Meghan Markle was reportedly gifted thousands of pounds of free clothing by her former pal Victoria Beckham but the unofficial endorsement backfired for the former Spice Girl.
The Daily Mirror Royal Editor Russell Myers discusses a feud between Meghan Markle and Victoria Beckham.
“There are certainly more pressing things going on in the world than worrying about who’s richer or not than you, but these are the things that might occupy Harry and Meghan’s minds,” Mr Myers told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio.
“When you look at the success of what could have been for Harry and Meghan, it’s a real shame they went down the avenue of maybe chasing the dollar rather than chasing the duty.”
Victoria, 50, and her husband David, 49, were once part of the Sussexes’ star-studded social circle and attended Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding alongside the likes of George and Amal Clooney, and Oprah Winfrey.
The friendship hit the rocks not long after the Sussexes left the royal family in 2020, allegedly because Meghan accused Victoria of leaking stories to the press, which left her husband David “furious”.
In his new release House of Beckham, royal author Tom Bower revealed that the former Spice Girl gifted the Duchess of Sussex a ransom in free designer clothing for the then-working royal to wear publicly.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex wearing Victoria Beckham in 2019 while still a working royal. Picture: AP.
“Victoria agreed to provide a coat, dress, boots and a handbag worth £6,000 to Meghan for the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas Day parade in Sandringham,” he wrote.
“Later, Meghan wore a Beckham custom-made pregnancy outfit and a white coat and dress for a service in Westminster Abbey.”
However, he pointed out that it did not translate into great publicity for the Beckham fashion brand, adding:
“The financial benefit was nil.
“The only success in 2019 was a £1,400 handbag that had been displayed by Meghan.”
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Meghan reportedly accused the Spice Girl of leaking to the press. Pictures: Getty.
Victoria founded her eponymous designer clothing line in 2008 to much fanfare from celebrities and the media but the venture has reportedly struggled to turn a profit for every year of its existence.
According to Mr Bower, the failed endorsement deal was not related to the later demise of the Beckham-Sussex friendship, which reportedly began because Meghan grew jealous of Victoria’s wealth.
“(Meghan) was irritated to discover that the Beckhams had considerably more wealth than herself,” he wrote.
“They owned five homes, had constant access to private jets, invitations to sail on yachts and much more money.
Tom Bower believes the demise of the friendship was linked to Meghan feeling “above” Victoria after marrying Harry in 2018. Picture by Gareth Fuller – WPA/Getty Images.
“And she was soon to be a duchess.”
The revelations come months after entertainment journalist Kinsey Schofield claimed designer brands are steering clear of Meghan and Harry because of the “toxicity associated with their brand”.
“Dior has said no we’re not working with Meghan,” Ms Schofield told Sky News Australia last year.
“A stylist in LA said, ‘over my body would I connect Meghan with my high-profile couture clients.’”
Kinsey Schofield has claimed Meghan is not in demand by designer brands despite her royal title. Picture by Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images.
While Meghan’s endorsement reportedly did little for Beckham’s clothing line, the Duchess of Sussex was credited with reviving the fortunes of Aussie handbag label Oroton.
The newly minted Duchess of Sussex gave the Australian heritage brand a lifeline when she carried one of their bags during a royal engagement in 2018.
Her endorsement helped lift Oroton’s sales at a time when they were in dire financial straits and filing for bankruptcy.