Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, often humorously dubbed the "Duke and Duchess of Whine," have once again captured public attention—this time with a Women’s Day Instagram post featuring their elusive daughter, Lilibet. Or at least, that’s what we’re supposed to believe. This child has undergone more transformations than a reality TV contestant.
In their latest episode of “Let’s Pretend We’re Normal,” Meghan shared a picturesque shot of three-year-old Lilibet enjoying a serene boat ride with Prince Harry, who, as usual, bore the expression of a lost puppy in need of rescue. The seemingly heartwarming moment showed Harry planting a kiss on his daughter's head, but eagle-eyed critics quickly noticed a glaring issue—the child wasn’t wearing a life jacket.
As it turns out, this wasn’t just a minor oversight; it was actually illegal. In California, where the Sussexes reside, state law mandates that all children under 13 must wear a life jacket on a moving vessel. But why should legal requirements apply to a couple far too busy renaming jam jars and suing tabloids to concern themselves with trivial matters like child safety?
The hypocrisy of it all didn’t go unnoticed. Harry, who has spent years lamenting how terrified he is for his family’s safety, seemed unconcerned about the very real risk of drowning. One observer wryly pointed out that, given his constant fearmongering about threats to his children, he certainly didn’t seem to take their actual safety too seriously.
But the controversy didn’t end there. A significant portion of online sleuths took one look at Lilibet and started questioning which version of her they were seeing this time. This isn’t the first instance of royal watchers noticing inconsistencies in the Sussex children’s appearances. One day, Lilibet has light blonde hair; the next, it’s darker and shorter. Meanwhile, Archie appears to have mastered the art of remaining the same age indefinitely. It’s almost as if the children in their photos aren’t always the same, which some found, well, a little odd.
Speculation quickly spread across social media, with some users jokingly asking where they had “borrowed” this particular child from, while others quipped that “the rental agency must have been out of matching models.” The lingering question remained: Do Meghan and Harry even raise these children? Have they ever been seen behaving like normal toddlers—giggling, playing, running around? Instead, their public images seem carefully curated, lifeless, and always avoiding direct eye contact with the camera, as if they were merely props in the never-ending Meghan Markle Cinematic Universe.
Of course, this isn’t the Sussexes' first brush with child safety concerns. Lilibet’s missing life jacket is just the latest in a pattern of questionable parenting choices. Who could forget when they were previously spotted allowing Archie to ride in a car without a seatbelt? One has to wonder how long before California child services starts paying them a visit.
Perhaps Meghan was too preoccupied drafting another lawsuit to notice the missing life jacket. Maybe Harry was too busy working on his next tell-all about his harrowing life as the world’s most privileged victim. Or maybe—just maybe—the entire scene was as staged as Meghan’s enthusiasm for royal duties.
At this point, nothing they do is surprising. If their goal was positive PR, this latest blunder backfired worse than their ill-fated Spotify deal.
