Meghan Markle has years of experience doing public appearances, and the TV actor-turned-duchess supposedly can hire the best publicists to help her stage manage important photo ops.
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Yet, Meghan keeps getting caught in awkward public moments that go viral and make headlines, sometimes overshadowing whatever brand or cause she’s trying to promote and giving her critics ammunition to allege that these mishaps are caused by her need to be the center of attention.
The latest awkward moment occurred Friday during what was otherwise a shining opportunity for her and Prince Harry to look glamorous as they promoted his charity polo match and his newly announced Netflix series on professional polo. After Harry’s team won the Sentebale Polo Cup near Miami, named for the Africa-based charity Harry co-founded, Meghan took the stage to present her husband and his team with a trophy and to position herself in the center of a group photo op with team members.
Meghan was then recorded inviting another woman up on stage, according to video shared by the Harry and Meghan Instagram fan account, @sussexroyal_hm. But she told the woman, identified by internet sleuths as Sentebale chair Dr. Sophie Chandauka, to move aside so that she wouldn’t be standing next to her husband, Page Six, The Mirror and the Miami Herald reported.
Meghan seemed determined to position herself next to Harry for the next photo. But that left Chandauka having to awkwardly duck under the trophy to get to where the duchess wanted her to stand, and prompted people on @sussexroyal_hm, to question the duchess’ motives.
Someone commenting on the fan account said it appeared that Meghan seems “insecure” when it comes to her husband. “That’s why she keeps clinging on him and any woman who stands beside him is told to stand beside her,” one person said. Others said that the “self-obsessed,” “controlling” and “not authentic” Meghan “loves the limelight.”
But another person defended the duchess by arguing that she was actually trying to position Chandauka so that she would be in the middle of the group. It only got awkward because Harry kept his hand on the trophy, and Chandauka had to maneuver around that.
Whatever Meghan’s intentions, it’s another situation when the duchess, who also is in the midst of rolling out her American Riviera Orchard luxury brand, didn’t seem to have all the details nailed down for how she would make even a brief appearance in front of the cameras. The Mirror reported that camera crews also were following the Sussexes around Friday, documenting them at the polo match for their upcoming Netflix project.
These gaffes may happen because Meghan isn’t clear on her role, or because organizers haven’t properly briefed her, though it seems that she should have well-paid staff who should get clarity for her. Critics, meanwhile, say that some of these situations arise because Meghan tries to make any event about her. Here are some of those moments:
March 2019: Then-Prince Charles appears to tell Meghan and Harry to stand back
Nearly a year before Meghan and Harry officially stepped away from royal duties, they attended a reception at Buckingham Palace to honor of the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles’ Investiture as the Prince of Wales. Much of the coverage of the reception either focused on the pregnant duchess talking excitedly about the upcoming arrival of her son Archie, or the fact that she and Kate Middleton were seen together for the first time in months, amid reports of tensions between the two sisters-in-law.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 5: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a reception to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace on March 5, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
But video of the event also showed an awkward moment when she and Harry appeared to be uncertain about the protocol of entering a room behind Queen Elizabeth II. As Meghan smiled and started to enter the room with Charles, the future king appeared to tell her and Harry to stand back so that the queen could enter first, followed by him and his wife, Camilla, and then by Prince William and Kate Middleton. The rest of the video showed Meghan and Harry hanging back in a large drawing room, and waiting for the queen, Charles, Camilla and William and Kate to proceed out of the room first.
Harry appears to admonish Meghan to “turn around” in 2019
It’s easy to see why Meghan began to find royal events tiresome and wanted to get back to America. When she and Harry appeared on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for the annual Trooping the Color, a clip of the two interacting went viral. It also has resurfaced on TikTok in recent months, Newsweek reported.
In the clip, Meghan is seen turning towards Harry, as they stand on the balcony behind other on the royals, including the controversial Prince Andrew. As a smiling Meghan turns and says something to her husband, Harry seems to tell her to turn around and face forward. She turns to him again to say something, and he tells her again to turn around. The smile drops from her face.
2022: First awkward polo trophy moment
Two years after the couple fled royal life and settled in Montecito, Harry joined his local polo club in nearby Santa Barbara and played a season with his new Los Padres teammates, alongside friend Nacho Figueras, Newsweek reported.
As with last week’s recent polo event, Meghan was invited onstage after Harry’s team won the match. But the celebratory moment at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club came with a hitch, when the team wasn’t quite sure where Meghan should stand on stage with them, as Newsweek reported. The team ended up “fumbling” the trophy over her head, temporarily obscuring her from the cameras in the process. Meghan seemed to laugh it off and was later photographed kissing Harry.
September 2023: Trying to take the microphone at Kevin Costner’s charity event
Last fall, Meghan and Harry were surprise guests at a star-studded charity event for One805, a nonprofit benefiting Santa Barbara area first responders and hosted by Kevin Costner at his sprawling oceanside estate.
When Meghan and Harry were invited onstage as special guests, Meghan approached the woman emceeing the event and reached out to take the microphone, apparently assuming that she was expected to say a few words, The Sun reported. But the woman wouldn’t hand the microphone over, even as Meghan had already assumed a tight grip.
Meghan appeared to quickly realize her mistake and patted the woman’s arm in a friendly way before moving past her to take a place stage left, near Costner. After recovering from the brief, embarrassing moment, Meghan was given the task of presenting the “Yellowstone” star with an honorary award, but she didn’t try to take another microphone to speak.
November 2023: Meghan urged to keep moving on red carpet
While walking the red carpet for Variety’s Power of Women gala in Los Angeles, the duchess seemed to spend a little too much time in one particular place posing in front of the cameras, The Mirror reported. In an odd moment, an assistant approached the duchess from behind, tapped her on the shoulder and signaled that it was time to move on.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 16: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends the 2023 Variety Power Of Women at Mother Wolf on November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kayla Oaddams/Getty Images)
Meghan briefly waved off the assistant and kept posing for the cameras, but then turned and acknowledged the assistant with a friendly pat, Sky News also reported. The assistant appeared to look chastened but finally got Meghan to keep moving, though the duchess still stopped to talk to some reporters who were clearly happy to get a moment with her.
During those interviews, Meghan teased some exciting media projects that she and her husband Harry have in the pipeline as part of their five-year, $100 million Netflix deal.
“We have so many exciting things on the slate,” she gushed to a reporter. “I can’t wait until we can announce them, but I’m just really proud of what we’re creating.”
March 2024: Meghan expects a hug from a SXSW Conference host
Meghan again found herself in another viral social media moment when she attempted to embrace Errin Haines, who was hosting a panel that the duchess appeared on at the 2024 SXSW Conference and Festival.
Meghan participated in the panel, “Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen,” with Katie Couric and Brooke Shields, Marca.com reported.
When Meghan came out on stage, she attempted to give Haines a hug. But her “gesture of warmth was met with a cold shoulder from the host,” Marca.com reported. As Meghan extended her arms for a hug, Haines turned away, leaving the former TV actor awkwardly placing her hand on Haines’ back instead.