Emma Thynn is the Marchioness of Bath, which makes her British nobility by marriage. Noble titles are different from royal titles, but don’t tell that to Emma. Emma and her associates have been forcing a comparison between Emma and the Duchess of Sussex for months, even years. Things have been heating up in the past year because Emma is part of a tacky reality show, Ladies of London: The New Reign. In the very first promo for LoL, they were using Meghan’s name to embiggen Emma. In recent weeks, Emma spent time in New York, where she attended an event during King Charles’ US state visit, and then attended the Met Gala alongside Edward Enninful and Serena Williams. The vibe is “look at me, pay attention to me, I’m like Duchess Meghan but better, I swear!” Well, the latest is that Emma went to Cannes. An excerpt from the Daily Mail’s latest unhinged piece, “Has Meghan’s ‘rival’ stolen the A-list aristocrat crown she’s longed for? Marchioness of Bath has a lifestyle brand, a TV show, joined Serena Williams at the Met Gala and is in favour with the King… and now she’s at Cannes.”
She’s a former actress and has plenty of fashion ambitions, yet the Duchess of Sussex once again failed to secure an invite to the Met Gala, and isn’t rumoured to be attending Cannes Film Festival this week. Yet the aristocrat who is? That would be the glamorous Marchioness of Bath whose star seems to be on the rise as she hangs out with A-lister pals and gifts some of Hollywood’s glitziest red carpets with her presence.
On Tuesday, Emma Thynn claimed the spotlight as IHG Hotels & Resorts and Vanity Fair hosted a star-studded lunch on day one of the 79th Cannes Film Festival. Opting for a daring canary yellow gown with a thigh-high split, the Marchioness, 40, showed off her toned legs shortly after arriving at the resort town’s Carlton Beach Club. With a strappy, plunging neckline, the elegant gown ensured she commanded the lion’s share of attention while posing for pictures during her first public appearance since arriving in the South of France.
She then swapped her vibrant number for a sleeveless navy dress, featuring a billowing skirt and a daring split for the opening ceremony and The Electric Venus screening at Palais des Festivals.
A week earlier, Emma made a headline-grabbing appearance at the Met Gala, posing up a storm with former Vogue editor Edward Enninful, once thought to be a close friend of Meghan’s before drifting apart amid rumours of a rift. The duo joined Serena Williams on the red carpet in a move that left fans questioning whether the ex tennis star and the Duchess were still as close pals as they once were.
Fans were first left doubting the athlete’s closeness to the Duchess following Serena’s ‘disastrous’ As Ever promotion on Instagram after receiving a PR parcel filled with Meghan’s Mother’s Day edit.
Serena and Emma are thought to be close friends. They’ve holidayed together in Spain and the marchioness previously appeared on the A-lister’s podcast Stockton Street.
Meghan has yet to attend the Met Gala, and isn’t thought to have been invited this year, despite Serena’s sister Venus being a co-chair at the 2026 event.
Some fans have long accused Meghan of copying the marchioness, who also has a lifestyle programme, and like the duchess, produces homemade jam from her Longleat estate. Comparisons between Emma and Meghan were also drawn in the latest season of reality TV show, Ladies Of London: The New Reign.
Is this not embarrassing for Emma Thynn? Imagine being a whole-ass marchioness and building your celebrity persona on being “Meghan’s Rival” (when Meghan probably isn’t even aware of her existence). And it’s especially sad because Emma is a Black woman who is knowingly being used to denigrate and “bring down” another Black woman. It’s such a fool’s errand to brand-build on “pay attention to me, Meghan, aren’t you jealous??”
There’s another story going around about Thynn and her husband – they went to court to ensure that their second son, born via surrogacy, will still be considered a legitimate heir to the Bath title. The British court just ruled that children born via surrogacy or gestational carriers are still considered part of the dynastic line for noble titles.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
