Meghan Markle’s post celebrating Princess Lilibet’s fifth birthday quickly became the subject of intense online debate, with fans and commenters raising questions about the disturbing details. Photos shared on Meghan’s Instagram account on Thursday, June 4, showed the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry with the birthday girl, but the absence of seven-year-old Prince Archie and the appearance of the children drew considerable attention.Princess Lilibet, born on June 4, 2021, is the second child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Meghan captioned the message with a white heart emoji: “The girl of our dreams. Happy 5th birthday, Lili,” with the comments section turned off.
What the birthday pictures showed
The first image featured a candid family moment in the garden of their Montecito home, with Prince Harry holding his daughter in his arms as Meghan stood beside them, smiling. As in many recent photos, Lilibet was facing away from the camera, covering her strawberry blonde face to protect her privacy.The second picture showed the young princess walking barefoot through the grass in a white embroidered dress, reaching out to touch bright blue-purple flowers.
Why did the absence of Prince Archie attract attention?
One of the most controversial aspects of the post was the conspicuous absence of Lilibet’s older brother. According to comments collected by Bored Panda, online reactions were swift and sharp. “Poor Archie… Dudes nowhere to be seen,” one user wrote. “Ah yes, a family portrait with a child missing,” added another, while a third commented: “Lily is getting ready for a business venture with the mums. No boys allowed, apparently.“Several users also questioned the body language in the images. “Is it me or does body language just never ‘land’ enough, like bad stock photography?” wrote a skeptic. “The kids are unknown to Meghan, so there’s no familiarity or warmth in their interactions. Harry is more natural with them, but there’s still a bit of him,” said another commenter.
Questions about children’s appearance
Some viewers also took issue with Lilibet’s appearance in the photos, with one user writing: “No shoes, or socks or slips, a thin, sleeveless dress. Their hair is uncombed, but both parents are wearing long-sleeved, heavy-woven clothes. If it feels cold to you, it’s cold to the kid.” Others pushed back at what they called the performative nature of the post. “It’s so performative and attention-seeking. If you really value your privacy and want to protect your children from the public eye, stop posting pictures of them on social media every 5 minutes,” one commenter wrote.
Hypocrisy debate
The birthday post also sparked debate over Meghan’s recent speech at the unveiling of The Lost Screen Memorial in Geneva, Switzerland, ahead of the opening of the 79th World Health Assembly, where she said making online spaces safer for children was “not just a technology issue” but a “public health issue”. Many online pointed out that the timing of that post was contradictory.PR experts, however, offered a different perspective. Speaking for the Daily Mail, Megan Dooley noted that the outbreaks were “highly selective and deliberate rather than random and unplanned”. He added: “Meghan is taking more behind-the-curtain looks at their family life, carefully curated, of course, to help position her lifestyle brand as warm and aspirational, with roots in home, motherhood and authenticity.“The birthday message comes as Meghan continues to raise her public profile, her lifestyle brand continues to grow and the second season of her cooking and lifestyle show “With Love, Meghan” is expected to arrive later this year.
