Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are facing accusations of hypocrisy following the release of a social media video that offered a glimpse into their family life. Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told Page Six that the couple's "constant desire for privacy" is undermined by their decision to share "hyper-curated" content, particularly featuring their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Schofield argued that broadcasting private moments contradicts the priority of privacy. "Every hyper-curated glimpse of the children, the dogs, the countryside, and their domestic routine invites more attention, more questions, and more interest in where and how they are living," she stated. "You cannot deliberately feed that machine and then act astonished or outraged when people want to know more."
The video, shared on Instagram, included footage of the family in the UK, with appearances by Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5. While the children's faces were not shown, Schofield contends that this does not mitigate the attention generated.
Further criticism came from royal commentator Tom Sykes, who described the video as an attempt to "sell a narrative of glossy family perfection." Sykes pointed to Prince Harry's past comments, including a 2017 video for the Heads Together charity, where he discussed the negative impacts of social media portraying "fake portrayals of a perfect life." Sykes noted the apparent contradiction in Harry now participating in similar content.
Schofield also highlighted the apparent conflict between Markle's previous public statements about the dangers of social media for children and her continued use of it to share images of her own family. "Archie and Lili are too young to meaningfully consent to having their voices, activities, and private family moments broadcast to millions of strangers," Schofield said.
Prince Harry's own experiences with intense media scrutiny as a child were also cited as a point of hypocrisy. "He has spent years describing the damage he believes media attention caused him as a child, yet he is now participating in packaging portions of his own children’s childhood for public consumption," Schofield stated. "You cannot spend years telling the world that unwanted attention traumatized you and then actively manufacture public interest in the private lives of your own children."
In the Instagram video, footage showed Markle and Harry holding hands during a walk, Lilibet riding a bicycle with Archie running alongside, and a child's feet by a fire. The couple, who stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California, have since enrolled their children in a private prep school in the UK.
Markle had previously expressed concerns about paparazzi attention when discussing potential schooling in the UK, telling The Cut in 2022, "Sorry, I have проблемы with that. That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child." Parents at the children's new school have reportedly been informed of potential media interest and reminded of rules against photographing or sharing information about pupils.
Earlier this month, King Charles confirmed in a letter that Harry and Markle remain non-working royals. The letter stated that they cannot use their His and Her Royal Highness titles and are considered "private citizens with commercial and charitable interests."