Opinion: As the royals enjoy the summer sunshine in various exotic locations across Europe, some have been sharing so-called ‘photo dumps’ of their holidays on social media.
Overnight, the Prince and Princess of Wales released highlights from the past few months in a “summer rewind” post on Instagram. It could not have been more different from the Duchess of Sussex’s recent holiday post, which has since been − unfairly − slammed as “vulgar” because of four particular images.
Meghan has received a lot of criticism over four images from her recent family summer holiday. @meghan
Prince William and Catherine’s carousel of 20 slides was not so much of a holiday recap, like Meghan’s, but a look back at the busy calendar of official events before their summer break including Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, garden parties and the birthday portraits of their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The Waleses are soon expected to travel abroad (in the past they’ve holidayed in the Greek islands) before joining King Charles and Queen Camilla for the traditional stay at the Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands. But don’t expect any private summer snaps from Prince William and his wife.
One of the 12 images Meghan included in her post late last week, captioned “summer holiday”, appeared to show Loch Ossian, a remote lake in Scotland prompting some observers to speculate the Sussexes had spent time near Balmoral either before or after reuniting with King Charles at his private home, Highgrove, on July 10.
But it was several other photos of Prince Harry and his two children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, that has thrust the duchess firmly into the spotlight, again.
Days after returning to the US, Meghan shared a selection of images from her family getaway which included a stay in Portugal before they flew to the UK where the royal reunion with the King took place after four long years.
Despite citing privacy as one of the main reasons for leaving the royal family in 2020, the duchess included multiple photographs of her children enjoying the summer sun.
One appeared to show Harry, Archie and Lili walking through the tree-lined avenue of the Althorp House, better known as the childhood home of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Harry and Archie were carrying large bouquets of white flowers, with Lilibet trailing behind.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet visited Althorp House, the childhood home of Princess Diana, during their visit to the UK. Harry and Archie were photographed carrying flowers. @meghan
The sprawling estate, in Northamptonshire, is where Prince Harry’s uncle Charles Spencer lives and has been the been home to the family for more than 500 years.
It is also where Prince Harry’s mother is buried.
Another image showed a barefoot Archie walking through Althorp’s grounds at sunset. A third photo, believed to be of the swimming pool at the estate, has Harry throwing his daughter into the water with Archie in the background.
Meghan was also photographed by the swimming pool at the historic seat of the Spencer family. @meghan
And a fourth featured Meghan lounging on a sunbed with her dog. Professor Cat Jarman, Earl Spencer’s new wife, can be seen in the background.
The Sussexes are believed to have spent at least one night at Althorp during their brief time in the UK. The estate had listed on its website that it would be closed on July 10 and 11.
Other photos included in the summer recap showed the duchess in a swimsuit watching Harry and the children playing in the waves at a beach in Portugal while in another, Meghan was seen shopping at a homewares store.
Archie was seen walking barefoot through the grounds of Althorp House, where Harry and Meghan stayed for part of their UK visit. @meghan
Harry and Meghan reportedly own a holiday home at the CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club, the same luxury resort where his cousin Princess Eugenie lives part-time with her family. Princess Eugenie is understood to have spent time with the couple ahead of the birth of her third child, which could be any day now.
While most of Meghan’s photos were harmless family memories, the duchess’ decision to share those taken at Althorp have, not surprisingly, outraged some commentators, observers and royal fans.
And unfairly, I would suggest.
One commentator in British media said it was “vulgar” for Meghan to take photos at Althorp, so close to Diana’s final resting place, and share them on social media for the world to see. She compared it to a previous social media post, shared during Meghan’s appearance at Paris Fashion Week last year, which included a shot of the duchess relaxing in a car close to where Diana was killed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
The commentator claimed Meghan’s holiday carousel, posted hours before King Charles was due to appear at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, was an “act of defiance” because she and Harry had been barred from sharing any images of the Sussexes’ reunion with the monarch.
“Meghan’s decision to share those photos taken at Althorp have, not surprisingly, outraged some commentators.” @meghan
While the Althorp photos should not have been made public, calling Meghan “vulgar” is a bit extreme.
Sharing such photos publicly, when Meghan would expect the images to be pored over and dissected by millions, as they now have been, is yet another misguided move on her part.
It smacks more of a need for attention and publicity than showing any disrespect to the memory of Harry’s late mother, whom Meghan never met, or the royal family as a whole. Like the current Princess of Wales, she would be keenly aware all three women are frequently compared, no matter how tenuous the link is. As such, doing anything ‘Diana related’ must be met with caution and consideration.
The Sussexes holidayed in Portugal before flying to the UK, where they were reunited with King Charles. @meghan
And when the pursuit of privacy has always been Harry and Meghan’s goal (apparently!), sharing so many photos of such intimate moments is even more puzzling.
Meghan is said to have been “humiliated” by the chaos that surrounded their trip to the UK, most of which was brought on by the couple themselves with countless stories emerging from sources close to the couple leaking details, whether it be about locations, staying inside royal residences or security.
Harry himself, through a source, expressed his sadness that his wife and children would be “chased by paparazzi wherever they go from the moment they step off the plane” if they did not get the taxpayer-funded security protection he had requested before their arrival.
That level of security was denied and Meghan and the children managed to slip into the UK, undetected. So far, no paparazzi photos or footage from camera phones have emerged of the Sussexes either in Portugal or Europe, proving the unrelenting attention Harry was expecting towards his family never eventuated.
One cannot criticise the duchess for wanting to record her family’s visit to Diana’s final resting place, but the photos from Althorp should have been kept private instead of being shared with Meghan’s 4.7 million followers on Instagram.
The post was undoubtedly done with intention, the photos carefully selected and ordered. The duchess may be misguided, and at times calculating, but stupid she is not.