Overview

• The Duchess of Sussex was in the front row for Pierpaolo Piccioli’s first Balenciaga runway as creative director after teasing her arrival on Instagram.
• She wore an all‑white Balenciaga ensemble with a dramatic cape, paired with black pointed pumps and a slicked‑back bun.
• Staff escorted her into the venue as the lights fell, and she later greeted Piccioli, posing for photos and sharing a brief hug.
• It was her first Paris Fashion Week appearance and her first return to fashion shows in over a decade on a solo trip from California.
• Reaction online ranged from fashion praise to criticism referencing Balenciaga’s 2022 ad controversies, and she and Prince Harry are scheduled for Project Healthy Minds events in New York on Oct. 9–10.