Meghan Markle’s new family Reel has drawn criticism from royal commentators. Kinsey Schofield questioned the Sussexes’ privacy stance after Markle shared clips of Prince Harry, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet.
The 34-second Reel, posted on Sunday, September 13, gave a peek at the family’s time in Britain. Harry and Markle walked hand in hand, while the Duchess of Sussex called the kids to follow. The clip also showed them cycling, fishing, and having fun outdoors.
The kids’ faces were kept private. Markle added British flag and red heart emojis, while Wham!’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go played in the background. Speaking to Page Six, Schofield said, “If privacy is genuinely the priority, the most effective strategy is simple… stop broadcasting your family life to millions of strangers.”
She added, “Hiding their faces does not suddenly eliminate the attention it generates around them.” She also pointed to Markle’s past warnings about social media and kids. She noted that Prince Harry has “spent years describing the damage he believes media attention caused him as a child.”
Royal commentator Tom Sykes also criticized the Reel. According to the same outlet, he found the children’s involvement in the video “jarring.” Sykes claimed Markle shared the footage to “sell a narrative of glossy family perfection.”
Markle and Harry have spoken about protecting their kids from public exposure. Harry has also talked about how the media affected him as a child. In their 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the Duchess said, “We’ve been really conscious of protecting our kids as best as we can and also understanding the role that they play in this really historical family.”
Harry then added, “As a dad, and as parents, I think consent is a really key piece to this — that if you have children, it should be your consent as to what you share.” Harry continued, “My mom did such a good job in trying to protect us.”
He also described the constant harassment from the paparazzi and press as “never fair.” In his January 2023 interview with Anderson Cooper on CBS’s 60 Minutes, Harry opened up about it again. “It was obvious to us as kids the British press’ part in our mother’s misery, and I had a lot of anger,” he said.
Meanwhile, Harry and Markle returned to the U.K. with Archie and Lilibet on August 26, after spending years in California. The family is staying in Britain for an extended period, and the children have already started school there. A source told People that their main focus has been “settling the children.”
Markle is happy that the kids can experience “both British and American cultures.” Harry, too, wanted them to stay connected to their British roots. The family has been looking for a private home in the U.K. The exact location has not been confirmed yet. But reports have linked them to the Cotswolds. Markle was also recently spotted at Soho Farmhouse.
