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Meghan Markle Faces Backlash Over ‘Staged’ Home Video With Prince Harry

Meghan Markle is at the center of online mockery yet again as she shared a new video with Prince Harry. Critics were quick to dub that video stilted and accused her of heavily curating a polished video in order to promote her new range of chocolates from her lifestyle brand, As Ever. The short snippet was a part of the duchess’s Instagram story. As the video spread across social media, viewers were quick to dissect everything in it, from the couple's home backdrop to their dialogue. Most couldn’t help but question the authenticity of the exchange.

The video depicted Markle focusing her phone camera on her tray of As Ever’s new range of chocolates as she walked into what appeared to be Prince Harry’s office in their Montecito Mansion, worth $21 million. The latter was working on his laptop, sitting barefoot, wearing casual attire: a pure white polo shirt and blue jeans. Behind him were many framed photographs and a sweet card with the word “Papa.” As the Duchess offered her husband the tray, he had a delightful smile on his face while exclaiming, “Oooh, yes please,” before selecting white chocolate as his pick from the 4 flavors. Markle calmly replied, “White chocolate? You got it!” The duke then added, “Thank you, love you,” as she walked away from him with the rest of the treats.

The clip began to circulate beyond Instagram and found itself on X, formerly known as Twitter. As many began to criticize the video, they were blunt with their words. A post said, “Nope. No matter how hard you push them, we still don’t care.” Another added, “He has gone from a respected member of the RF to a clown making staged videos for her unsellable goods.” Meanwhile, a third blatantly called the video “pathetic.” On the other hand, another comment summed up the feeling shared by many critics by posting the clip with the words “so contrived.”  

But the video didn’t just receive negative reactions. Some came to Harry and Markle’s rescue as they praised the sweet clip shared by them. One user shared, “Look at Prince Harry living his life, away from all that mess back in the royal family. Look at him, a man with a clear conscious. Love this for him,” on the same platform. While sharing the same sentiment, another posted, “Prince Harry looks so rested and peaceful.” A third comment believed the video to be a welcome distraction and revealed, “I have reposted this a dozen times. What a welcome palate cleanse from the sordid Epstein/Royal affair.”

The video also had a quick glimpse of the Sussex family’s rescue beagle, Mamma Mia. She was cozily curled up below Harry’s desk, next to his feet. This detail made all the animal lovers gush. As mentioned above, the clip was shared to promote As Ever’s new chocolate range released ahead of Valentine’s Day. The collection is a collaboration between As Ever and the Los Angeles chocolatier brand, Compartes. While she announced the collection on As Ever’s official Instagram, Markle said, “A gift for yourself, or the one you love.”