Elvira makes cutting dig at Meghan after the Duchess joked she looked like the 80s horror icon when she used box hair dye during the pandemic

Elvira – an American horror icon from the ’80s – has called out Meghan Markle after the Duchess of Sussex joked her locks looked like the star’s when using box hair dye during the pandemic.

The Mistress of the Dark actress, 73, whose real name is Cassandra Peterson, offered to share her ‘beauty advice’ with Prince Harry’s wife in a recent Instagram post.

It comes after Meghan, 43, opened up about her hair looking like ‘Elvira’s’ in an episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, in April, alongside Kadi Lee, her friend and co-owner of hair salon Highbrow Hippie in Venice, California.

The mother-of-two explained how she first met Kadi in 2020, the year she stepped down as a senior royal with Prince Harry, through leading hairstylist Serge Normant.

Meghan had reached out to Serge that year for tips on how to rectify her ‘inky’ hair colour resulting from repeated boxed hair dye use, and he pointed her in the direction of Kadi.

Over the weekend, Elvira shared a screenshot of a news headline about the discussion, which read: ‘Meghan Markle jokes she looked like Elvira after using box hair dye during the pandemic’.

She captioned her post: ‘Hey princess, if you ever need beauty advice from a queen just let me know,’ alongside the smirking face emoji.

Fans were quick to react, with one person writing in the comments: ‘Oh Meghan honey you wished that you looked like Elvira,’ while another said: ‘In her wildest dreams, she looked like Elvira.’

The Mistress of the Dark actress, 73, whose real name is Cassandra Peterson, offered to share her ‘beauty advice’ with Prince Harry’s wife (pictured in 2020) in a recent Instagram post

Others complimented both Meghan and the horror star on their appearances; ‘I’m a big fan of Elvira and Meghan Markle – they’re both stunning, charming, and hilarious,’ wrote one person.

Another said: ‘Ya’ll gotta lighten up. We love Elvira. Everyone does. But not everyone wants to look like her. 

‘Hell, even Elvira doesn’t want to look like Elvira all the time; she’s a redhead! Meghan Markle is the furthest thing from goth. Makes sense she wouldn’t want to look like Elvira. It’s not an insult.’

Speaking in her podcast, Meghan said: ‘So, my family had just moved to California, and we were staying in our friend’s home, and because it was the pandemic, I kept ordering boxed hair dye.

‘I thought, “I’m going to look just like she does on the box”, and instead, it was this very inky, almost Elvira-esque black hair.’

The mother-of-two messaged Serge, who styled Meghan’s hair for her wedding to Prince Harry two years prior, explaining, ‘I had texted Serge, and he said you need to see Kadi, and you came over,’ and the pair, who have since developed a close friendship, haven’t looked back.

Kadi recalled Meghan and Harry greeting her with ‘big bear hugs’ at the time, adding that the couple instantly acted in a ‘warm’ manner.

Meghan isn’t the only famous face that Elvira has called out – after the Mistress of the Dark star slammed Ariana Grande for allegedly snubbing her during a meet and greet with the Queen of Halloween.

It comes after Meghan, 43, opened up about her hair looking like ‘Elvira’s (pictured)’ in an episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, in April, alongside Kadi Lee, her friend and co-owner of hair salon Highbrow Hippie in Venice, California 

Over the weekend, Elvira shared a screenshot of a news headline about the discussion, which read: ‘Meghan Markle jokes she looked like Elvira after using box hair dye during the pandemic’. Pictured, the caption on her post

Reaction: Others complimented both Meghan and the horror star on their appearances; ‘I’m a big fan of Elvira and Meghan Markle – they’re both stunning, charming, and hilarious,’ wrote one person

The horror star spilled the tea during a 2024 event at Knott’s Scary Farm – where she claimed Grande had requested ’20 tickets’ to her show – but then refused to take a photo with the actress.

Elvira was asked about her worst celebrity encounters at the Q&A session – and quipped the star’s name rhymed with ‘Pariana Mande.’

She continued: ‘She came [to my show] and she brought 20 guests. So she wanted 20 or 21 tickets and we were like, “Okay!” and we gave her the tickets.

Peterson said she invited Grande and her entourage backstage where the Yes, And? singer ‘asked if she would take pictures with all of her friends and relatives’.

Peterson said: ‘So I take a picture with every single one of them. I sign autographs for every single one of them. And then I say to her, “Could we take a photo together?’ and she goes, ‘No, I don’t really do that.”‘

‘And then she left before my show started but all her relatives stayed.’ Elvira’s former show director Tom Vanucci added: ‘It’s all true!’

Grande hit back at Elvira’s claims – commenting on a post promoting the interview that she had an ‘anxiety attack’ and could not remember meeting the actress.

She wrote: ‘I’m so disheartened to see this. i actually don’t even remember getting the chance to meet you because i had an anxiety attack and to my memory, left before the rest of my family (this was around 7 years ago and at the time i was really not great with being in public crowds or loud places)… but if i’m misremembering this moment, i sincerely apologize for offending you so.

Meghan Markle with Kadi Lee at a Highbrow Hippie event in Venice, California, last November

‘thank you for being so nice to my mom, she told me how lovely you were (she might have different feelings about that now but i’ll talk to her… clearly, we all have our days!) sending love always. ♡ you’ll always be our queen of halloween!’

DailyMail.com contacted Grande’s representatives for comment at the time.

Elvira actress Peterson kicked off her career as a Las Vegas showgirl and a member of the comedy troupe The Groundlings, before transforming into the legendary horror hostess in 1981.

She debuted Elvira’s Movie Macabre on KHJ-TV, rapidly gaining a dedicated fanbase thanks to her signature gothic style, form-fitting black dresses, and sharp, humorous commentary on classic horror films.

Her Elvira persona reached even greater fame with the release of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark in 1988, a film she co-wrote and helped propel her into pop culture stardom.

Later on, she also starred in the 1993’s sitcom The Elvira Show, where her character moved to Manhattan, Kansas, alongside her aunt Minerva and their talking cat, while working as a fortune teller and selling love potions.

The witch was quick to become a fan’s favourite and came back to the screens in Elvira’s Haunted Hills in 2001.

Elvira, who is told to bring to life scary movies while ‘providing sarcastic, campy commentary’ is also seen in the 2010’s series Elvira’s Movie Macabre, which features 5 seasons.

Cassandra Peterson is best known for her sultry role as Elvira, pictured 1983

Actress Cassandra Peterson pictured in October 2024

The eccentric Mistress of the Dark came back for 13 Night Of Elvira in 2014, where she takes on movies like Puppet Master, Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death, and Evil Bong and ‘skewers them in the sexy, spooky way that only she can’, according to its synopsis.

Cassandra donned her black wig and slipped once again into her plunging black dress for Elvira’s 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special, Special – a 2021’s TV mini series that celebrated her legendary role.