Kate Middleton in the middle of new controversy that involves Disney, here's what's happening

On 24 May, Disney is releasing its new remake The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey. The film has already been marred by controversy for casting a Black actress in the lead role of Ariel, despite the original being an animation and the fact that mermaids are not real.

Now, it’s facing backlash again, this time from fans of the Royal Family. A reviewer who saw an early screening of the film told Page Six that it seemingly 'contains a dig' at Kate Middleton.

The Little Mermaid's alleged 'dig' at Kate Middleton

The critic told the publication that the film seems to compare Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to the two main characters, Ariel and Prince Eric (who is white).

But there was one scene in particular the critic pointed out:

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'.

Diana is the name of Prince Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, and Catherine is Kate Middleton's full first name.

The critic said the film's internal logic doesn't contain anything that would otherwise explain Ariel's reaction, and, they added:

Disney would be disingenuous to imply those name choices were coincidental.

In the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Markle said she identified with Ariel. She recalled watching the original film during the difficult time she experienced in the UK after marrying Harry in 2018:

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

Read more ⋙ Kate Middleton faces new backlash after upcoming Royal book’s claims: ‘She’s absolutely clueless’

Reactions online

The Daily Mail's Richard Eden also took to Twitter to 'confirm' the apparent dig after seeing a preview of the film. He tweeted:

Remake of #TheLittleMermaid📷 does include what appears to be a dig at the Princess of Wales, I can confirm after a preview today. How pathetic that a great company like @Disney should try to burnish its 'woke' credentials at the expense of Catherine. #Disney #royal

According to Eden, the script replaces 'Mildred' in the original film with 'Catherine' in the remake.

As a result, #BoycottDisney is now trending on Twitter. But others are casting doubt on the claims.

@LouisStevenson9 tweeted:

Read more:

⋙ Kate Middleton: Edited headline sparks debate over Royal Family’s 'invisible contract' with media

⋙ Kate Middleton faces backlash over her latest campaign: 'The time has long passed for awareness'

@SabirahLohn wrote:

Citadel's alleged 'dig' at Kate Middleton

The new Amazon Prime Video series Citadel has also been accused of taking a dig at the Princess of Wales. It stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who is reportedly close friends with Markle.

In the third episode, Chopra Jonas' character gives another character instructions via an earpiece. She apparently tells them to say:

The chief of armed forces? You might as well have asked me how to get between the legs of the Duchess of Cambridge!

Sources used:

Page Six: 'Disney’s new ‘Little Mermaid’ seems to contain dig at Kate Middleton'

Daily Mail: 'Kate is the target of crude sexual insult in new Amazon spy drama starring Meghan Markle's friend Priyanka Chopra - days after Disney's new Little Mermaid movie 'aimed a dig at Princess''

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