Meghan Markle is once again in the spotlight, making a concerted effort to repair her public image following a recent Vanity Fair profile that painted her in a negative light.
Meghan as the "difficult Duchess," someone who could quickly shift from being warm and engaging to cold and distant without warning. Refusing to let this portrayal go unanswered, Meghan responded by pulling out a glowing quote from Sharon Stone—dated back to 2020. Using a four-year-old compliment as a response to current criticism seems like an odd choice, but it appears to be the Sussexes' idea of a well-placed clapback.
The Vanity Fair piece also included commentary from an unnamed media insider who described Meghan’s public relations approach as simplistic and self-serving, likening it to a game of checkers rather than the more calculated and strategic game of chess. The source suggested that Meghan is primarily focused on positioning herself and has no qualms about discarding people once they are no longer useful. In the face of this critique, Meghan countered with Sharon Stone’s old remarks, which portrayed her as a caring member of the community, citing gestures like waving at people on the street.
The imagery of Meghan Markle riding her bike in Montecito and casually waving at someone at a stoplight might sound charming, but it does little to address the larger issues surrounding her reputation. Allegations of bullying, emotional manipulation, and reports of staff requiring therapy sessions due to a toxic work environment are serious accusations. Critics argue that acts like waving to a passerby, while pleasant, are hardly enough to counterbalance such claims. Using a fleeting moment of kindness to reshape public perception seems like an insufficient and superficial response.
This isn’t the first time Meghan’s team has turned to positive remarks from the past to combat negative press. Recently, similar efforts were made to highlight testimonials from former staffers describing Meghan as “genuine” and “lovely.” However, these comments also come from earlier periods, long before Meghan became embroiled in public disputes and faced allegations of workplace bullying, which she continues to deny. It raises questions about why her PR team is relying on outdated praise rather than current examples to defend her image.
The decision to dig up a four-year-old quote from Sharon Stone has left many observers puzzled. If this is the best her PR team can come up with, it doesn’t bode well for Meghan’s efforts to reclaim her public standing. It highlights just how far back they had to search to find anything positive, underscoring the challenges in rebuilding her reputation. For many, this move feels less like a thoughtful strategy and more like a desperate attempt to salvage public opinion.
Sharon Stone, meanwhile, likely never anticipated that her casual remarks from 2020 would resurface in such a significant way. As an accomplished Hollywood actress with her own established reputation, she has little to gain from being dragged into Meghan’s ongoing media narrative. The use of her comments in this context seems opportunistic, and it’s easy to imagine Stone feeling blindsided by the situation. A passing compliment about Meghan waving at a car was hardly intended to serve as a cornerstone of someone else’s PR strategy years later.
If Meghan and Harry’s team genuinely believes that reviving a four-year-old compliment about waving at a car will turn public opinion in their favor, it signals a need for a serious reevaluation of their approach. Public relations in 2025 requires more than shallow gestures or recycled praise to overcome deep-seated reputational issues. Their focus should shift to meaningful, current actions that demonstrate accountability and growth. Without a stronger and more authentic strategy, their efforts to reclaim goodwill may continue to fall flat, leaving the public unconvinced and skeptical of their intentions.
