Not one, not two, but three guests at the royal wedding wore a dress featured in Lifetime’s made-for-TV movie Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, leaving some people questioning whether the fashion faux pas was really a coincidence – or an intentional dig.
An estimated 29 million Americans watched Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say ‘I do’ on Saturday, and one eagle-eyed Twitter user spotted two different women donning the same $580 Self-Portrait dress that actress Parisa Fitz-Henley wore while portraying Meghan Markle in the television movie.
Fashion blogger Michaela O’Shaughnessy shared a photo of one of the guests arriving, tweeting: ‘OMG one of the guests is wearing the same outfit from when Meghan met the queen in the Lifetime movie! #RoyalWedding.’
Awkward: Three royal wedding guests (R) donned the dress actress Parisa Fitz-Henley wore while portraying Meghan Markle in Lifetime’s movie Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance (L)
Seeing double: Fashion blogger Michaela O’Shaughnessy shared a photo of one of the guests arriving wearing the $580 dress by Self-Portrait
Double trouble: The Twitter user later shared a photo of another female attendee wearing the very same dress
Third time’s a charm! Another woman was seen wearing the same design in a reverse colorway, with a navy design printed on a white background
However, she quickly realized that someone else was also sporting the very same frock featured in the film inspired by Harry and Meghan’s romance.
‘Update: I just spotted another woman wearing the same dress! #MyWorstFear #RoyalWedding,’ she added while sharing a photo of the second wedding guest.
A beady-eyed follower who tweets under the name of @itsMegha then responded to say that she had seen a third woman wearing the design – this time in the reverse coloring; instead of navy with a white pattern, this woman opted for white with a navy pattern.
In the movie, Parisa’s character wears the original navy and white pleated midi dress to meet Queen Elizabeth II (Maggie Sullivun) for the first time, but it’s unclear what came first for the three royal wedding guests: the movie or the choice of dress.
In a subsequent tweet shared in the comments section of her post, Michaela admitted that she was ‘honestly embarrassed’ that she noticed; however, she wasn’t alone.
‘I can never remember if I locked the front door, but for some reason that outfit is stuck in my memory,’ one person tweeted.
Big moment: In the movie, Meghan (Parisa Fitz-Henley) wears the dress to meet Queen Elizabeth II (Maggie Sullivun) with Prince Harry (Murray Fraser)
Added touch: One unidentified female attendee paired the navy and white dress with a large fascinator featuring a bright red flower
Custom fit: The woman wore a full-length version of the pleated midi dress
‘I saw the dark haired woman, walking to the chapel with a man, some of the earliest to arrive. I did a double take when I spotted the blonde,’ someone else added.
‘I can only imagine them running into each other. Now they are in a “Who Wore It Best” three-way with a movie lol.’
Another person applauded Michaela for her keen observation, tweeting: ‘Nothing escapes the sleepless eyes of the Internet… well done.’
Actor Jemaine Clement tried to identify one of the women as Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie, but the one half the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords was later corrected.
‘Anyone with a funny hat is Eugenie to me,’ he explained, referencing the avant-garde fascinators that the princess has worn over the years.
Twitter user Jen Dalton also commented on the matching outfits on social media, writing: ‘Watching the #RoyalWedding I’ve seen two different women wear the same dress from the Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance Lifetime movie when Meghan met the Queen.’
Accessories: The other unidentified woman paired her dress with a white fascinator and dangling earrings
Different look: The female attendee’s dress was mid length, and she paired it with delicate flats
Meet and greet: The woman was seen shaking hands with fellow guests before the wedding started
Inspiration: The crochet and pleated dress is by Self-Portrait, a brand that the real-life Meghan has worn in the past
While some people found the outfit choices to be incredibly awkward, others thought it may have been an intentional insult.
‘Omg this people throw the stealthiest of shade!’ Natalia Provatas commented.
However, it could have easily been a coincidence, as Claudia Da Ponte, the Lifetime movie’s lead costume designer, wanted to keep the outfits worn by the character of Meghan as ‘authentic as possible.’
Claudia told Fashionista that she created a timeline of Meghan’s real-life outfits by coordinating press clips, video footage, and fashion credits shared by Meghan Markle fan sites.
She also looked to the former Suits actress’ social media accounts before they were shuttered in January.
Candid: In a subsequent tweet shared in the comments section of her post, Michaela admitted that she was embarrassed that she recognized the dress
No shame here: Others agreed that they can’t stop thinking about the dress either
‘Well done’: One person applauded her for her efforts, tweeting: ‘Nothing escapes the sleepless eyes of the Internet’
Funny: One woman joked that the women ‘are in a “Who Wore It Best” three-way with a movie’
Intentional dig? While some people found the outfit choices to be incredibly awkward, others thought it may have been an intentional insult
Good point: One person joked that the outfit choice was an example of dressing ‘for the job you want’
‘We were able to piece together a timeline of roughly what she wore and then, basically, we used brands she actually wears in real life and we just tried to match everything to reality as much as we could,’ she explained.
Meghan and Prince Harry — now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — tied the knot at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on Saturday after months of speculation about who would design her wedding gown.
While couture label Ralph & Russo was touted as the hot favorite, the bride nodded to her husband’s heritage and her self-proclaimed feminist ideals by choosing British designer Clare Waight Keller, who joined the house of Givenchy last year as its first female artistic director.
Featuring an open bateau neckline and a triple silk organza underskirt, Meghan paired the minimalistic design with the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau tiara, which was made in 1932 and features a center detachable brooch made of ten diamonds dating back to 1893.
Her 16-foot Cathedral length veil was also a nod to British heritage and featured a trim of hand-embroidered flowers from each of the 53 counties in the Commonwealth.
Big day: Meghan, 36, wore an elegant Givenchy gown by British designer Clare Waight Keller to say ‘I do’ to Prince Harry, 33, on Saturday
Just as stunning: The newly-minted Duchess of Sussex changed into white silk crepe gown featuring a high collar designed by Stella McCartney for the evening reception
Designer Clare Waight Keller told People that the idea came to her after several conversations with Meghan about what ‘story’ she wanted to tell through her wedding.
‘There was a conversation early on about the story that we were going to tell through this wedding,’ she said.
‘Part of what I wanted to do was talk to her about what type of stories they could be. The fact that her and Prince Harry will be working a lot in the Commonwealth was something that I thought was really intriguing and could be something built on to be part of the day.’
For the evening, Meghan changed into white silk crepe gown featuring a high collar designed by Stella McCartney.
‘I am so proud and honored to have been chosen by the Duchess of Sussex to make her evening gown and represent British design,’ the designer told WWD.
‘It has truly been one of the most humbling moments of my career and I am so proud of all the team on this stunning sunny royal day.’