Why Meghan Markle's Dad's Wedding Suit Was Re-Worn By Johnno Spence

Suit, Event, Tuxedo, Formal wear, White-collar worker, Official, Management,

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published 25 June 2018

Back in May, in the days leading up to Meghan Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry, there were a few bumps in the road with her family. Her father, Thomas Markle, ultimately did not attend the ceremony because of his health conditions. But, unbeknownst to many of us, his royal suit—the one he would have worn to walk Meghan down the aisle in—was left at the tailor’s with no one to claim it.

Fast forward a month later, sports PR Johnno Spence needed a snazzy suit for the Royal Ascot (where the Duchess of Sussex was in attendance) and ended up purchasing Markle's wedding suit (!) as well as a few of his other custom pieces.

"I went into my tailors because I needed a new morning suit," Spence said to The Sunday Telegraph. "His face lit up and he said 'Well, actually I’ve got the perfect thing for you, a tail suit, a summer suit and three shirts we made for Mr. Markle, but unfortunately he couldn’t take them.' It was a shame Mr. Markle couldn’t attend his daughter's wedding, but you could say his misfortune was my good luck."

So in conclusion: Meghan was at the race, Spence was at the race, and Spence wore Meghan's dad's wedding suit. What a strange twist of events.

Marina Liao is the former fashion news editor at Marie Claire, where she covered celebrity style (from Meghan Markle to Katie Holmes), fashion trends, and shopping advice, plus conducted original interviews with industry insiders. She's now the Senior Commerce Editor at House Beautiful, where she owns coverage on deals and sales across home decor and accessories, in-depth product reviews on furniture and appliances, as well as news around new product launches since 2023. With help from leading designers and tastemakers, Marina spotlights quality products while tracking current design trends, a skill she’s mastered over six years in fashion media. Marina holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Stony Brook University, beginning her career in narrative-driven commerce coverage as an editorial assistant at PopSugar.