Credit: Inside the MagicWhile the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid (2023) has come under fire for some very bogus reasons, some Disney conspiracy theorists have claimed that there is a reference at the expense of the British Royal Family.
Retelling the story of the 1989 classic animated film, The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey as the Disney princess Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula the Sea Witch, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian.
The film has already been the subject of some conjured-up controversy revolving around its use of colorblind casting and changes to some of the original songs’ lyrics. However, a new issue potentially emerged involving Meghan Markle and the Royal Family.
‘The Little Mermaid’s Potential Kate Middleton Reference
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In the scene where Prince Eric meets Ariel after she becomes a human, Eric asks her name. She can’t respond, so he takes some guesses. He asks if her name is Diana, and she denies it. He then asks if it’s Catherine, and she refuses it even harder. This is what people are claiming is the Royal Family reference.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle stated that she related to Ariel from The Little Mermaid. “I went, ‘Oh, my god! She falls in love with the prince, and because of that, she has to lose her voice.’ But by the end, she gets her voice back.” She compared this to her own life experience with the Royal Family.
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Little Mermaid conspiracy theorists believe these two names specifically refer to Princess Diana, Prince Harry’s mother, and Kate Middleton, whose full name is Catherine. Basically, they think that the team behind the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is making fun of Kate Middleton.
If this is true, that’s an unbelievably weird way to make fun of the Royal Family. However, this has been vehemently denied by the film’s director, Rob Marshall.
“That’s The Most Insane Thing.”
@news.com.au Setting those royal rumours straight 👑 #melissamccarthy #katemiddleton #thelittlemermaid #disney #thelittlemermaid2023
When news.com.au asked the Little Mermaid director about the conspiracy, Marshall immediately laughed and shut the speculation down.
“Absolutely false. I don’t know where that came from; that’s the most insane thing. There’s no truth to that whatsoever; I don’t know where that came from. Never thought about it for a second.”
Well, there you have it! While someone probably wouldn’t admit that they were making fun of a member of the Royal Family, it seems safe to say that no one behind The Little Mermaid intended to take a shot at Kate Middleton.
Do you think this was a subtle dig at Kate Middleton? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!