French designer Roland Mouret claims in his upcoming memoir that Meghan Markle vowed to never wear his designs again following a logistical error. the rift allegedly began when Mouret's team mistakenly contacted Kensington Palace to request the return of complimentary clothing.
A mistaken request to Kensington Palace sparked a royal rift
According to the memoir I Am Roland Mouret: The Butcher's Boy Who Dressed the World, the conflict arose when a member of Roland Mouret's staff attempted to arrange the return of "freebie" dresses. Rather than contacting the Duchess of Sussex directly, the staff member reached out to the office of the Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace, likely due to the designer's long-standing professional relationship with Catherine,Princess of Wales.
As reported in The Times, which serialized excerpts of the book, Meghan Markle was reportedly furious upon learning of this administrative lapse. Roland Mouret writes that the Duchess telephoned him in a rage,stating that the mistake had embarrassed her. Despite an apology from the designer, the Duchess of Sussex allegedly declared she would no longer wear his creations.
This incident highlights the rigid and often sensitive nature of royal protocol and the perceived slights that can occur when the separate offices of royal figures overlap. The dispute took place after the relationship between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry became public,but before the couple's departure from senior royal duties in 2020.
From a 2015 Turkey hotel lift to the royal wardrobe
The fallout is particularly notable given the personal history between the two parties. Roland Mouret and Meghan Markle first met in 2015 while on holiday in Turkey,encountering one another in a hotel lift as the future Duchess was heading to a Soho House spa. This chance meeting evolved into a close friendship, with Roland Mouret claiming that Meghan Markle confided in him about her relationship with Prince Harry before it was announced to the global press.
During the early stages of her transition into royal life, Roland Mouret offered to provide Meghan Markle with clothing to help her navigate her new public role. He instructed his team to send a selection of pieces to the paalce with the explicit directive that they should remain with her as long as she desired, without any follow-up or pressure for return.
The £1,450 pre-wedding dress and the Dublin tour
Despite the eventual fallout, the Duchess of Sussex did wear Roland Mouret's designs during high-profile events. The designer notes that Meghan Markle wore a £1,450 dress from his collection the day before her May 2018 wedding. Additionally, she wore another of his designs during a July 2018 meeting with President Michael D Higgins during her official tour of Dublin.
In his reflections,Roland Mouret contrasts the experiences of the two women he dressed. While discussing the Princess of Wales, for whom he has designed since 2011, Mouret suggests that Catherine might have preferred a life without the intense fame that accompanies her marriage and position. This comparison underscores the different ways the two women have navigated the scrutiny of the British monarchy.
The Duchess of Sussex's silence on the 'ridiculous' high street copy
Several points of contention in the memoir remain unverified, as a spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex has declined to comment on the claims. One specific point of friction involves a garment Meghan Markle wore later,which Roland Mouret describes as a "cheap high street copy" of one of his original designs. According to the memoir, Mouret texted the Duchess to tell her she was being "ridiculous" for wearing a knock-off after shunning his actual brand.
Furthermore, the exact date of the "rage" phone call is not specified beyond the window between the public announcement of her relationship and the 2020 "Megxit" event. Because the account is presented solely from the perspective of Roland Mouret, it remains unclear if the Duchess of Sussex viewed the Kensington Palace contact as a genuine embarrassment or if other factors contributed to the end of their friendship.
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