Disney’s New Little Mermaid Film Takes A Dig At Kate, And It Happens To Be Meghan’s Favorite

The Little Mermaid holds a special place in the heart of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, but speculation has arisen regarding a subtle reference to her sister-in-law in the live-action remake. Following an early screening of the movie, a critic observed a jibe against the Princess of Wales, within the movie, which Meghan previously said had parallels with her time in the royal family. 

The critic highlighted the scene where Ariel and Prince Eric encounter each other after she gives up her voice to venture to the surface and Prince Eric undertakes the challenge of guessing her name.

The critic told Page Six, ‘His first guess is Diana. His second guess is Catherine, but after [Ariel gives a disgusted] reaction, he [concludes] ”OK, definitely not Catherine.” They continued: ‘Disney would be disingenuous to imply those name choices were coincidental.’ Diana is, of course, the name of Prince Harry’s late mother, who passed away in August 1997 due to a car accident in Paris. 

As for Harry’s sister-in-law, she is commonly known as Kate, but her official name is Catherine, and she holds the title of the Princess of Wales.

Meghan has openly acknowledged the parallels she sees between her experiences as a working member of the royal family after marrying Prince Harry and the narrative portrayed in The Little Mermaid. In her interview with Oprah in 2021, she revealed she found solace in watching the beloved 1989 animated film during the challenging period she faced in the UK after her wedding in 2018.

I was sitting in Nottingham cottage and The Little Mermaid came on,’ Meghan said, ‘And who as an adult really watches The Little Mermaid but it came on and I was like, “Well I’m here all the time I might as well watch this. And I went, ”Oh my God, she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice. But in the end, she gets her voice back.’. Oprah at the time said: ‘And this is what happened here. You feel like you got your voice back,’ to which Meghan replied: ‘Yeah.’

After making the decision to step down as a working royal, Meghan embarked on her first project in partnership with Disney. She embraced lending her voice to Elephant, a documentary showcased on Disney+. The film chronicles the remarkable 1,000-mile expedition of an elephant family across the African landscape. The invitation to participate in this project was extended by filmmakers Mark and Vanessa Berlowitz, and Meghan accepted the opportunity.

The project marked Meghan’s return to the world of showbiz, and she made a notable announcement that she would be donating her fee to a charitable organization focused on the preservation of elephants.

During her time as a member of the royal family, Meghan attended her first film premiere, the live-action adaptation of the beloved 1990s classic, The Lion King. It was during this event that she met with iconic artist, Beyoncé. However, The Little Mermaid boasts a talented cast, with Halle Bailey starring as Ariel, Melissa McCarthy portraying Ursula, Javier Bardem taking on the role of King Triton, Daveed Diggs lending his voice to Sebastian, and Jonah Hauer-King bringing Prince Eric to life. 

The film is skillfully directed by Rob Marshall and tell tells the story of Ariel, the youngest of King Triton’s daughters.  The ‘bright and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure’, who longs to ‘find out more about the world beyond the sea’ makes a trip to the surface and meets Prince Eric. Meanwhile, iconic songs from The Little Mermaid soundtrack reportedly had their lyrics altered to reflect consent in the live-action remake.

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