Meghan Markle addresses claims she ‘invited herself’ to Paris Fashion Week

Meghan Markle has spoken out about her viral surprise fashion week appearance last month and revealed how it happened.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, made headlines on Sunday 4 October when she unexpectedly popped up at the Balenciaga show in the French capital, without hubby Prince Harry.

All eyes were on the former Suits actress as she sported a number of designs by the fashion house's new creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, who Meghan is personally friends with.

As per the BBC, at the time her spokesperson said her visit to Paris Fashion Week, which was Meghan's first in more than a decade, reflected 'her support for his new creative chapter'.

A week later, Piccioli did an interview with The Cut, where he reflected on his friendship with the duchess and explained how the unlikely moment came about.

The fashion designer explained: "Meghan and I met some years ago, and we’ve been texting ever since. She reached out and said she’d love to come to the show. There was no strategy or big orchestration."

Meghan surprised everyone last month when she turned up at Paris Fashion Week's Balenciaga show (Vanni Bassetti/Getty Images)

He added: "I didn’t tell anyone she was coming because I wanted it to stay a surprise. In fashion, real surprises are rare, and this one was beautiful."

And now, Meghan has confirmed this herself in her new interview with Harper's Bazaar, where she sat down with the publication to discuss everything from her life in the spotlight to her celebrity friendships, her relationship with Harry, and parenting her two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

She also commented on the Fashion Week moment and the social media outburst she caused simply by turning up.

Meghan said: “I was excited for him. I reached out and I said, ‘Happy to come and support you. We kept it a secret, and it was really fun."

Elaborating on her work-life balance, she continued: "I love being able to do both, to play in the sandbox with my kids and to play in the front row at a show. I think the moment that you start making all of your personal decisions based on external judgment, then you lose your authenticity."

She revealed she reached out to her fashion designer pal and offered to come along to support (Andrea Cremascoli/Getty Images)

Gushing about her royal hubby, Meghan shut down troll hate and divorce rumours that might have popped up by singing his praises.

The Duchess said: "He loves me so boldly, fully, and he also has a different perspective because he sees media that I wouldn’t.

"No one in the world loves me more than him, so I know he’s always going to make sure that he has my back."

She described him as having a 'childlike wonder and playfulness' that she was drawn to and brought the same out with in herself.

"That’s translated into every part of our life," she said. "Even in business, I want us to play and have fun and explore and be creative.”