Meghan Markle has admitted she invited herself to Balenciaga‘s Paris Fashion Week show last month in a new interview.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, told Harper’s Bazaar about how she ‘reached out’ to Pierpaolo Piccioli, the then-newly appointed creative director, and said she was ‘happy to come and support you’ ahead of the event.
Meghan caused a stir online when she was pictured arriving for Mr Piccioli’s first Balenciaga presentation in Paris on October 5.
The trip marked Meghan’s first time back in Europe since 2023.
The mother-of-two cut a stylish figure in a white oversized button-through ensemble with an incorporated cape, as she was seen arriving front row for the show.
However, her catwalk debut did not go as smoothly as the Duchess may have hoped, after footage of her sharing an awkward kiss with Mr Piccioli – before butting heads with him – was shared online.
Despite the faux pas, Meghan insisted her Paris trip was ‘really fun’ in her interview with Harper’s Bazaar.
Meghan added she was ‘really excited’ for the Italian designer, who she has known for many years, and wanted to ‘support’ him ahead of his first show for the label.
Meghan Markle has admitted she invited herself to Balenciaga ‘s Paris Fashion Week show last month in a new interview
After previously claiming her attendance was ‘the culmination of many years of artistry and friendship’ with Balenciaga’s newly appointed creative director, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, told Harper’s Bazaar she ‘reached out’ to Pierpaolo Piccioli ahead of the show
‘I was excited for him,’ the Duchess reflected on her Parisian night out. ‘I reached out and I said, “Happy to come and support you.”
‘We kept it a secret, and it was really fun,’ Meghan continued.
A spokesperson for the Duchess previously said Meghan and Mr Piccioli have ‘worked closely together collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage’.
The legendary couturier, on the other hand, simply said they ‘met some years ago’ and have been ‘texting’ when asked about his friendship with the Duchess.
In an interview with The Cut, he explained how Meghan reached out and ‘said she’d love to come to the show’ and also addressed the frenzy around Meghan’s appearance, saying ‘there was no strategy or orchestration’.
Before he was picked to succeed Demna at Balenciaga, Mr Piccioli was Valentino’s creative director from 2008 until 2024, including serving jointly with Maria Grazia Chiuri for eight of those 16 years.
In a media blast yesterday, the Duchess shared the trailer for her upcoming Netflix Christmas special hours before she was revealed as the cover star for Harper’s Bazaar’s ‘winter issue’ on the magazine’s social media accounts.
Meghan went barefaced as she posed for the cover, as it appeared the Duchess ditched makeup for the shoot.
She was dressed in a low-cut, black silk blazer from Dior, as the magazine’s cover was titled, ‘Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Meets her Moment.’
Meghan was recently revealed as the cover star for Harper’s Bazaar’s December/January issue
The Duchess also modelled a Balenciaga creation for the spread, as she showed off a stunning sleeveless red dress, with a dramatic cape over one shoulder, from the luxury design house.
During the interview, she gushed about her husband Prince Harry, adding ‘no one in the world loves me more than him’.
Speaking with her hand held to her heart when describing the Duke of Sussex, Meghan said: ‘He loves me so boldly, fully, and he also has a different perspective because he sees media that I wouldn’t.
‘No one in the world loves me more than him, so I know he’s always going to make sure that he has my back. You have someone who just has this childlike wonder and playfulness. I was so drawn to that, and he brought that out in me’.
It was also revealed that Meghan is announced like royalty to her guests.
Writer Kaitlyn Greenidge explained that the interview was conducted in two parts at the Beverly Hills Hotel and at the home of one of Meghan’s unnamed friends.
‘When I enter, the house manager announces, “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,” even though we appear to be the only other two people in the house,’ Ms Greenidge noted, with a sense of bemusement.
She also reflected on juggling her personal life as a mother to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet with her business ventures, including her lifestyle brand As Ever, as Meghan declared ‘I too get to make mistakes’.
Discussing learning from imperfect moments, she shared: ‘You learn not to do it again.
‘If it all goes swimmingly, you don’t learn from it. If you don’t learn anything, you’re not going to grow.’
Meghan caused a stir online when she was pictured arriving for Mr Piccioli’s first Balenciaga presentation in Paris on October 5
She wore two custom Balenciaga outfits for her catwalk debut, including a black dress with a cape draped over her left shoulder
‘I’m a mom with kids at that age where they are constantly learning something new. I watch them face things that feel completely insurmountable every day.
‘But you can remember and say, “I know it seems really hard right now, but trust me, that’s going to come so easily soon”. I can give myself the same grace as a founder. There’s no such thing as perfect. I, too, get to make mistakes.’
The As Ever founder added that she likes being able to ‘do both’ – balance motherhood and her career.
‘I think the moment that you start making all of your personal decisions based on external judgment, then you lose your authenticity,’ she said.
Meghan added that her boundaries became ‘stronger’ once she was in the ‘public eye.’
‘You find different ways to protect yourself, whether that’s self-preservation or it’s just growing up,’ she told the outlet.
Elsewhere in the story, the writer, Kaitlyn Greenidge, also interviewed two of Meghan’s famous friends – tennis player Serena Williams and entrepreneur Kelly Zajfen.
Williams gushed about how easy it is to talk to Meghan.
The Duchess also modelled a Balenciaga creation for the spread, as she showed off a stunning sleeveless red dress, with a dramatic cape over one shoulder, from the luxury design house
‘We love a good mimosa,’ Williams told the outlet. ‘We could talk for a hundred hours, and it feels like 10 minutes go by, and it’s like we never stop smiling.’
Zajfen added about the former Suits star, ‘She’s funny. I think maybe that’s surprising to people.’
Zajfen also shared how supportive Meghan had been of her and her family after her nine-year-old son had passed away from Covid-19 and viral meningitis in 2022.
Meghan’s appearance on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar comes after she was featured on the digital cover of New York Magazine’s The Cut in 2022.
In the story, she posed for multiple photos from her home in Montecito, California, where she lives with Prince Harry and their two children.
