On Saturday, the Duchess of Sussex attended the Balenciaga show at Paris Fashion Week. Not only was she photographed by paparazzi going in and out of her hotel and the PFW events, but Meghan also posted some behind-the-scenes photos and videos on her IG Stories. In one clip, Meghan showed Paris at night, with the Pont Alexandre III and the Pont des Invalid bridges in the background, and Meghan putting her feet up inside the limousine. This is the big stretch from the Daily Mail: Meghan is “insensitive” for posting a video by/near/within the Pont de l’Alma tunnel where Princess Diana sustained fatal injuries in a car crash. Nevermind that Meghan did not post any footage by or near Pont de l’Alma, nor did she make any kind of specific (or even opaque) reference to Diana in any way.
Interestingly, the Daily Mail’s writers and columnists are really banging on and on about this while most of the other royal reporters are sitting it out. I’ve seen the NY Post also post some stories about it too, but… People Mag isn’t touching it. Us Weekly isn’t touching it. Not even the Sun is touching it. Some Meg-defenders want her to sue or make a bigger deal about this. I would have her back if she did so, but I don’t think she’s going to. I think the Sussex team is just going to push back in friendly outlets. GB News – which has been somewhat fair to the Sussexes this year – reported that Meghan’s camp finds the controversy “unfair and unwarranted.” Her team was also reportedly “angered” by the storyline. Newsweek had a similar story:
Meghan Markle was accused of insensitivity by a British tabloid after filming a video from her car seat less than a mile from the tunnel where Princess Diana died. The Duchess of Sussex posted footage from the back seat of a car showing her passing the Pont Alexandre III bridge in Paris, seemingly heading in the direction of the Pont de l’Alma. Diana died in a car crash in 1997 in the underpass beneath the Alma bridge, though on the other side of the River Seine. Critics on social media accused Meghan of insensitivity and the story featured on the front page of the Sussexes’ old tabloid nemesis, the Daily Mail.
A Sussex source told Newsweek Meghan did not know the underpass was nearby and pointed to the role the British tabloids played in Diana’s death, as the princess’ car was followed by paparazzi photographers: “The Daily Mail throwing out a line about insensitivity is a bit rich. They have chosen, at a complete stretch I might add, to draw the most tenuous, tenuous link between an Instagram post and the death of Harry’s mother. That for me is the insensitive bit.”
The source pointed out Harry is currently suing the Mail on allegations of historic phone hacking, with the trial due in January. The newspaper denies the allegations.
Afua Hagan, a U.K. based royal commentator, told Newsweek: “Honest, this is just people wanting to find something wrong. It was just a really innocent, nice moment. She just took the video not really thinking about where she was or anticipating people wanting to find something negative with it. I don’t think there was anything mean or malicious about it. People are always going to find something wrong with what she is doing.” At the Balenciaga show, Hagan said Meghan “looked absolutely incredible.”
Richard Fitzwilliams told Dailymail.co.uk: “I don’t understand what on earth she was thinking—well, she can’t have been thinking… to share a video which had any connections with the tragic death of the Princess of Wales defies belief.”
“…To share a video which had any connections with the tragic death of the Princess of Wales defies belief…” WHAT CONNECTIONS? I genuinely don’t understand. Is the connection “Paris at night?” Is the connection “married-in women who called bullsh-t on the whole royal institution?” This is simply the Mail’s way – and the Derangers’ way – of throwing the most negativity possible on what was a lovely visit to Paris. A visit which overshadowed the left-behinds spectacularly.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
