Disney’s The Little Mermaid makes dig at Princess of Wales following Meghan Markle comparisons

Disney's The Little Mermaid is understood to include a scene where Aerial shows her disdain for the name "Catherine." Photo / Disney

Meghan Markle has described Disney’s The Little Mermaid as having parallels with her time in the royal family. Now, as the beloved film becomes a live-action remake, it’s being suggested the new version includes some digs at her sister-in-law, Catherine, the Princess of Wales.

According to the Daily Mail, a critic who saw an early screening of the film has noted there is a scene that makes an obvious dig at Catherine, and a mention of her predecessor, Diana.

Speaking to Page Six, the reviewer pointed to the scene where Ariel and Prince Eric meet on the beach. Ariel’s given up her voice to get to the surface and Eric is trying 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.’”

According to the reviewer, “Disney would be disingenuous to imply those name choices were coincidental.”

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle at Wimbledon. Photo / Getty Images

Diana is of course the name of Prince Harry’s mother, the former Princess of Wales, and Catherine is the name of the new Princess of Wales, who has been long-known as Kate - and is Meghan Markle’s sister-in-law.

Markle revealed she’d made a comparison of her own struggle as she became a royal to The Little Mermaid during her interview with Oprah.

“I was sitting in Nottingham cottage and The Little Mermaid came on,” said Markle.

“And who as an adult really watches The Little Mermaid but it came on and I was like, ‘Well I’m here all the time I might as well watch this’.

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

“But in the end she gets her voice back.”

Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey she drew comparisons with The Little Mermaid's story and her own experience joining the royal family. Photo / CBS

Oprah replies to Markle: “And this is what happened here. You feel like you got your voice back,” to which Markle agreed.

Later in the interview the Duchess of Sussex told Oprah that her and Harry’s love story was “greater than any fairytale you’ve ever read”.