Meghan Markle's Reported Attempt At Princess Diana Tribute Did Not Go Over Well

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex rejoined Instagram at the beginning of 2025, and she's been giving the world glimpses into her life. In a series of posts to her Instagram Stories in February, she showed the first buds of spring on trees, presumably at the Montecito mansion where Meghan and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex live. She also included a short video of herself laughing, but what caught people's attention was the sweatshirt that she was wearing. It was a purple Northwestern University sweatshirt, which was seemingly identical to one that Princess Diana was seen wearing in 1996.

Some think that Meghan was just wearing the sweatshirt to make people think of her and Diana in the same way. One critic said on X (formerly known as Twitter), "Meghan Markle's obsession with copying Diana has gone from desperate to downright creepy." Another said, "If she put even half the effort she spends on cosplaying Diana into finding her own identity, it would be a miracle."

It's true that Meghan Markle has channeled Princess Diana's iconic style before. So we could see Meghan wearing it as a tribute to Diana, who is, after all, her late mother-in-law. But as far as the Northwestern sweatshirt goes, it could be a simple coincidence. Meghan went to Northwestern, graduating with a double major in international studies and theater in 2003.

Diana was gifted the sweatshirt during a visit to the Chicago area in June 1996. She was there to support breast cancer research, and she got a tour of Northwestern as a part of her trip. She was seen wearing the oversized Northwestern sweatshirt with white bike shorts; Diana was known for her sporty styling when she wasn't at high-end events. Along with her Northwestern sweatshirt, she was also seen in a Harvard sweatshirt and a Virgin Atlantic one going to and from the gym. So if Meghan's ever spotted wearing either of those, there's going to be a lot more fuel to the fire that she's intentionally dressing like Diana.

Meghan's Instagram Story highlighting her Diana twinning moment comes amidst the delay for her Netflix series; the trailer for "With Love, Meghan" dropped in January, but the Los Angeles fires prompted a postponement of the show. It also comes shortly after Meghan's rebrand of her lifestyle line. It was previously called "American Riviera Orchard," but is now called "As Ever."