The new rendition of The Little Mermaid will hit cinemas later this month, but reports have already surfaced that the movie includes a vicious dig aimed directly at Kate, Princess of Wales, the wife of William, Prince of Wales.
Page Six reported that the scene in question quickly follows the moment Ariel (the titular mermaid) leaves the sea with her newfound legs to find she has lost her voice entirely.
The publication explained the Disney movie’s scene did not mince words when it came to slyly comparing Ariel to Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry.
They described the scene: “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.”
“His first guess is Diana,” the insider went on. “His second guess is Catherine, but after [Ariel gives a disgusted] reaction, he [concludes]: ‘OK, definitely not Catherine.'”
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Express.co.uk has contacted Disney for comment on this story.
These names are, without question, references to the monarchy over the years.
Diana was, of course, a nod to Diana, Princess of Wales, who was originally married to King Charles before her death. She is also the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Catherine is the full name of Princess Kate, who has reportedly had disagreements with Meghan over the years.
The Little Mermaid insider added: “Disney would be disingenuous to imply those name choices were coincidental.”
To make matters even more convincing that this was a direct reference to Meghan, she once spoke candidly about her connection with the original Little Mermaid movie from 1989.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in her 2021 interview, Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special, she explained how she identified with Ariel losing her voice after marrying into the monarchy.
Meghan said: “I went: ‘Oh my God, she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice.'”
She went on to say in the same interview: “I’ve always valued independence. I’ve always been outspoken, especially about women’s rights, and that’s the sad irony of the last four years, I’ve advocated for so long for women to use their voice.”
The Little Mermaid hits UK cinemas on May 26.
The 1989 animated Little Mermaid is available to watch on Disney Plus now.