Meghan Markle’s engagement dress designer used fashion house to fund a lavish lifestyle including £1,500 weekly salon trips.
Tamara Ralph, 39; and Michael Russo (44) “personally enriched themselves” before their company Ralph & Russo collapsed, according to claims in documents released by the High Court. Ms. Ralph is being sued by the company’s administrators for £20.8 million in damages, but has denied any wrongdoing and is defending against the claim.
Ralph & Russo designed the Duchess of Sussex’s £56,000 engagement dress, as well as gowns for stars including Gwyneth Paltrow and Kylie Minogue. Now, Ms. Ralph is being sued by the administrators of the company in the name of “extracted substantial sums” claiming she was in “de facto control”.
In newly released legal papers, it is alleged that Ms. Ralph spent more than £1,500 on “weekly blow-drys” at the Larry King hair salon in South Kensington, London – and the cost was charged to a company credit card, the Mail on Sunday reports.
Court documents also claim that Ms. Ralph spent more than £300 of company cash on luxury lingerie at a store in Paris and £130 on an eyelash treatment. It has also been claimed that Ms. Ralph complained that her £225,000 salary was “extremely low” for someone in her place.