In November 2016, Meghan Markle was spotted outside the main entrance of Kensington Palace, carrying a Whole Foods bag.
A photographer captured her in what she later portrayed as an unfortunate, unavoidable moment. According to the account shared in Prince Harry's memoir, Spare, Meghan claimed that a horse parade had blocked her usual access route to a side entrance, forcing her to use the palace's main entrance where photographers were waiting. She recalled feeling helpless as several men took pictures of her, bag in hand—a moment she described as intrusive and distressing.
However, this story doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. Records from the court circular, a detailed archive of royal activities, reveal that there was no horse parade in London that day. Instead, Prince Charles and Camilla were in another part of the country, while Prince William was occupied with an investiture ceremony on the Queen’s behalf. Prince Harry was attending an Armistice Day service, and Princess Anne had a separate engagement with military officers. Not a single royal event that day featured a horse parade in London. Yet Meghan insisted on the story of being “forced” into a public entrance because of this nonexistent event.
Another curious detail involves the Whole Foods bag. Meghan reportedly mentioned that, while waiting at the checkout, she was confronted by rows of tabloid magazines, each one splashed with her face and scandalous headlines. However, Whole Foods doesn’t typically stock the sensational tabloids found at conventional grocery stores. Instead, their checkout area is stocked with wellness magazines and cooking publications, none of which would have featured Meghan Markle in any dramatic fashion at that time. This discrepancy suggests either Meghan’s memory of events was inaccurate or the scenario had been embellished, perhaps to fit a narrative of victimhood.
At this time, Meghan’s fame was relatively modest. She was primarily known for her role on the cable TV show Suits, and while her relationship with Prince Harry had sparked some media interest, she wasn’t yet a household name in the UK. Nevertheless, she claimed to be swarmed by paparazzi outside Kensington Palace. Intriguingly, media coverage from that period, including a Daily Mail article, indicated that it was actually her relationship with Harry that had elevated her profile in the public eye. Until then, her visibility in the UK had been limited; she was far from the celebrity she later became.
There is also a suggestion that Meghan’s encounter with the photographer was not purely incidental. Reports indicate she may have walked back and forth in front of a photographer’s office until she was eventually noticed and photographed. This raises the possibility that the encounter was not a spontaneous intrusion but a deliberate attempt to attract attention. Some observers speculate that Meghan may have orchestrated this photo opportunity to present herself as vulnerable, possibly seeking Harry’s sympathy. If so, the strategy appears to have worked; by several accounts, Harry was captivated by Meghan's account and believed every detail.
Ultimately, this incident highlights Meghan Markle’s ability to craft narratives and add dramatic flair to personal stories. Whether it’s the mysterious “horse parade” or the alleged tabloid sightings at Whole Foods, the story raises questions about the accuracy of her recollections and her talent for storytelling. Each element of her account seems meticulously tailored, revealing a calculated approach to cultivating a particular image.
