Meghan Markle Under Fire for Releasing Private Family Footage After Years of Pleas for Privacy
It has sparked a backlash against Meghan Markle after she shared an intimate Father's Day tribute to her husband on Instagram, which includes unseen footage of Prince Harry playing in the garden with their children, Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4, causing many to question the couple's pleas for privacy.
The 22-second clip shared on Meghan's recently launched lifestyle brand account featured unseen moments of the Duke of Sussex with the couple's two children. Although many fans lauded the touching gesture, royal commentators and detractors were quick to criticize what they perceived as misplaced values.
In an interview on YouTube per Express, Ingrid Seward, the editor of Majesty magazine, criticized Meghan for sharing the festive post following the couple's attempt to shield their children from public attention. "They begged for privacy and now suddenly Meghan is flooding the marketplace with photographs of their children," Seward said.
She also questioned the couple's motives, alluding to the fact that their recent public content is likely meant to rake in dollars. "Everything they do online is aimed at them being able to make more money; otherwise why on earth would they do it?" she added.
Since leaving their roles as senior royals in 2020, Harry and Meghan have made child privacy and online safety central pillars of their public messaging, particularly through their Archewell Foundation. Until recently, the couple had rarely released clear images of their children's faces.
New Public Chapter Raises More Questions
Some observers believe Harry may not fully support the release of the Father's Day clip, having previously spoken out against media intrusion. The Instagram post comes as Meghan's new lifestyle brand has launched, with product releases and an upcoming Netflix project.
Seward said the video could contradict the couple's previous claims about being exploited by the media. "Remember, they have spoken about the media and how damaging it can be for young kids, and the next thing you know, Meghan is posting quite personal and charming photos of her husband everywhere. It just doesn't make sense," she said.
While the couple have not publicly commented on the backlash, the Duchess sat for an interview recently on the "Aspire by Emma Grede" podcast, in which she was blunt about the scrutiny she's faced as well as the tabloid stories about her that have circulated.
"If you could rewrite your public narrative from scratch, is there anything that you would do differently?" Grede asked. Meghan replied, "Yes, I would ask people to tell the truth," though she did not elaborate on who she believed had lied. She later referenced an unspecified "lie" told eight years ago.
