Surprise, surprise, Meghan Markle is under fire again from critics, and her upcoming Netflix special is involved. With Love, Meghan drew lots of attention when it was released on the 2025 TV schedule in spring, thanks to an awkward exchange with Mindy Kaling over her name, a viral one-pot pasta and lots of opinions about the duchess entering the lifestyle space. This time it’s a green dress that’s at the center of the brouhaha.
Meghan Markle’s series is returning to the Netflix schedule for the holidays, with a trailer for With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration showing a new batch of guests assisting the hostess with baking, decorating and spreading plenty of holiday cheer. However, one portion of the preview caused people to take pause when they recognized one of the dresses she was wearing:
This one-shoulder emerald green number appears to be the same one she wore in a 2022 issue of Variety, as she allegedly “took the dress from the shoot without asking,” according to a source for Page Six, which was reportedly for purposes of archiving her wardrobe as a royal.
The source confirmed rumors that the $1,695 Galvan “Ushuaia” gown had disappeared from the photoshoot, and a second source verified that Meghan Markle did end up in possession of the dress.
You can see one image of the dress in the fourth slide of the 2022 Variety post below:
As some begin to speak out about Prince Harry’s wife removing clothing from photoshoots, a third source for the trade is calling the entire situation a “misunderstanding” and saying that they understood this to be a common practice. They continued:
As a royal, she was required to archive all her looks. It was known that when things were pulled that they may not be returned.
Yet another insider, however, denies that this is part of royal protocol, calling it a “fib.”
Whether or not Meghan Markle was required by royal tradition, protocol or standard operating procedure to procure the $1,700 dress for her archives, the big issue seems to be the manner in which she took it. A fashion source explained:
[It’s] a weird thing to do without asking, since I doubt they would have said no. It’s not uncommon if talent loves something from a shoot that they ask to keep it or purchase it. They would normally be offered a discount if it's something the designer can’t part with or a sample that needs to be returned.
I’m personally not sure of what was done or how the gown ended up back in Meghan Markle’s closet, but if she did knowingly take a dress that wasn’t hers to keep without asking, wouldn’t it be strange to then wear it on Netflix?
But, I understand there are things that can’t be explained, like why photos of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attending Kris Jenner’s birthday party were deleted from social media or why fans are upset that Meghan Markle uses expensive cookware on With Love, Meghan or why anyone would need a candle that smells like her royal wedding (OK, if it smells good, I do understand that one).
With Love, Meghan has been popular on Netflix (though not as popular as Suits), even if controversy never strays far from the duchess. Tune into her Holiday Celebration when it premieres Wednesday, December 3, with a Netflix subscription.
