From catwalk to catfight.
Long before the feud between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton made international hair-pulling headlines, the two were ready to claw each other’s eyes out — over couture, a new report reveals.
In 2017, London-based designer Erdem Moralioglu caused a rift between the sisters-in-law when actress and fashion blogger Markle, recently engaged to Prince Harry, suddenly found herself persona non grata at one of her favorite labels. The reason? Middleton had an arrangement to receive VIP access to the Montreal-born Moralioglu’s outfits, also favored by the likes of Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and Claire Foy.
There was a family fashion hierarchy when it came to the royals getting “first dibs on designers,” according to The Telegraph, which detailed one of Meghan’s first experiences getting tangled up in palace red tape — an incident, according to the paper, not included in Harry’s seismic new memoir, “Spare.”
Moralioglu’s Erdem label, was established in 2005 and quickly cemented itself as a statement brand for its romantic floral prints and elegantly understated sequined dresses.
Middleton had been a long-time fan, famously wearing the designer’s looks on a number of royal engagements, including a midi off-the-shoulder frock with frayed edges and a fluted skirt in 2018, and as an anchor designer while pregnant with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, accentuating her baby bump in figure fitting floral dresses.
Markle, too, was a fan of the Montreal-born designer — well before she met Harry — sporting his designs while working on the Canada-filmed legal drama “Suits.” She stepped out in the brand’s Davina dress from the 2015 fall/winter collection during an appearance on the “Today” show in 2016, re-wearing the frock for a Christmas lunch with the late Queen in 2018, according to the Telegraph.
“Erdem Moralioglu was one of Meghan’s absolute favorites, but even after Harry had put a ring on it, Kate, who was already a client, continued to get priority,” the paper reported.
The report dovetails with Prince Harry’s detailing of the prickly relationship between Markle and Middleton in his new memoir, with fashion proving to be an ongoing pain point for the pair.
He recounts the infamously icy feud between the duo over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaids dress not fitting correctly. The text exchange reportedly left Markle “sobbing on the floor.”
Markle has spoken out about her struggle over what to wear as part of the royal family, as well as the stress lower-rung female members were put under not to match their seniors.
“Most of the time I was in the U.K., I rarely wore color,” she revealed in the Netflix docuseries, “Harry & Meghan.”