Talk about a party foul.<\/p>\n
Balenciaga designer Pierpaolo Piccioli has revealed that Meghan Markle invited herself to his Paris Fashion Week show earlier this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeghan and I met some years ago, and we\u2019ve been texting ever since,\u201d Piccioli, 58, told The Cut<\/a> on Saturday, Oct. 11. \u201cShe reached out and said she\u2019d love to come to the show.\u201d<\/p>\n Meghan Markle during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on Oct. 4, 2025. \/ SplashNews.com<\/p>\n Markle and Pierpaolo Piccioli hug ahead of Balenciaga\u2019s Paris Fashion Week show on Oct. 4, 2025. @saintleon\/TikTok<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no strategy or big orchestration,\u201d he continued. \u201cI didn\u2019t tell anyone she was coming because I wanted it to stay a surprise. In fashion, real surprises are rare, and this one was beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n The Duchess of Sussex, 44, surprised Paris Fashion Week attendees on Oct. 4 when she showed up at the Balenciaga show<\/a> in a white, button-down tunic with a cape and matching slacks.<\/p>\n Markle\u2019s rep told People<\/a> at the time that the \u201cSuits\u201d alum was in Paris to \u201csupport\u201d Piccioli, who was debuting his first collection with the brand since becoming its creative director back in July.<\/p>\n The Duchess of Sussex at the Balenciaga fashion show during Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 4, 2025. Best Image \/ BACKGRID<\/p>\n \u201cOver the years, the Duchess has worn a number of designs by Pierpaolo,\u201d Markle\u2019s spokesperson explained. \u201cThey have worked closely together, collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe has long admired his craftsmanship and modern elegance, and tonight was no different,\u201d they continued. \u201cThis evening reflects the culmination of many years of artistry and friendship, reflected in her support for his new creative chapter at Balenciaga.\u201d<\/p>\n But Prince Harry\u2019s wife quickly faced backlash for walking the runway<\/a> in support of Balenciaga, which came under fire three years ago for a campaign featuring children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage-style outfits.<\/p>\n Markle leaving her hotel on her way to the Balenciaga show during Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 4, 2025. Diggzy \/ BACKGRID<\/p>\n Meghan Markle making her Paris Fashion Week debut in Paris, France, on Oct. 4, 2025. \/ SplashNews.com<\/p>\n Markle and Prince Harry in New York City on Oct. 9, 2025. Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n The brand was forced to issue an apology<\/a> at the time, stating that they \u201cstrongly condemn child abuse\u201d and that \u201cit was never our intent to include it in our narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n Markle and Prince Harry, 41, share two children: Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2018duchess\u2019 of hypocrisy: a lady who claims to defend the interests of children, going to a fashion show that ran a disgusting campaign with children,\u201d\u00a0one critic wrote on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy on earth would she go to a Balenciaga show?\u201d questioned another. \u201cHow could any mother support that brand?\u201d<\/p>\n Pierpaolo Piccioli attends the Luigi & Iango Unveiled Exhibition Opening at Palazzo Reale in Milan, Italy, on September 21, 2023. Getty Images for Luigi & Iango<\/p>\n \u201cIrony a cancelled woman turns up for a cancelled brand,\u201d fumed a third. \u201cWhat is a mother thinking attending a fashion show of a house which used child models posing with fetish-themed teddy bears?\u201d<\/p>\n Markle, meanwhile, also came under fire during Paris Fashion Week for bursting out into a fit of laughter while sitting front row at the designer label\u2019s spring-summer 2026 show.<\/p>\n Some speculated she was reacting to a model who had tripped on the runway.<\/p>\n Markle and Piccioli during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on Oct. 4, 2025. @saintleon\/TikTok<\/p>\n \u201cAt one point, [Markle] sat on the front row, and a model tripped,\u201d Mail on Sunday\u2019s Charlotte Griffiths told GB News. \u201cShe burst out laughing. And then she obviously realized that was quite a cruel thing to do, so she sort of covered it up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe did seem a little bit out of place in Paris, if I\u2019m going to be honest,\u201d Griffiths added. \u201cShe seemed a bit nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n However, a rep for the Netflix star later\u00a0told Daily Mail\u00a0that Markle was not laughing at the model.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t