The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently announced they were parting ways with Spotify
After parting ways with Spotify, Meghan Markle is allegedly seeking a deal made fit for a duchess — and she may have her eyes set on one couture house.
An unnamed Beverly Hills socialite alleged to The Mail on Sunday that the Duchess of Sussex is in the process of penning a deal with Dior to "re-invent" her image. The source insisted that the possible bid from her talent agency, William Morris Endeavor, is "all anyone is talking about."
A spokesperson for the 41-year-old, WME and Dior didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
"Meghan and Dior would seem like a logical fit," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital. "It's a very tentative first step into the endorsement world and a very upscale one at that."
An unnamed Beverly Hills socialite alleged to The Mail on Sunday that Meghan Markle was gearing up to sign a deal with Dior. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
"Appearing in glossy ads for a haute couture house like Dior isn't likely to shake things up the way the Duchess of York did when she started doing commercials for Weight Watchers," Andersen shared. "By the way, Fergie also had endorsement deals with Wedgwood, Avon, and Charles Schwab - not to mention a whole series of book and TV deals - so there's precedent for what the Sussexes are doing."
Andersen noted that if the mother of two has chosen "to cash in" following her royal exit, then it’s smart to do just that before her "star begins to fade."
From left: French actress Isabelle Adjani, Hélène Arnault and Princess Diana attend the 50th anniversary of The House of Dior at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. (Stephane Cardinale/Sygma via Getty Images)
"And why not go all the way?" he argued. "It's not hard to imagine Meghan as the face of L’Oréal or even Harry flashing a Rolex in one of those full-page ads in Vanity Fair or better yet, hawking a Cartier tank watch like the one his mother Princess Diana used to wear."
Meghan Markle wore Dior for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
But not so fast. A source at the French fashion house denied rumors of an imminent deal to The Telegraph. According to the outlet, the source noted that reports crowning a new "Duchess of Dior" has left the team in Paris "nonplussed as to how the story came about."
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also told the outlet that the story isn’t true.
But there is reason to believe that Dior would be an ideal fit for the former "Suits" star. Her love for the brand has been well-documented over the years. For her son Prince Archie’s christening in July 2019, she opted for a white Dior day dress. That same year during her royal tour of Morocco, she chose a crème Dior gown. For Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, she wore head-to-toe Dior. And for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022, she wore a Stephen Jones for Dior hat.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
During her royal tour of Morocco in 2019, Meghan Markle wore a Dior dress. (Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Her husband has also donned Dior for engagements. Prince Harry wore a suit by the brand for his father’s coronation in May, as well as for his recent court appearances, the outlet pointed out. A source close to the couple told the outlet that the Duke of Sussex inherited his "long-existing relationship with the house from his mother" and that he "likes working with Dior, and wearing their clothes."
Dior’s relationship with the British royal family goes further back beyond Princess Diana, the outlet revealed. Christian Dior himself was said to be "infatuated" by Princess Margaret’s hourglass figure. The late queen’s sister became an inspiration for the designer. She went on to routinely wear his pieces.
Other royal families have developed "special relationships" with Dior in more recent years, the outlet reported. Queen Rania of Jordan wore Dior Couture for both of her children’s weddings this spring. Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Princess Olympia of Greece, Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Lady Amelia Windsor — Harry’s cousin — are all admirers of Dior.
French couturier Christian Dior is seen here showing Princess Margaret his Paris showroom. (Mike Lawn/Getty Images)
Andersen noted that a partnership with Markle can be done — but it won’t escape scrutiny.
"Harry and Meghan have to maintain a certain taste level, of course, to avoid sullying their brand," Andersen explained. "They can always make the case that part of the proceeds go to helping save elephants or something. But there's bound to be blowback no matter what they do."
"I would imagine King Charles won't like the look of it, but the Sussexes have crossed the Rubicon as far as the royal family is concerned," he shared. "If they're going to rake in millions to find their new life in the U.S., they might as well get on with it."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently announced they were parting ways with Spotify. It's unclear whether their podcast ‘Archetypes' will secure a new home. ( DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
And the couple needs a new paycheck. It was recently announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were parting ways with Spotify less than a year after the Season 1 premiere of their podcast "Archetypes."
In December 2020, the couple signed a three-year podcasting deal that, according to industry sources, was worth between $15 million to $18 million, Forbes reported. Some reports indicated that the deal was worth as much as $25 million.
"Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together," a joint statement from Spotify and Archewell sent to FOX Business said.
In 2018, Meghan Markle wore a navy Dior dress with a boatneck neckline paired with a Stephen Jones fascinator. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Markle became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018. The couple stepped away from royal duties in 2020 over what they described as intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media toward the duchess. They have since relocated to the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito, California.
Following their royal exit, the couple garnered several high-profile deals. In September 2020, they signed a five-year $100 million contract with Netflix to produce documentaries, films, scripted shows and children’s programming, Forbes reported.
According to the outlet, Harry is rumored to have received a $20 million advance for his memoir "Spare," which was published in January. The tell-all sold more than 1.4 million copies on its release day. It became the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time, according to Guinness World Records.
Prince Harry recently sported Dior for his ongoing court battles. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
"The Sussexes may be more valuable as unofficial ambassadors than official ones," British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital about the Dior rumors.
Fordwich said there was "considerable speculation" after Harry appeared at the coronation wearing the brand.
"After the Dior promotion the speculation was directed at whether part of the reason he showed up for just 26 hours was to receive a Dior check," she said. "Then recently, Prince Harry donned a Dior shirt, distinctive due to the embroidered golden bee on the torso, for his High Court case.
For Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, Meghan Markle wore a black Stephen Jones for Dior hat paired with a Stella McCartney cape dress. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
"He may simply have agreed with Dior that they could use images of his suit, and maybe he entirely footed the bill for it, but for a duke to allow the coronation to be leveraged for merchandise marketing purposes is unfitting, pun intended, of a blood royal," she claimed. "Not the least of which is that he could have worn a British designer… why not put a no-name young, disadvantaged designer on the map by wearing a new line?"
Fordwich said that business-wise, signing on the Sussexes would be a no-brainer for Dior. However, she wondered if the couple’s image would help the brand in the long term.
"Budweiser is a good example of how polarizing a product isn’t good for the bottom line," she added.
PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE COURT JAMES CORDEN WITH NEW LATE-NIGHT CAMEO, MONTECITO VISIT
Prince Harry attended his father's coronation in May wearing Dior. (Andy Stenning/Pool via REUTERS)
All eyes will continue to be on the Sussexes and their next move as non-working royals. They reside in California with their two young children.
Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson, Tracy Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.
