Meghan Markle is facing backlash for sharing a picture of her friend’s baby on social media despite continuing to keep Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet‘s faces hidden.
The former Suits actress shared a picture of herself holding baby Jack Oliver, the son of her friend Kelly McKee Zajfen, and joked that people might think he was Prince Harry‘s child because of his red hair. However, that wasn’t what the internet focused on…
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Meghan Markle Shares A Picture Of Herself With Her Friend's Redheaded Baby
The picture showed the With Love, Meghan star wearing an oversized white shirt while holding Jack, who was also dressed in white and whose bright red hair was clearly visible.
"We know I love a redhead," Meghan captioned the post. She then added: "And let me stop you before they start, no, it's not his baby."
Kelly appeared to see the funny side and reportedly replied, "Hahahahahhahahahahah." However, many people online didn't find it amusing, particularly because Jack's face was fully visible despite Meghan consistently hiding the faces of her own children when posting them on social media.
Meghan Markle Hides Prince Archie And Princess Lilibet's Faces
Prince Harry has made no secret of wanting to protect his children from media exposure due to his own experiences growing up in the spotlight alongside older brother Prince William.
According to reports, the couple have argued about their children being on social media on several occasions, with Prince Harry not wanting it all, and Meghan thinking it is needed for the sake of their brand.
They seem to have met somewhere in the middle, with obscuring their children's faces with emojis or taking pictures from the back or side viewed as a compromise that allows them to share family moments while maintaining privacy. The approach was also defended earlier this month, with Meghan's spokesperson explaining that covering Archie and Lilibet's faces was intentional.
"The Duchess has always been clear that there is a distinction between sharing moments from her life and exposing her children to public scrutiny," the spokesperson said. "By obscuring their faces, she is demonstrating the very principle she advocates for: giving children privacy, agency, and protection in an increasingly digital world," they continued.
Social Media Reactions
Social media users were quick to comment on what they viewed as "hypocrisy" of showing Jack's face. Additionally, they didn't like the post in general, and deemed it "crass" and "inappropriate" among other things.
"Protects her kids from being exposed on social media... puts someone else's baby on there," slammed one Reddit user. "Why is she putting an innocent non-consenting child on her IG?" asked a second, adding: "She is disgusting."
"So showing the faces of other people's kids is ok then?" asked a third, followed by an eye-roll emoji, while a fourth echoed: "Also I thought social media is bad for kids and showing their faces and all that."
"What a weird thing to say. So inappropriate," wrote a fifth. "Literally what is wrong with her? Why would she even think to say that about a friend's kid?" asked a sixth.
A seventh agreed, writing: "What a disgusting thing to say about a baby, and her good friend's baby at that. So self-centered, too. Ugh, just so crass. The caption is ick and the hypocrisy is glaring."
