The Duchess of Sussex fell out with one of her favourite fashion designers after his office accidentally contacted the Princess of Wales' stylist at Kensington Palace to ask for the return of dresses loaned to Meghan, it has been claimed. French designer Roland Mouret claims Meghan was furious after the blunder exposed the private arrangement under which she had been borrowing and returning designer clothes.
Fallout revealed in memoir
The fallout is revealed in Mouret's memoir, in which he describes how a member of his team mistakenly contacted Kate's stylist instead of Meghan's to arrange for the dresses to be sent back.
Meghan, who has often been photographed wearing Mouret's designs and was most recently seen in one on Instagram earlier this year, was said to have been so embarrassed by the mix-up that she called the designer directly to complain.
Designer's account of the dispute
Mouret writes: "Meghan and Harry's relationship became public. Then the same team member who had sent the clothes for Meghan decided, in an honest attempt to be efficient, to call Kate's stylist at the palace and ask for Meghan's dresses to be returned. Meghan was furious and called me."
The designer claims he tried to smooth things over, explaining that it had been an innocent mistake. He recalls telling her: "Meghan, it was just a mistake by someone who didn't know. My apologies. I know it's not good for you and you want to do things privately."
But according to Mouret, Meghan was having none of it, replying: "You don't realise what you've done! You've embarrassed me... You know now I can never wear your clothes again."
Copycat design and friendship's end
Mouret also claims in his book that Meghan went on to wear a copy of one of his designs in public. "The following year, I saw a photo of her out in a cheap high street copy of one of my designs. I messaged her: 'I can understand if you don't wear my stuff, but if it's to wear a cheap copy then that's ridiculous. Come back,'" he wrote.
The pair first met in 2015 during the opening of Soho House in Istanbul. As Meghan later recalled in a 2016 interview, Mouret—who was wearing a bathrobe at the time—struck up a conversation and told her, "I'd love to dress you," sparking a friendship. Meghan, who was starring in the TV show Suits, became a big fan of Mouret's work.
But their relationship suffered a rupture shortly after Meghan and Harry's relationship became public. Despite the claims of feud detailed in the memoir, royal observers note that the Duchess has actually been photographed wearing Mouret designs in the years since the incident.
