Meghan Markle invited herself to Paris Fashion Week: Balenciaga designer

Talk about a party foul.

Balenciaga designer Pierpaolo Piccioli has revealed that Meghan Markle invited herself to his Paris Fashion Week show earlier this month.

“Meghan and I met some years ago, and we’ve been texting ever since,” Piccioli, 58, told The Cut on Saturday, Oct. 11. “She reached out and said she’d love to come to the show.”

“There was no strategy or big orchestration,” he continued. “I didn’t tell anyone she was coming because I wanted it to stay a surprise. In fashion, real surprises are rare, and this one was beautiful.”

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, surprised Paris Fashion Week attendees on Oct. 4 when she showed up at the Balenciaga show in a white, button-down tunic with a cape and matching slacks.

Markle’s rep told People at the time that the “Suits” alum was in Paris to “support” Piccioli, who was debuting his first collection with the brand since becoming its creative director back in July.

“Over the years, the Duchess has worn a number of designs by Pierpaolo,” Markle’s spokesperson explained. “They have worked closely together, collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage.”

“She has long admired his craftsmanship and modern elegance, and tonight was no different,” they continued. “This evening reflects the culmination of many years of artistry and friendship, reflected in her support for his new creative chapter at Balenciaga.”

But Prince Harry’s wife quickly faced backlash for walking the runway in support of Balenciaga, which came under fire three years ago for a campaign featuring children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage-style outfits.

The brand was forced to issue an apology at the time, stating that they “strongly condemn child abuse” and that “it was never our intent to include it in our narrative.”

Markle and Prince Harry, 41, share two children: Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.

“The ‘duchess’ of hypocrisy: a lady who claims to defend the interests of children, going to a fashion show that ran a disgusting campaign with children,” one critic wrote on Instagram.

“Why on earth would she go to a Balenciaga show?” questioned another. “How could any mother support that brand?”

“Irony a cancelled woman turns up for a cancelled brand,” fumed a third. “What is a mother thinking attending a fashion show of a house which used child models posing with fetish-themed teddy bears?”

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’s spring-summer 2026 show.

Some speculated she was reacting to a model who had tripped on the runway.

“At one point, [Markle] sat on the front row, and a model tripped,” Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffiths told GB News. “She burst out laughing. And then she obviously realized that was quite a cruel thing to do, so she sort of covered it up.”

“She did seem a little bit out of place in Paris, if I’m going to be honest,” Griffiths added. “She seemed a bit nervous.”

However, a rep for the Netflix star later told Daily Mail that Markle was not laughing at the model.