Meghan branded ‘hypocrite’ over Lilibet’s 5th birthday photos as Harry ‘grits teeth’

Princess Lilibet is celebrating her fifth birthday today and Meghan Markle has shared two new photos to mark the occasion.

Meghan Markle has progressively shared snapshots of family life in California (Image: undefined)

Princess Lilibet is marking her fifth birthday on Thursday, but in contrast to her early years, she is no longer completely concealed from the public eye.

Since relaunching her Instagram account at the beginning of the year, Meghan Markle has progressively shared snapshots of family life in California, with Lilibet appearing in several posts. Today, the Duchess shared two previously unseen photographs of her daughter to mark the occasion with the caption: “Our dream girl. Happy 5th birthday, Lili”

While the Sussexes continue to largely protect their children’s faces, royal observers have identified a notable departure from the couple’s earlier position on privacy. For years, Harry and Meghan rigorously shielded Archie, seven, and Lilibet from public attention, while simultaneously campaigning for enhanced protections for children online. The Duchess has emerged as a leading advocate for online safety, rendering the couple’s decision to share additional family content all the more contentious.

Royal expert Duncan Larcombe believes the shift is unlikely to escape notice. “I’m sure her accusers will say she’s exploiting [the children],” he said. “Lecturing about children’s privacy but then posting her own children as clickbait.

“They are growing up a bit, but that will make it more of a problem. It’s all carefully orchestrated. It seems to promote Meghan, it’s all about Meghan. She’s in most of the pictures. You wonder whether it’s Meghan having to make sacrifices because things haven’t gone well for them.” While Duncan does not believe Meghan’s online safety advocacy explicitly suggests parents should refrain from posting photographs of their children, he raised concerns about how the decision might appear.

“She hasn’t suggested you can’t post pictures of your children, but you would think as a campaigner the last thing she would want to do is get her own children’s faces out there in the public eye,” he said.

The matter could also prove especially delicate for Prince Harry, who has frequently discussed the challenges of maturing under relentless public attention.

According to Duncan, the Duke may experience conflicting emotions regarding the family’s fresh strategy. “There’s every chance that Harry might be allowing it through gritted teeth,” he said. “He knows what it’s like being a child in the public eye, and he doesn’t want that for his kids.

“But I think we know who wears the trousers in the relationship. It will make Harry pretty uneasy given what we know and what he’s said in the past.”

As Lilibet matures, Duncan believes her public visibility will almost certainly expand. “It certainly looks like she’s now being brought out as part of the branding, albeit cautiously,” he said.

He referenced the example of William and Kate’s children, who are now immediately recognisable to the public, though highlighted one crucial distinction. “William would have done that because he knows for someone like Prince George, who is the future heir to the throne, he can’t keep him hidden.

Royal expert Duncan Larcombe believes the shift is unlikely to escape notice (Image: @meghan/Instagram)

“Meghan and Harry have the option to keep their children completely private. We will likely see them more and more. As they get older, it becomes impossible to keep it private.”

This prompts questions about how Archie and Lilibet themselves may ultimately feel about their childhood being documented online. “You wonder if they will feel manipulated or annoyed by it,” Duncan said. “But they have been born into a high-profile family. They are going to have to learn sometimes that, to some extent, they are public property.”

For the time being, Lilibet’s fifth birthday represents another significant moment for the young royal residing thousands of miles from the monarchy. However, as the Sussexes progressively share glimpses of family life on social media, it may also provide an indication of what lies ahead.

“I think there’s a good hint of what’s to come,” Duncan said. “Harry and Meghan will be accompanied by their children on visits and public engagements, but they have told the world they weren’t going to do that.”

Last month, Meghan posted an image on Instagram depicting Lilibet seated at her feet in a wardrobe filled with designer fashion, hours before departing for Geneva to attend the unveiling of a memorial honouring children who have lost their lives due to online abuse. At the occasion, she also met bereaved families affected by online harm.

The Duchess of Sussex described children’s safety online as a “public health issue” while addressing a World Health Organisation event in May. “Our children are not products, they are not experiments and not expendable,” she said, calling for enhanced protections for youngsters navigating the digital world.

The Duke may experience conflicting emotions regarding the family’s fresh strategy (Image: Instagram/ @meghan)

Just the night before, Meghan had shared a mirror selfie with Lilibet to her 4.5million followers, featuring designer clothing in the background, with the caption: “Mama’s little helper.” Royal expert Tom Sykes sharply condemned the decision. Speaking on The Royalist, he said: “The hypocrisy is breathtaking. It is a boastful image. It is a vain image. It is a staggeringly tone-deaf image.”

Meghan also shared a photograph of her daughter holding a cluster of red balloons while in her father Prince Harry’s embrace on Valentine’s Day. “These two + Archie = my forever Valentines,” she captioned the photo.

“I would think they have had some pretty fiery rows about the topic, because it’s not at all how Harry wanted it to be,” royal expert and author Ingrid Seward recently said.

“They have completely ignored the fact that they said they were leaving the royal family because they wanted a more private life, and they have created anything but that for themselves. It appears they left the family because they wanted a public life and to earn money.”

In response to the allegations of hypocrisy, Meghan’s spokesperson said: “The Duchess has always been clear that there is a distinction between sharing moments from her life and exposing her children to public scrutiny. By obscuring their faces, she is demonstrating the very principle she advocates for: giving children privacy, agency, and protection in an increasingly digital world.

“Far from being contradictory, by concealing their faces she is actually reflecting the message she delivered in Geneva: that parents can choose to share family experiences while still taking deliberate steps to protect identities, privacy, and digital footprint.”

CRE: https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/2213581/meghan-branded-hypocrite-over-lilibet-s-5th-birthday-photos-harry-grits-teeth