Is Disney Backing Meghan Markle in a Scene from ‘The Little Mermaid’?

Disney is notorious for leaving easter eggs in movies, series, and attractions throughout Disney Parks. Fans have caught several instances of art imitating life in Disney flicks, like the scene from The Lion King when Pumba references In The Heat of The Night (1967), exclaiming, “They call me Mr. Pig!” as a nod to the line “They call me Mister Tibbs.”

In a more recent scene from Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, a London reviewer snagged an unexpected movie moment that could be taking a stance in the monarchy. While viewing the highly-anticipated live-action film starring Halle Bailey, a cinemagoer noticed possible references to the royal family. In a conversation with Page Six, the reviewer shared:

“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. His second guess is Catherine, but after [Ariel gives a disgusted] reaction, he [concludes] ‘OK, definitely not Catherine.’”

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The parallel comes from the name Diana, shared with Prince Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. Catherine, the second name Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) guesses, is the same as the Princess of Wales’s nickname: Kate. The repulsed response Halle Bailey’s character, Ariel, gives Prince Eric in the scene when he mentions Catherine is speculated to be a jab at Kate Middleton.

After years of scrutiny in the London press, Meghan Markle has been pitted against her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. Markle’s controversial exit from her royal status with her husband, Prince Harry, sent shockwaves through the country in 2020, polarizing opinions of the Duchess ever since.

In addition to the scene in question, London critics drew comparisons between Markle and Ariel, especially regarding their appearance. With Bailey being the first black Ariel starring across from a white Hauer-King, parallels were made to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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Both Bailey and Markle are royalty who have been on the receiving end of awful racist comments in the media, and it’s not farfetched to see a connection between the two. The cinemagoers in London were sure the Markle thread throughout the film was intentional, but it’s safe to assume director Rob Marshall won’t pull back the curtain any time soon.

Coming to theaters May 26, The Little Mermaid features a star-powered cast with Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Javier Bardem as King Triton.