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'Fat lady' Duchess Meghan wears slinky sequined gown and Diana's bracelet to charity gala

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan of Sussex attend the Cirque du Soleil premiere of "Totem" at Royal Albert Hall on Jan. 16, 2019 in London.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan of Sussex attend the Cirque du Soleil premiere of "Totem" at Royal Albert Hall on Jan. 16, 2019 in London.

Pregnant Duchess Meghan of Sussex evoked memories of the late Princess Diana Wednesday when she attended a charity gala with Prince Harry clad in a sleek blue gown dripping in sequins and with one of Diana's gold bracelets on her wrist.

In her second appearance of the day, Meghan accompanied Harry to the premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s "Totem" at London's Royal Albert Hall as a fundraiser for his African children's charity, Sentebale.

She was stunning in deep navy, almost-black gown by Roland Mouret, which featured a short slit up the front and glittered with a carapace of sequins.

She wore a pair of towering heels, a strappy black duo that showed off her dark-polish pedicure, and her hair was pulled up into a sleek bun.

She wore no jewelry at the neck, but royal fashion fans spotted on her right wrist a gold cuff bracelet with deep blue stones that once belonged to Harry's beloved mother.

Diana's sons inherited her jewelry and some pieces have been worn by both Meghan and Duchess Kate of Cambridge. Meghan has been spotted before wearing the same bracelet.

Earlier Wednesday, Meghan got a greeting she probably wasn't expecting during a visit to a London animal welfare charity.

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan of Sussex attend the Cirque du Soleil charity gala premiere of "Totem" at Royal Albert Hall on Jan. 16, 2019 in London.
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan of Sussex attend the Cirque du Soleil charity gala premiere of "Totem" at Royal Albert Hall on Jan. 16, 2019 in London.

A woman identified as Peggy told the pregnant royal in a Caribbean accent that she was "a lovely lady" and "may God always bless you." And as Meghan cooed her thanks, her Armani cream coat fell open, giving Peggy and everyone else a good look at her pregnant belly clad in a mock turtleneck cream knit maternity dress from H&M.

Then Peggy added sweetly, "And you are a fat lady?"

Meghan, who wore cream slingbacks with towering heels and carried a Stella McCartney bag, laughed uproariously in response, adding, "I'll take it!"

More: What we know about Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry's royal baby, due in the spring

Maybe "fat" isn't quite the right word to describe Meghan, but at about six months along now, as she told a fan on walkabout on Monday, her otherwise slender frame now features a prominent belly.

Being two-thirds of the way through her pregnancy has not stopped Meghan, 37, from taking on a number of new patronages in 2019, including the Mayhew Animal Home.

It was the first visit to the animal shelter for Meghan, who adopted two dogs during her stint as a co-star on "Suits" while she was living in Toronto.

But only one, a beagle named Guy, came to London with her when she moved. Since then, she and Harry have adopted a black Labrador.

At Mayhew, Meghan was briefed by staff and volunteers about the various projects run by the charity aimed at improving the lives of animals and people, and to help improve London communities.

These projects include animal therapy visits, reaching out to homeless people and their pets, neutering programs and carrying out dog rabies vaccinations in Afghanistan.

And of course, the dog-loving Meghan got to meet some hounds.

She was seen petting a therapy dog named Roobarb, who appeared to be a long-haired spaniel mix.

She also met a pair of what looked to be pit bull mixes.

"The Duchess of Sussex meets Wully, a formerly homeless Pet Refuge service user, and his two dogs Azzy and Gallis — Wully was helped by Mayhew’s Animal Welfare Officers," the palace tweeted.

According to other pictures tweeted by Kensington Palace and by reporters on the scene, she cuddled with a 1-year-old Jack Russell cross named Minnie who was set to go up for adoption.

Meghan said she'd like another pup but lamented that the timing was not ideal since she and Harry have their hands full with the baby and their other dogs.

 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Fat lady' Duchess Meghan wears slinky sequined gown and Diana's bracelet to charity gala