Serena Williams' "Royal Duchess" Hoodie Was Inspired by Meghan Markle

(Image credit: Kevin Mazur)

published 24 August 2018

Meghan Markle's fashion sense has influenced everyone around her, including tennis pro and BFF Serena Williams. Williams, who has her own fashion line, revealed her "Royal Duchess" hoodie was inspired by none other than Meghan herself. (The royal was given the title Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex after she married Prince Harry on May 19.) On Wednesday, Williams was spotted wearing the red and black cropped hoodie while hanging out with Nicki Minaj—and the $90 piece is still available to buy.

Given that Williams attended the royal wedding and is a close friend of Meghan's (the two first met at the 2010 Super Bowl), it makes sense she designed a hoodie that said royal on it. Williams, herself, is practically royalty, a.k.a. the queen of tennis. To make the story even sweeter, the athletic shared on Today that she even sent a hoodie to Meghan.

While it's doubtful we'll ever see Meghan leave her home in sweatpants (Queen E might have a heart attack), here's hoping she received the hoodie and is chilling in it while watching The Voice Kids with Prince Harry on the couch. After all, if a package came from Serena Williams herself, who would dare turn it down?

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Royal Duchess cropped hoodie, $90 SHOP IT

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.