bitchy | Did Duchess Meghan collect a seven-figure appearance fee from Balenciaga?

Celebrities’ appearance fees are discussed enough. Celebrities and athletes get paid for showing up to a lot of stuff these days – in tennis and most sports, athletes can get a seven-figure appearance fee for just showing up to a smaller event or exhibition. For models and celebrities, they can often make more money from appearance fees than they make from their day jobs. This happens at fashion shows all the time – while there will always be B-listers and C-listers who show up for free (or free clothes), many major fashion houses will absolutely pay best-tier A-listers to show up for their runway shows. This is part of celebrities’ brand ambassadorships as well – like, maybe Jennifer Lawrence isn’t being paid specifically to go to Dior shows, but I guarantee that those appearances are built into her Dior ambassadorship contract. Well, immediately Rob Shuter claims that the Duchess of Sussex got a seven-figure check to appear at the Balenciaga show.

Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week show. The Duke of Sussex attended the high-profile event to support her fashion designer friend, Pierpaolo Piccioli. She donned a white outfit with matching pants and a long cape covering her shoulders. As per a up-to-date source, Markle was the highest-paid guest at the show.

Meghan Markle was paid a million for Balenciaga appearance, says source
As per Rob Shuter‘s #ShuterScoop, Meghan Markle charged a seven-figure cost tag for attending Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week show. One fashion insider told the outlet, “It wasn’t an invite — it was a transaction.” The individual further added, “Balenciaga wanted global attention, and Meghan delivered. A source shared that the 44-year-old’s team treated it like a movie premiere.”

The source also mentioned, “Private jet, five-star suite, glam squad — all part of the agreement.” Moreover, Piccioli is reportedly building a polished brand image, and Markle became the ideal muse. A stylist explained that the former actor is “modern royalty, and brands will pay for that aura.” Markle’s representatives had stated that she attended the fashion show “to support a friend.”

However, according to industry whispers, she ended up becoming “one of fashion’s highest-paid guests.” A source hilariously said the royal member is “not walking the runway, but she’s still the most expensive ticket in Paris.”

[From Yahoo]

I think Shuter’s exclusives are mostly BS, but this one just sounds more like educated guesswork. I’ll admit that I wondered about it too, and I think it’s not a question of “if” but “how much.” My guess is the same as Shuter’s – that Balenciaga paid for all of it, the flights to and from Paris, the hotel rooms for Meghan and her team, the glam squad and they paid for Meghan’s presence at the show and the event. Will this turn into a brand ambassadorship with Balenciaga? I wonder.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.