PARIS, France - Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, may have hoped to join the ranks of Dior's glamorous ambassadors, such as Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, and Anya Taylor-Joy. But the French fashion house has poured cold water on the rumors that Markle was close to signing a deal with them, saying there have been no talks or contact with the former royal.
The gossip mill went into overdrive after Markle's husband Prince Harry showed up in a Dior suit at his father King Charles's coronation, sparking speculation that Markle's talent agency in Hollywood, William Morris Endeavor (WME), was negotiating a lucrative fashion contract for her in a bid to salvage her reputation and revenue amid backlash over her and Harry's rift with the British royal family and their exit from Spotify.
Markle has a history of wearing Dior for some of her most memorable moments as a working royal, such as the Royal Air Force's 100th birthday celebration, a royal tour of Morocco, and her son Archie's christening. She also rocked Dior for the national service of thanksgiving during Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee and for Queen Elizabeth's funeral.
Dior is no stranger to dressing royals, having had a special bond with Princess Diana, who loved the French fashion house so much that they named one of their bags after her. Dior also clothed Dior called "a real fairy princess, delicate, graceful, exquisite" in his memoir.
But Dior already has plenty of star power on its roster, including actors Robert Pattinson and Johnny Deep, tennis sensation Emma Raducanu, and Blackpink's Jisoo. For its latest campaign for its Lady 95.22 bag, Dior featured a diverse and impressive group of women from various fields, such as Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes had already denied the story about Markle's possible Dior deal to the Telegraph. The rebuttal comes after Spotify and the Sussexes parted ways over Meghan's podcast Archetypes. Spotify and Archewell Audio said they ''have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together", and a representative from WME said "Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform"
