South Park viewers spot blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Kate Middleton reference in viral episode

South Park viewers have spotted a brief reference to the alleged rivalry between Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Catherine, Princess of Wales, in a recent episode.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were depicted in the comedy animated series, in an episode titled “The Worldwide Privacy Tour”.

Though not mentioned by name, the couple is referenced through the cartoon characters – a British prince with red hair, and his American former actor wife.

Since its release last week, the South Park episode has been widely discussed for mocking the pair. Harry and Meghan have denied reports that they were seeking legal action.

One detail that’s been largely missed until now is a nod to claims of a years-long rivalry between Meghan and Kate.

In the programme, there is a segment that shows the Prince’s wife in a series of magazine covers resembling real-life ones that have featured Meghan.

However, there is a brief shot of the animated princess on a cover of Vogue wearing a green, wide-brimmed hat, a white shirt and a brown hunting jacket.

Interestingly, this cover doesn’t reference one of Meghan’s covers but instead resembles a Vogue front page featuring Kate, on which she wears the same outfit.

In the early stages of Meghan and Harry’s relationship, tabloids claimed that Meghan was taking style inspiration from Kate.

As the show depicts “Meghan” in one of Kate’s outfits, some fans have seen this as an additional slight to the Duchess.

“LMAO even in South Park Meghan copies Catherine,” one wrote on Twitter.

Elsewhere in the episode, the royal couple appears on Good Morning Canada to insist they want privacy – however, it’s pointed out by the host that “Meghan” is holding a sign reading “Do not look at us”, while the sign “Harry” holds states: “We do not want privacy.”

This is considered a reference to the Duke and Duchess’s televised appearances in recent years, including an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and their 2022 six-part Netflix docu-series.

Find a rundown of the seven most brutal jokes in the Harry and Meghan South Park episode here.