media"So I love creating that culture, having that camaraderie with my team, and playing and being curious constantly, just pushing the envelope to ask the questions of, 'How can we show up in a way that truly indicates that we are putting care into every detail?'" she added, later noting that "you're only as solid as the rest of the people around you."
At the summit, held at the Salamander Washington DC, the Duchess also discussed the importance of financial independence, which she remarked gives one "the freedom of choice." "And I think in this day and age, we all need to be able to have our autonomy. That is a huge element of that. Financial literacy, for that reason, is something that I spend a lot of time on, specifically for young girls and their empowerment," Meghan said. "And I think as women, especially in a room like this, we can all probably agree that as women, when we're supporting each other for all of these elements that might not necessarily be the ones that people want to hear us talk about, there's nothing taboo."
© Stuart Isett/Fortune"Doesn't need to be anything taboo about talking about our financial independence or our independence overall. And as women, we support each other. We are not simply supporting each other's lives. We're supporting each other's legacies," the Duchess continued. "And that's the piece that's so powerful. When I'm supporting or investing in another female founder, I am investing in what she is going to do for the culture, for her business, the legacy she's going to leave, how that brand, if it's a CPG [consumer packaged goods] brand, is going to show up in people's homes. So it is all fundamentally important, and I don't think it's a conversation we should shy away from. I think it's one that we should really embrace together."
