According to reports, Macdonald did not hold back in lambasting the Duchess during a radio interview, calling her a fake Royal and Z-lister unfit to be associated with his high-end brand. For those unaware, Julien Macdonald is a household name in the fashion world—an elite British designer who has dressed countless celebrities, socialites, and even members of the royal family over the years. He's known for creating show-stopping couture gowns and dressing red carpet events. So it was quite a coup when Meghan wore one of his dresses during her and Harry's royal tour of South Africa back in 2019. However, it seems not all was well behind the scenes between Meghan and Macdonald.
Fast forward to last month when the designer appeared on a popular London radio program. During the candid chat, host Pandora Christie asked Julien about renowned clients he's dressed, name-dropping Meghan Markle. But to everyone's shock, Macdonald did not hold back with his scathing assessment of the Duchess. He essentially called her a fake Royal and Z-lister celebrity who isn't even worthy of being mentioned alongside the true elites he's created red carpet magic for.
Macdonald went on angry rants about how Meghan likes to play dress-up, pretending she's an A-lister on the world stage when in reality she has no status or talent to achieve such heights. He said the only royal connection she had was through marriage, which is now severed. According to Macdonald, dressing Meghan was merely for publicity, but she doesn't represent the glamour and pedigree of his brand. He complained she mistreated his team during fittings and failed to show proper gratitude like his esteemed clients do. Macdonald accused Meghan of being full of herself and acting like a diva just because she married into the royal family for a short time. Yikes, he definitely didn't hold back.
Naturally, these explosive claims went viral online, and royal fans were shocked by his public humiliation of the Duchess. Many agree his critiques seem harshly personal for just a dress she wore years ago. However, others feel if Meghan mistreated staff as alleged, such entitled behavior validates Macdonald's displeasure in representing her now. Either way, it was drama of Alexander Schulman-Piers Morgan level for the fashion community.
In a follow-up statement, Macdonald's team clarified he simply does not have any current association with Meghan and works exclusively with true elites. They insisted his comments were not meant as a personal attack but rather speaking frankly about experiences in his high-end industry. However, most agree it's clear the designer has zero interest in collaborating with Meghan again after calling her a fake Royal and Z-lister.
Interestingly, Meghan is rarely seen wearing established luxury brands these days, opting more for affordable, sustainable clothing instead—a noted departure from her royal tenure. Could Macdonald's excoriation and lack of future support be influencing her approach, or was she determined regardless to represent accessibility post-royal life? Either way, the fashion world fallout from this incident suggests Meghan may face uphill battles gaining traction with A-list designers again.
Of course, many are defending Meghan, saying she's facing continued unfair media bullying worse than other royals ever experienced. They argue she shouldn't be judged by outfits worn years ago or held to unreasonable standards. However, others feel if there are consistent credibility issues being reported from those who directly work with her, it warrants discussion, not cover-ups. As with other controversies, reasonable perspectives exist on both sides.
At the end of the day, renowned figures like Macdonald have freedom of speech to share their truth. His professional image and credibility are what make his opinion carry weight. Clearly, the Duchess is still polarizing globally even after distancing from royal duties. The key now seems for both Meghan and critics to take the high road in moving forward productively and for the Sussexes to better manage impressions of their post-royal brand moving ahead.
