Real Reason Meghan Markle Was Left Off the Guest List for Designer Friend’s Balenciaga Couture Debut
Meghan Markle was a no-show at Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga couture debut in Paris, and insiders insist it was no accident.
It’s no secret that Meghan Markle boasts many A-list celebrity friends, but as life has its ups and downs, she appears to have fallen out with a few. One of them may be Italian fashion designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, who revealed last October that the Duchess had invited herself to view his collections during Paris Fashion Week. Interestingly, she was conspicuously missing from Piccioli’s haute couture debut for Balenciaga on July 8 in Paris, with sources now claiming she was deliberately left off the guest list for one telling reason.
On her Substack, Paula Froelich: Uncensored, celebrity journalist Paula Froelich claimed to have spoken with multiple sources possessing inside knowledge of the snub. She quoted one insider as saying, “Oh God no, she [Markle] was not invited. Not after what happened last time. There’s no way Pierpaolo would have her back after last year. He wants it to be about the clothes, not her.” For context, during Piccioli’s previous Balenciaga show at Paris Fashion Week, the Duchess reportedly arrived late, just as the lights went down. Reports suggested her ‘disrespectful’ behavior irritated the former Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.
To add insult to injury, there was reportedly another reason why the Duchess was left off the guest list. Froelich revealed that Piccioli’s team had covered Markle’s extensive expenses for Paris Fashion Week—including flights, accommodation, transport, and wardrobe. The entire trip cost them $250,000, an investment made solely because the designer believed her attendance would generate positive publicity for the brand. However, insiders suggest his team later deeply regretted the decision and wanted to wipe the slate clean. Reflecting on her behavior at the previous show, one insider remarked, “A collaborator? Who does she [Markle] think she is? Beyoncé?! Here is Pierpaolo’s first show for Balenciaga, and she basically claims some sort of credit for it?”
As for what went down last year, Piccioli spilled in an interview with The Cut that he wanted to keep Markle’s attendance under wraps. He said, “Meghan and I met some years ago, and we’ve been texting ever since. She reached out and said she’d love to come to the show…I didn’t tell anyone she was coming because I wanted it to stay a surprise.” The designer went on to add that “in fashion, real surprises are rare, and this one was beautiful.”
Markle’s absence from the Balenciaga couture debut coincided with another notable no-show at a Chanel event hosted at Highgrove House—the exact same day she and Prince Harry privately met with King Charles and Queen Camilla. Commenting on the timing on her YouTube channel, Froelich alleged that the Chanel event may have acted “as a ruse,” allowing the Sussexes to smartly slip into the Gloucestershire estate unnoticed amidst a convoy of luxury vehicles.