Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at Paris Fashion Week.
The Duchess of Sussex stepped out at two glamorous events to support high end label Balenciaga.
But much like everything involving Meghan, the trip turned out to be polarising.
Fans praised the former Suits star for her chic outfits, while those who’re not so fond of Meghan pointed out several things they thought were in poor taste.
Here is everything you need to know about the controversy surrounding Meghan’s weekend in Paris…
Why was Meghan Markle at Paris Fashion Week?
Meghan, who continues to use her Duchess of Sussex title, jetted off to Paris in support of Pierpaolo Piccioli.
This was his first show as creative director of Balenciaga after leaving Valentino in March 2024.
“Over the years, the duchess has worn a number of designs by Pierpaolo,” her spokesperson said.
“They have worked closely together collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage.”
The duchess stepped out in an all-white look from the label on October 4 to watch the designer’s runway debut.
After the show, she was seen embracing Pierpaolo backstage.
Meghan put in a second appearance on October 5 at the Balenciaga Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 show.
This time she wore a sleek black cape dress which was also a Balenciaga design.
Meghan has previously attended Fashion Week shows in New York City but this was her first time at the prestigious Paris event.
Why was Meghan Markle’s trip to Paris Fashion Week controversial?
After it was revealed that Meghan was in Paris on Instagram, she quickly fell out of fashion.
Social media users were quick to bring up the past controversies of Balenciaga and call Meghan out for behaviour they perceived as distasteful.
Balenciaga backlash
Meghan’s show of support for the label came three years after Balenciaga came under fire for two controversial campaigns.
One featured pictures of children who were holding teddy bears that were dressed in bondage-style leather outfits.
The fashion house quickly pulled the campaign and apologised.
“We strongly condemn child abuse; it was never our intent to include it in our narrative,” said a statement they shared on Instagram at the time.
With Pierpaolo making his debut for the label, the brand was, no doubt, hoping for a fresh start.
However, the past quickly caught up with them, placing Meghan in the firing line.
“The ‘duchess’ of hypocrisy: a lady who claims to defend the interests of children, going to a fashion show that ran a disgusting campaign with children,” wrote one social media user.
“Why on earth would she go to a Balenciaga show? How could any mother support that brand?” another added.
Video fall out
Since launching her Instagram account at the start of the year, Meghan has been sharing behind the scenes glimpses of her life.
And her Paris trip turned out to be no different, with videos showing her stepping out to the show and getting ready while eating French fries at her hotel.
One Instagram Story was slammed as being incredibly “distasteful”.
The video showed Meghan riding in a limo with her feet up on the seat.
It was taken as the car drove past the Pont Alexandre III and the Pont des Invalides bridges.
The bridges are located close to Pont d’Alma tunnel, where Princess Diana lost her life in 1997 in a car crash.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams blasted the “utterly bewildering” and “beyond stupid” moment from the duchess.
“I don’t understand what on earth she was thinking — well, she can’t have been thinking. No adviser would ever advise doing something so strange,” he told the Daily Mail.
One fan did come to the former actress’s defence, saying they didn’t think she meant anything by it.
“I don’t believe this was done w/ malicious intent?” she posted. I believe this was a human moment 4 a [woman] in heels ? Just saying.”
Screen comparisons
The last thing Meghan would have wanted while making her big fashion comeback is to become a meme.prince harry
However, a video she shared of herself leaving the first show has been compared to Zoolander.
The hit 2001 comedy, that starred Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, took a satirical look at the fashion industry.
“Meghan Markle trying to give Zoolander a run for his supermodel walk,” commented one social media user.
“Meghan, you’re not a model, they’re simply just walking you to your seat!” another added.
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