‘Undine Spragg of Montecito’: Former Vanity Fair editor lashes out at Meghan Markle with five scathing words; here's why

Former editor of Vanity Fair Graydon Carter has labelled Meghan Markle as the “Undine Spragg of Montecito” as he took her down in just five scathing words.

While it is unclear why Carter used the words against Meghan Markle, reports say that it is seemingly because she cut ties with the royal family and moved to her native home California along with her husband Prince Harry.

Graydon Carter's words against Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, came during a chat with the Interview magazine, which was published on Thursday, March 27. He used those words when asked about his gut feeling on Meghan Markle.

Who is Undine Spragg?

Undine Spragg is a character from Edith Warton’s 1913 novel “The Customs of the Country”.

As per Lit Charts, Undine Spragg, who Gary Carter compared Meghan Markle with, is a woman from the Midwest. She tries to join the high society of the Fifth Avenue of New York City by various means.

All through the novel, Undine Spragg marries and separates from a number of men in order to climb the social ladder and be among people who admire her.

According to Lit Charts, Undine Spragg represents greed and ambition and “feels little satisfaction in achieving her goals and often finds herself haunted by her failures”.

At the end of the story, the character gets everything she wants but still remains unsatisfied.

Meghan Markle compared to Undine Spragg

While it is unclear why the 75-year-old Graydon Carter called Meghan Markle “Undine Spragg of Montecito”, the Duchess of Sussex left her career in Hollywood to marry Prine Harry in 2018.

For two years, the couple lived with the royal family in England. However, in 2020 Prince Harry announced his royal exit with Meghan Markle, after which they moved to the US.

The same year, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry bought a $14 million megamansion in Montecito, California, where they are currently raising their two kids.

The couple, since moving to the US, has sought success through various channels, including entertainment. They signed a multi million dollar deal with Netflix in 2020.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry then released several projects on the platform, including “Harry & Meghan,” and “With Love, Meghan”.

They further signed a deal with Sporify for $25 million in 2021, after which they launched their “Archetypes” podcasts. However, the couple severed the deal in 2023 after allegations of not working on enough content to take home such a fat paycheck.

Earlier in March, Meghan Markle announced that she is again trying her hands at podcasts with her “Confessions” podcast with Lemonada Media.