Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
AFP News

Meghan Markle has come under fire on social media after sharing a stream of intimate videos and photos of Prince Harry and their home life in Montecito, California, as the couple marked their eighth wedding anniversary on Tuesday, 19 May.

Express UK reported that the Duchess of Sussex, who spent much of the day posting on Instagram, was accused by some users of being 'performative,' 'embarrassing' and 'so cringe' for turning the private celebration into public content.

For context, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry married on 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel in Windsor, in a ceremony watched around the world and widely hailed at the time as a modernising moment for the monarchy.

Since stepping back from royal duties and relocating to the United States, the Sussexes have repeatedly insisted they are trying to carve out a more private, independent life, though they have also launched media ventures and high‑profile projects that keep them firmly in the public eye.

Their anniversary posts land in the middle of that ongoing tension between public brand and private family.

Meghan Markle's Anniversary Videos Divide Opinion

On Tuesday, Meghan Markle flooded her Instagram stories with material tied to the anniversary. She shared 24 previously unseen photographs from the 2018 wedding ceremony and reception, alongside videos and stills of the Sussex family celebrating at home in Montecito.

In one clip, Prince Harry is seen walking carefully through what appears to be their kitchen, carrying an elderflower cake decorated with four candles. Another shows Meghan holding up a wooden sculpture of two penguins in an embrace, which she suggested was a nod to an earlier moment in their relationship when they reportedly dressed as penguins at a party after their engagement.

The decision to broadcast these moments did not land well with everyone. On X, one critic wrote that the posts were 'beyond CRINGE & so performative,' complaining about the 'dozens of pics of their Spectacle, cake w candles?? Who blows out candles on their anniversary??' The same user went on to call Meghan 'the definition of EMBARRASSING A*.'

Another sceptic questioned the timing and apparent intensity of the online effort, claiming: 'So no other year does she make all this fuss then no one turns up in Switzerland and she has bombarded the internet with wedding pics and a cake with candles... she is tragic.' The reference to Switzerland was not explained further in the post, and remains unverified.


A third user took aim at the very idea of sharing domestic footage with millions of followers, arguing: 'This is so so cringe! If these were personal family moments and not contrived then why would you need the world to see them?? Even their anniversary is all about 'Mama'! What did she buy him? Her presence?'

Others went still harder, trying to turn the penguin sculpture into a metaphor for the couple's public image. 'The penguins represent their "lifelong commitment" to being a couple of grifting snakes,' one user claimed, in a remark that reflects the bitterness now common in some corners of anti‑Sussex commentary online.


Supporters Say Meghan Markle Is Just Sharing Her Marriage

Not everyone regarded Meghan Markle's posts as a misstep. Among her supporters, the feed of kisses in the kitchen, nostalgic wedding photos and sentimental gifts was taken at face value, as a rare glimpse of a couple who have spent years under relentless scrutiny.

Beneath the anniversary content on Instagram, one fan wrote: 'I don't care what anyone says, and I don't care how many haters she has. This man loves that woman and I'm here for it.' Another simply added: 'Love this.' A third chimed in with: 'So cute.'

The split in reaction was as stark as ever. One X user complained that 'this is getting sickening... Every day they celebrate themselves. I have never seen anything like it.' Another questioned whether eight years of marriage justified such a public display, asking: 'Why is this a thing, 8 years isn't even that big of a milestone, WT*.'

Critics also noted the volume of material Meghan pushed out. 'She posted 24 pictures I think it was, on Instagram from their wedding and then this,' one post read. 'She's not at all done with the prove it game and will never be done with the prove it game.'

There was no immediate public response from Meghan Markle or Prince Harry to the criticism. The couple is understood to have spent the day quietly in Montecito with their children, with the Instagram stories acting as their only curated window into the celebration.

IBTimes UK has reached out to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's reps for comments.

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