Meghan Markle's New Branding Strategy Allegedly Puts Kids at the Centre as She 'Sells Herself' as Homemaker

Meghan Markle's approach to sharing her family life on Instagram appears to be shifting, with royal expert Allison Boshoff suggesting that Archie and Lilibet are now playing a more prominent role in how the Duchess of Sussex presents herself publicly.

The observation comes after Meghan shared a series of photographs and videos involving her children during the Sussexes' recent time in the UK.

While the couple have generally kept their children's faces away from social media, the increased focus on family life has prompted renewed discussion about Meghan's public image and Prince Harry's long-standing concerns over media intrusion.

Allison Boshoff Says Meghan Is Putting Archie and Lilibet Front and Centre

Speaking on the 15 September episode of The Royalist podcast, Boshoff said there had been a noticeable change in how much Meghan and Harry's children featured publicly.

She suggested Archie and Lilibet had largely been absent from Meghan's public-facing activity between January and May, before Meghan was, in Boshoff's view, back in control of how the family was being presented.

Discussing a carousel of photographs Meghan shared in July, Boshoff noted that the children had been placed 'front and center' during family trips to England and Portugal. She linked the change to what she described as Meghan's growing emphasis on a mother and homemaker identity rather than solely on entrepreneurship.

'The kids have become an integral part of the way that she sells herself, because she's selling herself as a mother and as a homemaker,' Boshoff claimed.

Boshoff also said Meghan's presentation of herself as a homemaker naturally involves showing family life, while acknowledging that other prominent lifestyle figures, including Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow, have built similar public identities without relying on their children to the same extent.

Prince Harry Faces Criticism Over Meghan's Posts About Their Children

The increased visibility of Archie and Lilibet has also prompted criticism of Harry from royal commentator Kinsey Schofield. Writing about Meghan's recent social media activity, Schofield questioned whether the couple's approach to their children's privacy is consistent with Harry's repeated complaints about unwanted media attention.

Harry has spoken publicly about the impact of press intrusion throughout his life, including during his 2023 High Court case against Mirror Group Newspapers. He has described hostility from the press since birth and argued that media intrusion had caused significant harm.

Schofield therefore questioned whether Harry's public stance on media intrusion was consistent with selected glimpses of his children being shared with Meghan's large online audience.

'You cannot spend years telling the world that unwanted attention traumatised you and then actively manufacture public interest in the private lives of your own children,' she said.

Meghan Markle's Instagram Shows Archie and Lilibet During UK Trip

Meghan has periodically shared videos and photographs featuring Archie and Lilibet while avoiding clear images of their faces. Her latest posts showed Archie running outdoors and Lilibet riding a bicycle, while another clip showed Harry spending time with the children during a fishing trip.

The family content followed their UK visit in July, when Meghan also shared photographs from their travels. One photograph appeared to show Harry and Archie at Althorp, the Northamptonshire estate where Princess Diana is buried, although the Sussexes did not publicly confirm that the image was taken at her gravesite.

The photograph prompted criticism from royal commentators, including Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English, who questioned the decision in light of Harry's previous complaints about the use of his mother's memory.

English said Harry had 'long complained about the exploitation of his mother's memory', particularly in relation to people such as former royal butler Paul Burrell.

She continued: 'And I think to then allow those pictures of such a personal moment to be published like that, I personally found quite hypocritical. And I think people would say that in itself is exploitative.' Her comments were presented as her personal assessment of the decision to publish the photographs.

One report claimed Prince William was 'upset' but not surprised by the photograph, although Kensington Palace did not publicly confirm the reported reaction. The Sussexes have likewise not confirmed that the image was taken at Diana's grave.