Camilla wore DIOR to Ascot after the brand denied plans to collaborate with the Duchess of Sussex

Queen Camilla has raised eyebrows after wearing a Dior dress to Royal Ascot amid speculation that Meghan Markle was turned down for collaborating with the brand.

The royal opted for a soft cream coat and dress, with a matching wide-brimmed hat, from the French designer that she paired with her late mother-in-law’s brooch.

The fashion house’s choice is surprising after it was rumored that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would sign a £15 million deal to become ambassadors for the brand – only for sources close to both Harry and Meghan and Dior to deny it.

A source told it TelegraphThe Duchess of Sussex is not in talks to sign a deal with Dior.

“There is no truth to the claims that she will collaborate with the French fashion house”

A Dior insider said the team was “not surprised at how the story came about.”

The denial came after a clip from a low-budget crime drama surfaced showing the Duchess working her angles in a photoshoot for a perfume ad.

Royal pundits have previously claimed that the Duchess of Sussex “didn’t respond” to Queen Consort Camilla’s advice when she first joined The Firm.

A biography of the queen consort, written by Angela Levin, claims that the then-Duchess of Cornwall hosted luncheons with Meghan and did her best to welcome her into the family – but her advice backfired with an “unresponsive” Meghan.

An excerpt from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: A Royal Survivor, published in the TelegraphLevin claims Camilla was eager to help Meghan at the start of her relationship with Harry after she herself struggled to be accepted by the royal family, welcoming her “warmly” when she first arrived in London.

Levin added that King Charles, who was then Prince of Wales, enjoyed Meghan’s company and often spoke to her about theater and the arts.

In an effort to help the Duchess of Sussex “find her feet,” the Queen Consort advised her on how to deal with the pressures of being in the public eye and the criticism she would face as a senior member of the royal family.

The King and Queen Consort are also said to be ‘tired’ by the constant attacks from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, The Mail on Sunday revealed in December.

Sources at Buckingham Palace said there is mounting frustration and exhaustion over the barrage of complaints Harry and Meghan are relentlessly and publicly voicing about their treatment at the hands of the rest of the royal family.

While a deal to collaborate with them is currently not materialized, the pair certainly appear to be fans of the fashion house.

The Duke of Sussex wore a Christian Dior suit to his father’s coronation

Harry also exercised $1,000 Dior ‘Bee’ shirts during recent appearances at the High Court in London – and also wore Dior to the UN last year.

Meghan wore Dior when she attended the National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, last June to celebrate the platinum anniversary.

Dressed all in white, she wore a trench coat, skirt and shirt from the Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2022 collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri, a white hat by Dior by Stephen Jones, Dior gloves and Dior D-Moi shoes .

She has also worn Dior to the Queen’s funeral, Archie’s christening and other major events and royal travels before Megxit.

Meghan took a beating from audio giant Spotify last week after announcing they would not renew her podcast Archetypes for a second season following a “mutual” decision — a move that could see Meghan and Prince Harry lose $10 million.

But there are suggestions that Meghan could soon be looking to bring her wellness and lifestyle blog The Tig, in a bid to rival Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website, which is reportedly worth £200 million.

She recently renewed her trademark for the website she started in 2014 but closed in 2017 after getting engaged to Prince Harry.

Experts recently claimed that the actress-turned-royal and Prince Harry would not receive the full payout from their $20 million deal with Spotify because they failed to meet the productivity benchmark.

The deal was signed in 2020, but only delivered 13 hours of airtime in two and a half years. It included 12 episodes and a one-off holiday special.

“We knew the Spotify announcement was coming,” a source told the Mail on Sunday.

It may come as a shock to everyone, but we’ve been working on Meghan’s rebrand for weeks.

‘The offers are pouring in, also from other podcast platforms.’

A Spotify spokesperson said: “Spotify and Archewell Audio have mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we have created together.”

But Bill Simmons, head of Podcast Innovation and Monetization at Spotify, labeled the pair “f***ing grifters.”

And Netflix would also be conducting an ‘ongoing review’ of its £80 million deal with the Sussexes.

Either way, the Duke and Duchess will need to find an income stream to continue funding their lavish lifestyle.

US public records show they bought their 16-bathroom Montecito mansion in 2020 for $14.65 million (£11.4 million) and had a $9.5 million (£7.4 million) mortgage at rest. On top of that there are annual property taxes of $141,403 (£113,000).

Their security costs are also estimated to be around £2 million a year, in addition to staff costs such as nannies, domestic help, gardeners and travel costs – including private jets.