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New Little Mermaid film’s bizarre swipe at Kate Middleton

The new live-action Little Mermaid film reportedly features a very unexpected jab at the Princess of Wales amid her rift with Meghan Markle.

The Little Mermaid film reportedly takes an unexpected jab at Kate Middleton.
The Little Mermaid film reportedly takes an unexpected jab at Kate Middleton.

The latest remake of The Little Mermaid includes what appears to be a dig at the Princess of Wales, according to a reviewer.

After seeing an early screening of the Disney film, the reviewer told Page Six that it seems to dip a toe (or a fin?) into the Sussex drama with what appears to be a dig at Kate Middleton.

The critic revealed that the film seems to draw a number of subtle yet plausible comparisons between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and the two lead characters, Ariel (who is black in the new movie) and Prince Eric (who is white).

But one scene, in particular, seems to get pretty literal.

“Ariel has sacrificed her voice in order to get to the surface and [meet] Prince Eric. She can’t speak so he tries to guess her name,” the reviewer said. “His first guess is Diana. His second guess is Catherine, but after [Ariel gives a disgusted] reaction, he [concludes] ‘OK, definitely not Catherine.’”

The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey in the titular role.
The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey in the titular role.
The film appeared to take a swipe at Kate. Picture: Kin Cheung/Getty
The film appeared to take a swipe at Kate. Picture: Kin Cheung/Getty

The cinematic spy says there’s nothing in the movie’s internal logic to otherwise explain the mermaid’s extreme response, and, they add, “Disney would be disingenuous to imply those name choices were coincidental.”

(Needless to say, Diana is the name of Prince Harry’s late mother and Catherine is the full name of his sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, aka, Kate Middleton, who is widely seen as Meghan’s real-life nemesis in the ongoing saga of her exit from royal duties.

Meghan compared herself to the Disney character in her interview with Oprah Winfrey. Picture: CBS
Meghan compared herself to the Disney character in her interview with Oprah Winfrey. Picture: CBS

Meanwhile, in her notorious 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan herself said she identified with the mermaid.

During the bombshell tell-all, she recalled watching the classic 1989 animation during her troubled time in the UK after her 2018 wedding to Harry.

“I went, ‘Oh my God, she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice,’” Meghan said.

In the new fishy flick, Ariel is played by Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King plays Prince Eric. Melissa McCarthy plays villain Ursula.

The Little Mermaid will be released in Australian theatres on May 25.

This article originally appeared on Page Six and was reproduced with permission

Read related topics:Kate MiddletonMeghan Markle

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/royals/new-little-mermaid-films-bizarre-swipe-at-kate-middleton/news-story/dde30161c97e5b41fbea11118bc6e45e