Is khaki a colour at all? Meghan Markle sparked off the debate once more after she appeared in the said colour, which may not be a colour, at the christening of her youngest nephew, Prince Louis.

Markle, who was known for her elegant as well as vibrant style before she married Prince Harry, has been accused of losing some of her chutzpah since the wedding. Some of her observers have been complaining that in her attempt to blend with the British royal family she has been avoiding, for one thing, bright colours. So a huge sigh of relief was heard when she was spotted recently wearing yellow after a long time. Markle was a-sparkle again.

Her khaki dress at the christening was not greeted with as great an enthusiasm, but still it was a departure from her post-marital “neutral, safe tones (the cauliflower-to-coral range)”, according to the website www.racked.com.

But it led again to the critical question: Is khaki a colour?

Derived from the Hindi word khaki, which meant soil-coloured, khaki in English would also originally mean the fabric with which the British made uniforms for their army. The colour was a camouflage.

Some feel that a colour of camouflage, by definition, cannot be a colour. Others think it may not be a colour in the sense yellow is, or even black or white is, but khaki, or olive, is some colour.

They are also hopeful that by choosing khaki, Markle may be going back to her more democratic, colourful self.