EXCLUSIVE: Radar Told You First — Meghan Markle Drops Huge Hint She's Set to Launch Fashion Range… After Pals Told Us Her Clothes Line Will Be 'Inspired by Princess Diana'
Meghan Markle appears to be ready to launch a fashion brand.
May 18 2026, Published 5:15 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle has fueled speculation she is preparing to launch a fashion line inspired by Diana, Princess of Wales, after posting what sources told RadarOnline.com was a carefully curated glimpse inside her Montecito wardrobe.
The 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex recently shared a mirror selfie on Instagram featuring daughter Princess Lilibet, four, crouching beside her in a walk-in closet lined with designer clothing and accessories.
Meghan Markle Fashion Brand Tease Sparks Frenzy
The duchess posted a glimpse inside her Montecito wardrobe.
Captioned "Mama's little helper" alongside a purple heart emoji, the post has now prompted gossip that Markle was using it to tease an expansion of her lifestyle brand As Ever into fashion.
Industry observers also noted reports sizing charts for adult and children's T-shirts briefly appeared on the As Ever website before being removed.
A fashion industry source told us: "At this stage, people within branding and fashion circles tend to assume that every image Meghan releases publicly has been very deliberately considered beforehand, right down to the styling, color palette, and positioning of products or labels in the background.
"The wardrobe photograph immediately set off speculation because it didn't feel like a casual family snapshot – it looked much more like the soft launch of a wider fashion and lifestyle identity tied to As Ever."
The insider added: "There's a strong sense that Meghan views clothing as the next logical evolution of the world she's trying to create around herself commercially – elegant, curated, understated luxury with an emphasis on aspiration and accessibility at the same time."
Meghan Markle Accused Of Cashing In On Princess Diana Style
Princess Diana transformed royal fashion during the 1980s.
Markle's reported plans have already drawn criticism from some royal commentators who told us weeks before her wardrobe post that the duchess was planning to leverage the enduring emotional power of Princess Diana's image by launching a fashion range inspired by the tragic royal's iconic looks.
Sources told Radar Markle is exploring a collection influenced by the late princess's famously understated style – particularly the white shirt, denim, and tailored casualwear combinations that became synonymous with Diana before she died in Paris aged 36 in a high-speed car smash in 1997.
One insider said, "Meghan understands exactly how powerful Diana's image remains globally and that leaning into those visual parallels is strategically very smart from a branding perspective. But because Diana's legacy is still so emotionally charged, any attempt to monetize echoes of that style risks being viewed by some people as cynical or exploitative."
Another source added: "The white shirt and jeans formula associated with Diana carries enormous symbolic weight because it represented glamour without stiffness and royalty without intimidation. Meghan clearly admires that image and seems interested in recreating elements of that accessibility for a modern audience through fashion."
Diana transformed royal fashion during the 1980s and 1990s by blending structured tailoring with relaxed silhouettes, helping shift perceptions of the monarchy away from rigid formality.
Both Markle and Catherine, Princess of Wales, 44, have repeatedly drawn comparisons to Diana through similar styling choices at high-profile events.
As Ever Fashion Plans Fuel Royal Comparisons
Markle entered the fashion world through a 2019 capsule collection.
Meghan previously entered the fashion world through her 2019 Smart Works capsule collection supporting unemployed women, but sources suggested the rumored As Ever project would represent a much broader commercial push tied directly to her personal image and social media presence.
Observers examining the wardrobe photo pointed to the visible Armani, Christian Dior, and Manolo Blahnik pieces, alongside carefully coordinated neutral and pastel garments, as potential clues toward the direction of any future collection.
Another fashion source said, "What Meghan seems to be developing goes far beyond the idea of simply attaching her name to a celebrity fashion label. The impression within the industry is that she's attempting to create an entire aspirational universe around her personal image – where clothing, homeware, wellness, entertaining, motherhood, and luxury living all operate together as part of one carefully managed brand identity."
The insider added: "The strategy appears heavily influenced by the modern celebrity lifestyle model, where audiences are not just buying products but buying into a complete aesthetic and way of living. Meghan clearly understands the commercial value of presenting herself as relatable yet elevated at the same time, and fashion is a huge component of communicating that image visually."
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Markle and Prince Harry stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
The source continued: "The difficulty for Meghan is that she can never fully separate herself from the royal narrative, no matter how independent her projects become.
"Every public appearance, branding decision, or style choice is instantly examined through the prism of her marriage into the monarchy and, inevitably, comparisons to Diana. Whether those parallels are intentional, subconscious, or purely projected by the public, they remain central to how people interpret almost everything she does commercially."
Markle and Prince Harry, 41, stepped back from frontline royal duties in 2020 before relocating to California, where they have pursued media projects, business ventures, and philanthropic campaigns while raising Prince Archie, seven, and Lilibet.
