An early viewer of The Little Mermaid has claimed the film makes a “subtle dig” at Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales.
The live-action remake of the classic Disney movie, which will hit cinemas on May 26, follows spirited young mermaid Ariel [Halle Bailey] who longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea.
During a visit to the surface, she ends up falling for Prince Eric [Jonah Hauer-King].
Mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, but Ariel follows her heart and makes a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula [Melissa McCarthy] – who gives her a chance to experience life on land like a human.
As per Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytale, Ariel trades her voice to Ursula in exchange for a pair of legs.
According to the early viewer, this pivotal part of the film takes a subtle swipe at the Princess of Wales.
They told Page Six: “Ariel has sacrificed her voice in order to get to the surface and [meet] Prince Eric. She can’t speak so he tries to guess her name.”
“His first guess is Diana,” the source continued.
“His second guess is Catherine, but after [Ariel gives a disgusted] reaction, he [concludes] ‘OK, definitely not Catherine.'”
“Disney would be disingenuous to imply those name choices were coincidental.”
Diana is the name of Prince Harry’s late mother, while Catherine is the full name of his sister-in-law Kate.
It comes after Harry’s wife Meghan Markle compared herself to The Little Mermaid during her infamous 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
At the time, she told the talk show host that she had watched the animated film after their 2018 wedding, prior to when she and Harry stepped down as senior working members of the Royal Family.
She recalled drawing a parallel between herself and Ariel at the time, telling Harry: “‘Oh my God, she falls in love with the prince and because of that she loses her voice.'”
