Megan Pickford, the wife of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, has faced widespread criticism over a social media post in which she referenced Princess Diana during a trip to Ibiza.
The 33-year-old shared a photograph taken inside a private jet and wrote: “I love wearing my seatbelt in every environment, if it can go wrong for Princess D(iana), it can go wrong for any of us [white loveheart emoji].”
Social media backlash
The caption quickly sparked anger, with social media users calling the comment insensitive. On TikTok, user skateln01 replied: “The Princess Diana bit caught me off guard.” Another user added: “Dumb comment about Diana.” On X, PetronellaWhite wrote: “No class.”
Princess Diana and Megan's following
Princess Diana, mother of Prince William and Prince Harry, died in August 1997 from injuries suffered in a car crash in Paris. Megan has gathered a large following for her behind-the-scenes content from England's World Cup run. One of her most-watched videos came after a nightmare airport experience, in which she was stuck on a runway for six hours before the flight was cancelled.
Jordan Pickford under scrutiny
Megan was accompanied by her husband on the Ibiza holiday. Jordan Pickford had himself faced criticism in recent weeks, with some claiming he should have saved Enzo Fernandez's strike during England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. Former England defender Glen Johnson, however, pushed back on that idea in comments to the Liverpool Echo. He said: “No, it was a great strike by Fernandez. You drop so deep and invite pressure, England had a few warning signs before the goal with Pickford making a great save from a header and then Argentina also hit the post. This was a great strike and also the time he had with no pressure on the ball. England needed to be higher up the field, so the outfield players should have been higher up the field which may well have meant Fernandez couldn't get the shot away in the first place or the shot being blocked.”
Following the holiday, Pickford will return to Everton ahead of the new season. His next assignment for England will come against newly-crowned world champions Spain at Wembley in the Nations League.
