It's been a rough Black History Month. The news cycle is overcome with racist tropes and iconography — from fashion brands, especially. But the Carters are singlehandedly doing their best to lift the mood. Beyoncé is on Instagram giving the Bey Hive more outfit posts (in her usual triptych), sporting Black designers, and most recently, giving a shout out to the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.
On Wednesday, Beyoncé and Jay Z accepted the Brit Award for Best International Group via video recording. In it, the pair stands in a white room, in front of what appears to be a custom portrait of the former Suits star turned Duchess of Sussex. For the moment, Beyoncé wore a printed pantsuit resembling a watercolor painting by British designer Peter Pilotto. Princess Eugenie also wore Pilotto for her royal wedding to Jack Brooksban.
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The photo, of course, it a nod to their "Apeshit" video, partially shot in the Louvre, which ends with the couple looking at Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. On Instagram, Beyoncé shared why it was important to honor the American princess.
"Thank you to the Brits for the award for Best International Group," the caption began. "I won this award back in 2002 with my besties, Kelly and Michelle. How lucky am I to have been in a group with my other best friend, the GOAT Hova," she continued. "In honor of Black History Month, we bow down to one of our Melanated Monas. Congrats on your pregnancy! We wish you so much joy."
The painting was created by Tim O'Brien, an American artist who originally created the art for Markle's sorority's alumni magazine. He told the website he was surprised to see his painting in the video. "I'm all for it," O'Brien told CNN Style. "I love Beyoncé, like most people do, and Jay Z, too. He commented on the gravity of showcasing Black beauty in one of the world's best art museums, saying: "The world is changing. The face of beauty is changing for the better."
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