The Duchess of Sussex appeared to draw inspiration from renowned humanitarian Angelina Jolie on her quasi-royal tour of Jordan.
Meghan, 44, and Prince Harry travelled to the Middle East at the invitation of the World Health Organisation for two days of engagements this week focused on mental health and support for vulnerable communities impacted by conflict and displacement.
And during which time, the mother-of-two appeared to look to one of Hollywood’s most respected do-gooders, not merely given the nature of the trip, but also by ditching her usual glitz and glamour for a low-key wardrobe.
For Thursday morning’s visit to the National Centre for Rehabilitation of Addicts, Meghan wore a £109 grey wool-blend topstitched jacket from Zara, the Spanish brand also favoured by her sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales.
It marked the second time she championed the high-street brand on the trip – wearing a khaki Zara T-shirt for a game of football the day prior.
She paired the coat with black suit trousers and black heels, and in keeping with the pared-back look, she left her usual stack of bangles and glittering diamonds at home. The only visible jewellery was her gold wedding band and Cartier Love bracelet.
In addition to adopting a more casual style, the white shirt and T-shirt Meghan wore at the Za’atari refugee camp echoed those of Angelina’s outfit when she visited the Domiz refugee camp in Iraq’s Kurdistan.
It wasn’t just Angelina’s understated clothing that Meghan understandably appeared to mirror, but also, naturally when on this sort of trip, her empathetic gestures.
Angelina, 50, who has conducted over 60 field missions to advocate for refugees, established, together with her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which supports community conservation, much like the Archewell Foundation established by Meghan and Harry.
The Duchess of Sussex appeared to channel Angelina Jolie during a visit to the QuestScope Youth Center at the Za’atari refugee camp on Wednesday
Actress Angelina Jolie is photographed on the set of her film, First They Killed My Father, depicting war and genocide in Cambodia
The pair also concentrate much of their efforts in similar areas, such as childhood and education.
Jolie, for instance, established the Jolie Legal Fellowship in Haiti before the Sussexes helped fund the tuition-free Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, a one-year fellowship alternative to college for software engineering.
At the start of the busy tour, Meghan held hands with a 14-year-old burns victim from Gaza.
She was with the girl called Maria during a visit to the Specialty Hospital in Amman, where the couple also talked to doctors
The Duke and Duchess watched a music class at the QuestScope youth centre at Za’atari refugee camp near Mafraq, and took part in a football session.
They also attended a roundtable discussion in Amman with people from the United Nations and many of its agencies, diplomatic representatives and donors.
The couple, who stepped down as working royals in 2020 for personal and financial freedom, travelled to Jordan at the invitation of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warmly welcomed the couple on the steps of the organisation’s office in Amman. He kissed and hugged Meghan, who wore a white jacket and matching trousers, and also embraced Harry.
Yesterday, Harry and Meghan wrote messages of support to recovering addicts at a rehabilitation centre during the second day of their quasi-royal tour of Jordan.
Meghan ditched her usual glitz and glamour for low-key ensembles during her two-day trip to Jordan
Angelina is photographed during a news conference in the Domiz refugee camp in Iraq’s Kurdistan in 2018
Actresses Angelina and Meghan both played football with refugees during their humanitarian visit
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined a WHO team as they spoke to patients at Amman’s National Centre for Rehabilitation of Addicts.
Promoting mental health support is one of the themes of their visit, and the couple both wrote notes on a wall in an attempt to encourage those receiving treatment.
Meghan’s note written on orange paper said: ‘Congratulations on your dedication to your care. Wishing you continued healing and happiness.’
And Harry wrote on a yellow note: ‘It’s OK to not be OK. Trust each other. Congratulations on your recovery. Now share your courage and experience.’
The centre, operating under Jordan’s ministry of health’s national centre for mental health, has a 40-bed capacity and was inaugurated in 2001.
It has served as a short-term residential and outpatient treatment centre, offering medical withdrawal services, psychological support and social counselling.
Earlier that day, the couple visited a worldwide organisation feeding people in moments of crisis.
The Sussexes travelled to the World Central Kitchen’s regional headquarters where it coordinates and deploys a million hot meals across Gaza daily.
Pictured left: Angelina Jolie at a press conference after visiting Kurdish refugees in 2015. Pictured right: The Duchess of Sussex during a visit to the World Central Kitchen Food at the Jordan Country Office, in Amman, Jordan, this week
The organisation was founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, a staunch supporter of the couple who appeared on the second season of Meghan’s Netflix cookery show.
World Central Kitchen, established in 2010, uses a network of field and community kitchens, bakeries and partners to enable almost half of Gaza’s population to be fed.
Harry and Meghan chatted via video call with a distribution leader at one of the organisation’s six field kitchens in Gaza.
Wadhah Hubaishi, the organisation’s response director for the Middle East and North Africa, told the couple that ochre and rice was the meal for today.
He said: ‘This is one of our most delicious meals for the Gaza people. Within two hours, we will start distributing the food.’
‘We need 20 trucks (of supplies) every day from Egypt. Not enough trucks are coming in, that really affects us more than any other actor.’