Meghan Markle is facing a fresh wave of backlash after sharp-eyed critics claimed they spotted the Duchess of Sussex grinning in the reflection of a framed photograph she shared while mourning feminist icon Gloria Steinem.
Steinem died Wednesday, September 2, at the age of 92, and Markle, 45, honored her longtime friend and mentor with an emotional Instagram post the following day.
But one of the photos in the tribute quickly became a controversy of its own.
The image showed Steinem sitting outdoors on a patio and reaching over her shoulder to gently place a hand on Markle’s son Archie, who was still a toddler at the time.
Markle covered Archie’s face with a white heart emoji.
However, critics soon began studying the silver frame surrounding the photograph and claimed Markle’s reflection could be seen holding up her phone and apparently smiling as she snapped a picture of the framed image.
“Look into the frame of the picture. You can see Meghan Markle using her phone, grinning as she takes the photo,” one critic wrote on X.
Another went much further, branding Markle a “ghoulish psycho opportunist” and accusing her of wearing an unsettling smirk while preparing a post about someone’s death.
“The glee of knowing she’s going to make it all about her,” another person snarked.
A fourth critic accused Markle of “smiling when getting an obituary post together and making it about herself.”
The criticism came as Markle used the tribute to reflect on her close personal relationship with Steinem.
“Celebrating the life and legacy of my friend and mentor, Gloria Steinem,” Markle wrote.
She recalled spending time with Steinem after she and Prince Harry stepped away from their roles as senior working royals in 2020 and moved to the United States.
Markle said the two publicly appeared together for interviews, encouraged younger voters to make their voices heard and attended award ceremonies.
But she said their private friendship meant even more.
Markle revealed that Steinem spent Thanksgiving with her family, introduced her to one of her closest friends, showed affection toward Archie and Lilibet, counseled her through difficult moments and regularly offered advice over tea.
“Privately, she was even better than you would imagine,” Markle wrote, praising Steinem’s “unrivaled cheekiness and wit.”
The photo controversy also reignited questions about where Markle and Harry are currently living.
Some royal watchers wondered why Markle appeared to have the framed photograph with her following reports that the Sussexes had recently returned to Britain.
“Good that she remembered to pack that particular photo,” one critic sarcastically wrote.
Another questioned whether the framed picture had supposedly been transported from the couple’s Montecito, California, mansion to their reported temporary accommodations in England.
“So she took this framed pic to the Cotswolds to put on the shelf of a rental,” the person wrote. “When they’re ‘keeping the house in Montecito,’ I don’t think so. Is she still in California?”
The questions come amid continuing mystery surrounding Harry and Meghan’s reported return to the U.K.
Video emerged August 26 showing a large private jet reportedly carrying the couple and their children arriving at Birmingham Airport.
Three blacked-out SUVs were later photographed leaving the tarmac in a tight security formation.
However, no clear photographs have surfaced showing Harry, Meghan, Archie or Lilibet getting off the plane or entering the vehicles.
Reports first emerged August 19 claiming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were planning a sudden move back to Britain, six years after leaving royal life and settling in the United States.
More than a week later, the family still had not been publicly photographed in Britain.
Harry and Meghan have also reportedly enrolled Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, at a private preparatory school in the Cotswolds for the new school year.
For now, the Sussexes’ exact whereabouts remain the subject of intense speculation — while Markle’s seemingly innocent tribute to one of America’s most famous feminists has once again put her at the center of an online firestorm.
