Side-By-Side Pics Of Meghan Markle's Face Transformation Will Make You Do A Double Take

It's no secret that Meghan Markle is quite fascinating. The Duchess of Sussex grew up as an average American girl, married into British royalty, and raised her children outside of England, away from her royal in-laws. The drastic changes in her life always grab people's attention, and the same thing can be said about her consistently effortless beauty. While Meghan's go-to hairstyle transformed from curly to straight over the years, her face didn't change much between her early 30s and mid-40s.

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In 2012, Meghan attended USA Network's "Suits" Story Fashion Show featuring formal menswear inspired by the TV show. The picture on the left shows a 31-year-old Meghan wearing shimmery purple eyeshadow, flared-out false eyelashes, and rosy blush. She had very small, faint forehead lines and a tiny line at the corner of her mouth as she gave a slight smile. When Meghan attended the Project Healthy Minds Gala in 2025 at age 44, the changes in her appearance were minor. The duchess wore a more natural eye look, using mascara and brown eyeshadow for a subtle smoky eye. Her brows were more fluffed out, and her makeup was more sheer than it was in 2012. Meghan had only gained a couple of faint smile lines and slightly deeper lines on her neck since the fashion show.

Meghan Markle not only looks stunning because her face seems to be frozen at 31. She also incorporates her values into her style. In February 2026, she attended the Fifteen Percent Pledge Gala in Los Angeles in support of equity for Black-owned businesses. She wore a pearl-colored gown and a black shawl by the Harbison Studio in honor of Zelda Wynn Valdes, a Black fashion designer who worked with Old Hollywood icons like Josephine Baker. Meghan also wore a complementary pair of onyx earrings and a smoky eye look with a little shimmer.

The duchess told The New York Times in 2024 that her engagement to Prince Harry made her more aware of the attention she got for her looks and the financial impact on businesses she supports. "Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven't gotten the attention that they should be getting," Meghan said.

But a gala isn't the only time she used her style to evoke nostalgia. When she lived in the U.K., Meghan often channeled the late Princess Diana through her outfits. Even an Instagram story from February 2025 — long after she had returned to the U.S. — showed her wearing a purple Northwestern sweatshirt, which was similar to one Diana wore to the gym. The Duchess of Sussex hasn't said she looks to Diana for style inspiration, but as she revealed on "The Jamie Kern Lima Show,"  she naturally wishes she had met her mother-in-law.