Meghan Markle’s Sold-Out Strathberry Bag Fetches Four Times the Usual Price at Auction

Call it the Meghan Markle effect — just as a new photograph of Kate Middleton wearing anything from an Issa wrap dress to a pair of L.K. Bennett heels can cause said item to sell out in a matter of moments, Prince Harry’s fiancée is now a similar force to be reckoned with in terms of sartorial selling power.

When photos emerged of the former Suits star carrying the tricolor Midi tote by Scottish accessories brand Strathberry during her first royal engagement in Nottingham, England last month, the bag sold out in just 11 minutes. Traffic to the Strathberry site shot up by around 5,000 percent, with Meghan’s tote of choice selling on eBay for $2,356, marked up from the original $660 price point. Since then, the brand has relaunched production on the bag (which has been renamed, of course, the “Meghan”) with the initial batch of 400 selling out in the pre-order stages within 24 hours. A further batch is coming – but not until February of next year.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

For those who simply couldn’t bear the prospect of waiting that long to add a piece of Meghan-approved hardware to their accessories arsenal, though, a charity auction provided a glimmer of hope. One bag was kept back by the brand, and was up for auction for a period of one week, until Monday, Dec. 18. Now, it’s been revealed by eBay that the bag sold for $2,428, which is around four times the usual price. The proceeds from the auction will go to the Terrence Higgins Trust, the HIV and AIDS charity which Harry and Meghan visited in Nottingham.

In a statement earlier this month, the brand revealed that they were “thrilled” at Meghan’s choice of accessory. “We are delighted at the news of Meghan and Prince Harry’s engagement and wish them all the best for this exciting period,” a spokesperson said. “It was a fantastic surprise to see that Meghan selected one of our core Strathberry styles to carry on her first royal engagement.”

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This post was written by Kate Wagner. It originally appeared on our sister site, Grazia Daily.