Meghan Markle faced criticism at Paris Fashion Week after a video showed her giggling as a model stumbled on the Balenciaga runway, sparking claims of poor etiquette.

 

 

Paris — The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, found herself at the center of a fresh wave of controversy during Paris Fashion Week this past weekend, as new footage emerged showing her apparently giggling when a model stumbled on the runway.

The moment, captured during the star-studded Balenciaga show, has sparked heated debate, with critics accusing Markle of displaying poor etiquette while high-profile fashion insiders watched in silence.

The clip shows Meghan seated front row beside her close friend Marcus Anderson, Soho House’s creative director. As the models graced the catwalk, a sudden stumble by one caused a ripple of reactions from the crowd.

Yet it appeared Meghan was the only one visibly amused, gasping in surprise before bursting into a quiet giggle behind her hand. Marcus, however, maintained a stone-faced expression, seemingly unamused.

The Duchess quickly turned her attention back to the show with a more neutral expression, but the moment didn’t go unnoticed.

Social media users were quick to point out that no one else in the audience seemed to share Meghan’s reaction, with many branding it “awkward” or “inappropriate.”

Some speculated she might have been sharing a private joke or simply reacting nervously to the unexpected event, while others condemned the behavior as “tone-deaf.”

Meghan’s representatives were quick to deny she was laughing at the model’s misstep. “She was not laughing at anyone falling,” a spokesperson insisted, adding that the Duchess may have been startled or reacting to something else happening nearby.

Nonetheless, the clip has become the latest episode in a string of public moments casting Meghan in a controversial light during her Paris visit.

 

 

In another behind-the-scenes clip from the event, Meghan is seen attempting to engage British actress and Slow Horses star Dame Kristin Scott Thomas in conversation.

However, the respected actress appears to turn away abruptly, leaving Meghan visibly awkward and left hanging.

Scott Thomas, who holds a damehood awarded by the late Queen Elizabeth II and famously portrayed the monarch in the West End production of The Audience, has longstanding ties to the royal family.

Her apparent rebuff of Markle only added fuel to speculation about Meghan’s place among established British elites.

Commenting on the awkward interaction, Charlotte Griffiths, editor-at-large for the Mail on Sunday, said, “Meghan did seem a bit out of place in Paris.

She looked nervous, almost as if she didn’t quite know the social cues of the room. That moment with Dame Kristin was telling—she was left hanging and clearly uncomfortable.”

The Duchess’s Paris Fashion Week run has been plagued by similar awkward incidents.

Just days earlier, she drew criticism for posting an Instagram story featuring her feet resting on the leather seats of a minivan as she traveled along the route where Princess Diana tragically died in a 1997 car crash.

The clip was described by some observers as “tactless,” sparking backlash from royal watchers still sensitive about the late Princess’s memory.

 

 

Meghan’s fashion choices and behavior off the runway have also come under fire. At the Balenciaga show, she strutted out of the exclusive Plaza Athénée hotel wearing the brand’s £745 ‘Knife’ heels, paired with a dramatic white cape and oversized button-through ensemble.

While some admired her bold style, others mocked her exaggerated walk, likening it to a scene from Zoolander, the cult comedy film about a clueless male supermodel.

One commentator wrote, “Meghan Markle was trying to give Zoolander a run for his money with that over-the-top strut.” Another took aim at her apparent self-importance: “She’s not a model — they’re just walking her to her seat! That cape walk was something else.”

Yet some supporters praised her confidence, with one noting, “Love that energy. Channel your inner princess.”

Her bold fashion statement and high-profile presence amidst a crowd including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, FKA Twigs, and Anne Hathaway made it clear Meghan aimed to cement herself in the elite fashion world.

But the mixed reactions underscored the challenges she faces balancing royal expectations with a celebrity lifestyle of her own making.

Throughout the event, Meghan appeared poised yet occasionally nervous, observers noted. Her laughter during the model’s fall was described as “a nervous reflex” by some insiders, while others suggested it revealed a lack of awareness in high-stakes public settings.

The Balenciaga show was meant to mark Meghan’s debut as a serious figure in fashion circles, but instead it became a series of cringe-worthy moments fueling media scrutiny.