Meghan Markle and Prince Harry could find themselves at the top of the 2026 Met Gala invite list after Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman, and Beyoncé were announced as the hosts of the event. But will the royal couple accept the invitation?
It’s not unprecedented to have a member of the royal family in attendance at the elite fashion affair. Princess Diana notably attended in 1996, three months after her divorce from the then-Prince Charles. Princess Beatrice showed up in 2018 for the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” theme year, but royal fans are still waiting for the Sussexes or the Wales family to show up.
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”Two tangential friends are hosting, [Meghan] could go,” a fashion insider told NewsNation.
Harry and Meghan might jump at the opportunity, but there’s one tricky note about the 2026 Met Gala — Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are funding the event.
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez Bezos at the Chanel fashion show as part of Spring/Summer 2026 Paris Fashion Week held at Grand Palais on October 06, 2025 in Paris, France.
Swan Gallet/WWD
To refresh your memory, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex found themselves in an awkward controversy after being photographed at Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday party in early November. Both Jenner and Kim Kardashian posted snapshots with them enjoying the festivities, but the Sussexes reportedly asked for the photos to be removed.
Brand expert Nick Ede explained to the Daily Mail that the photos weren’t necessarily an issue, but the company Meghan and Harry are keeping is somewhat problematic. A friendship with Bezos and Sánchez “goes against the narrative of environmental support and mental health.”
“Meghan and Harry have a problem with admitting they are now part of Hollywood society, which is what she wanted, and they cannot, on one hand, use their star power for good, like going to charity events, and on the other hand, demand they are erased from events they don’t want to be seen to support,” he said.
Their mere attendance at the 2026 Met Gala could imply that they are in the inner circle of elite billionaires because of the Bezos connection. It could be a tough dilemma for Meghan and Harry if they are invited in 2026. Do they accept the invitation to the high-profile event? Or, do they sit it out, knowing that the critics are just waiting to pounce?
It’s not an easy decision.
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