They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but sometimes, it can also feel a little awkward or borderline annoying, especially when other factors are considered, such as timing. This is what happened to Meghan Markle and her latest fashion choice because, unfortunately, many found her gesture of recreating one of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana’s most iconic casual looks eyebrow-raising.
Over the weekend, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, decided to pay homage to her husband’s late mother. Markle took to her Instagram Stories to share a glimpse of her relaxing in her garden. In the clips she uploaded, she’s seen frolicking among her blossoming plants and watering them. She revealed in her caption that she was enjoying “a small break from work to soak in the weekend.”
However, it wasn’t her gardening skills that caught the attention of her followers and fans. Instead, it was the purple Northwestern University sweatshirt she was donning in one clip as it’s identical to the one the former Princess of Wales famously wore back in 1996. The $75 sweatshirt was so similar that many caught on quickly and assumed what the Duchess was trying to do — paying tribute to Diana.
The late royal had received the same shirt as a gift the year before her demise during a fundraising visit to the Illinois-based school. She made it iconic by pairing it with white biker shorts, sneakers, and a Gucci bag outside London’s Chelsea Harbour Club. T
After seeing Markle’s homage to her mother-in-law, Tatler shared a side-by-side comparison of Markle and Diana on X, captioning it, “Meghan Markle recreates one of Princess Diana’s most iconic looks in a poignant tribute to her late mother-in-law.” Though the comparison photos received positive responses from some royal fans, many found it bizarre that the Duchess did it recently amid all the negative press surrounding her and Prince Harry’s public engagements and projects.
Meghan Markle recreates one of Princess Diana's most iconic looks in a blatant attempt to exploit to her late mother-in-law for publicity for her failing brand.
— MoG1717 (@mog1717) February 25, 2025
Fixed it for you.
“Blatant attempt to exploit her late mother-in-law for publicity,” one critic snapped in response to Tatler’s post. Another chimed in, “The fact that there’s a press release about this means she planned it.” Meanwhile, one more skeptical user remarked, “I mean, to be fair, she did go to Northwestern. We all subliminally know why she’s doing it, but it’s sadly one she can sort of get away with. Agree that her intent is obvious, however.”
This wasn’t the first time Markle channeled Princess Diana through her fashion choices. In 2021, she wore the late princess’s Cartier diamond tennis bracelet to the Salute to Freedom Gala with Prince Harry. And in August 2023, she rocked Diana’s gold butterfly earrings during a trip to Colombia.
But now, her latest Diana-inspired moment came amid the major drama surrounding her new Netflix show and her business venture. Her show, With Love, Meghan, has been delayed in the wake of the California wildfires, and she recently rebranded her lifestyle company American Riviera Orchard to As Ever after running into trademark issues.
Meghan Markle is so desperate for attention, because everything she has done has been a complete failure. That is why she is copying Lady Diana's outfits. One very disturbed individual.
— Snowhite❄️🇳🇿❄️🇬🇧❄️🇳🇴❄️ (@Mountainlady7) February 25, 2025
The name change also sparked even more controversy since a Spanish politician is now considering legal action over Markle’s alleged use of a coat of arms design, while a New York clothing brand owner with the same name isn’t backing down either. As such, many social media users felt that channeling Diana was Markle’s tactic to steal the attention away from the negative press.
Published: Feb 25, 2025 05:44 am