Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of “hypocrisy” after sharing a video of their children as they settle into life back in the UK.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made an unexpected return to Britain late last month, reportedly settling down in the Cotswolds and enrolling Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, in local schools. The family previously lived in Montecito, California, a location chosen by the Sussexes in 2020 in part to escape the media spotlight.
Behind-the-scenes video
Harry and Meghan have shared little about how they plan to spend their time back on British soil, aside from conducting a series of charitable engagements. However, Meghan gave fans a look behind the scenes of the Sussexes’ life on Instagram on Sunday afternoon (September 13).
In a montage of phone-captured footage, the family are seen in the countryside out with their dog, and Harry on a boat in a pond fishing with the kids. It opens with Meghan and husband Harry hand in hand, with the Duchess turning towards the camera and playfully shouting "come on, you".
One touching clip appears to show Lilibet cycling with a doll in the baby bike seat as Archie runs past her, and it appears one of the youngsters is warming their feet by the fireplace in another. An Union Flag emoji and a heart emoji is overlaid over the selection of clips.
Royal commentators react
But posting the video has been labelled as “hypocrisy” by one Royal commentator, Kinsey Schofield.
“If privacy is genuinely the priority, the most effective strategy is simple… stop broadcasting your family life to millions of strangers,” Schofield told news outlet Page Six.
“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,” added Schofield, who came to prominence for her appearance on reality TV show Party Monsters Cabo and then moved into YouTube commentary on the Royals.
Another, Tom Sykes, editor of The Royalist, also told Page Six he found the inclusion of Archie and Lilibet “jarring”. He continued: “Especially when you look at Harry‘s comments in a 2017 video which he recorded for the Heads Together charity in which he said said that one of the big problems with social media was that people portrayed a perfect life and then you can feel inadequate when you look at their fake portrayal of their perfect life.”
Settling back into British life
The family are settling back into British life following a spat with The King, who made it clear they will live as “private citizens”, and not working Royals, which the Sussexes said they were “a little surprised at”, preferring the term “public figures”.
