Considered by some royal watchers to be the modern reincarnation of Wallis Simpson, Meghan Markle, also known as the Duchess of Sussex, has divided public opinion even before she married Britain's Prince Harry.
Now adding to Markle's increasingly polarizing persona is a recent analysis of video footage that reveals the tensions her presence caused during a memorable royal walkabout that followed the death of Queen Elizabeth II back in 2022, as the Daily Mail details.
Not long after the well-loved monarch passed and the U.K. entered its period of mourning, several of the younger members of the royal family, including Prince William, Princess Catherine, Harry and Meghan, followed a time-honored tradition meant to acknowledge the public's outpouring of respect.
The quartet that included two famously estranged brothers appeared on the grounds of Windsor Castle to view the seemingly countless floral tributes left in memory of the Queen, with both accompanied by their respective wives.
Though the tensions among the for had long been the subject of media speculation, the footage taken that day lays bare just how awkward the outing truly was and how serious the royal rift remained.
Reportedly later recalled by Catherine as “one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do,” Markle's apparent disregard for royal protocol made the experience all the more difficult.
According to royal rules, more senior royals such as William and Catherine as the future king and queen, are meant to walk ahead of junior family members such as Harry and Meghan.
However, analysis of the video footage of that day shows Markle seemingly attempting to plow ahead, prompting her husband to pull her back and slow his own gait in order to comply with accepted practice.
The entire scene was, according to many of Markle's critics, evidence of her ongoing refusal to fulfill her role within the family, with one commentator asserting, “Meghan just does not want to accept hierarchy” and another musing that she “should know protocol by now.”
“Meghan wouldn't accept not being the star,” an online observer added, echoing the sentiments of many of Markle's growing legions of detractors.
Since deciding to abandon their lives as working royals back in 2020 and moving to California, Harry and Meghan seem to have jumped from one controversial venture to another, a list that includes a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, an explosive royal memoir titled Spare, a podcast called Archetypes, and a host of other endeavors that have yielded mixed results, at best.
After having announced the launch of a lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard last March, Markle's hopes of becoming the new Martha Stewart seem to have stalled, with reports suggesting that she is feeling “upset and stressed” amid public backlash and difficulties securing trademark approvals for products said to include jam, honey, and household goods, as the New York Post reports.
Making matters worse, Markle's new Netflix series With Love, Meghan, set to debut on March 4, has already been panned by reviewers who lament, “It's all her, and all about her," and though it has been billed as involving stylish interpretations of food, drink, and entertaining tricks, those who have seen it reveal that there is little in the way of cooking, recipes, or practical advice on offer.
It now seems that, try as she might, Harry's wife may be permanently unable to overcome the past several years of self-inflicted reputational harm, and no amount of Hollywood public relations spin can change that fact.
