Kate Middleton Turns Down Anna Wintour's Met Gala Invite Again — Despite Ex-Vogue Boss Being 'Determined' to Secure Royal Appearance

Anna Wintour tried desperately yet failed again to get her most prized A-list invitee, Kate Middleton, to attend the Met Gala, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The Vogue global editorial director and the gala's lead chairperson and host wanted to have another royal moment reminiscent of Princess Diana's 1996 appearance, but not even recently rubbing shoulders with King Charles III could get the Princess of Wales to take part.

"Kate is the one celebrity Anna wants and cannot get," a gala source told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who wrote about it on Substack. "That is the obsession."

The princess does have an ongoing association with Vogue, having posed for the cover along with her fist ever fashion spread to celebrate the British edition's centenary in June 2016.

Kate used the opportunity to showcase British design houses, including Burberry, while showing off her country chic style in a glossy photoshoot staged near her family’s countryside retreat, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, England.

However, the royal still won't hop a jet to New York City to attend the Met Gala, no matter how hard Wintour has pushed.

The only high-profile royal to attend the Met Gala was Princess Diana in 1996.

Prince William's late mother was fresh off of the announcement that she and Charles were divorcing, and used the opportunity to forge a reinvention of her image. Diana wore a lingerie-inspired navy blue Dior slip dress by John Galliano. The princess added a royal touch with a seven-strand pearl and sapphire choker, as well as sapphire and diamond earrings that have since been inherited by Kate.

While Wintour would have loved to recreate another royal moment, that wasn't her full intention.

"This was never only about Diana," a source close to the situation explained. "Anna wanted Kate because Kate is the ultimate prize."

Insiders claimed Wintour turned to Charles and Queen Camilla for a last-minute plea about Kate's attendance when the couple was in New York last week as part of a U.S. state visit.

The native Brit, who was honored with being named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2017 during an investiture ceremony with Charles, took part in the 5th Annual King’s Trust Global Gala on April 29.

Despite Wintour having close conversations with the monarch last week, the push wasn't enough to get the Princess of Wales to attend the Met Gala who saw right through it all.

"Kate understood exactly what was being asked," a palace source claimed. "This was not simply an invitation. It was an attempt to make her the defining image of the night — and she had no interest in playing that role."