Meghan Markle Shares New Photos of Lilibet — Sparks Child Endangerment Allegations Yet Again

Princess Lilibet turned 4 on Wednesday, June 4. To mark the occasion, the Duchess of Sussex shared rare photos of her daughter on Instagram, one of which featured her cuddling Lilibet on a boat. As the sweet photo went viral, royal watchers quickly recalled a previous uproar over Markle and Prince Harry not putting a life vest on their daughter. This had them convinced Markle hadn’t learnt her lesson.

Markle shared three photo carousels on Instagram, from the time when Lilibet was a newborn to her on adventures with Harry. It was the first that left royal fans fuming again. As reported by Fox News, on International Women’s Day 2025, the Duchess posted two important women in her life, her mother Doria Ragland, and Lilibet, on Instagram. One of the photos captured Harry cradling Lilibet in his arms in a boat in the ocean. Netizens slammed the couple for their lax approach to water safety with a young child. Markle faced the brunt of the backlash, having uploaded the images, with royal watchers accusing her of putting her daughter in danger.

In light of the same, as the new photos of Markle and Lilibet on a boat made the rounds on X (formerly Twitter), fans couldn't help but point out the obvious. A netizen commented, “No vest but wearing ridiculously expensive jewelry. Really concerned about safety and security there aren’t they? ?” Another echoed, “Didn’t Harry have Lilibet on the same boat a while ago? I remember people then commenting that he had no life vest on the child.” In agreement, a critic penned, “Like Haz with Betty wearing no life jacket in the photo published back in March…this foolish move must be a regular one. Who doesn’t put a life jacket on their kid ?” As the comments poured in, another remarked, “The absence of life jackets infuriates me ???”

The photo also had fans convinced that the girl in the picture was not Lilibet, but rather just a stand-in. A netizen argued, “Black and white photos this time as [Markle] could not get a girl with ginger hair ?.” In a similar vein, another commented, “Which version of Lilibet is this? This version has fine, straight, blonde hair.” A netizen echoed, “Is Rachel ever going to give up posting different children in all of her photos??”

Markle’s tribute carousel for Lilibet also featured adorable moments of her with Harry. As per Harper’s Bazaar, the Duchess shared two photos of the Duke holding his then-newborn daughter and another of Lilibet holding Harry’s hand while running. She captioned the post, “The sweetest bond to watch unfold. Daddy's little girl and favorite adventurer. Happy birthday Lili!” A third video showed a heavily pregnant Markle spinning, twerking, and dancing with Harry in a hospital room to help induce labor ahead of Lilibet's birth. She shared that she had to resort to dancing when “spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn’t work.”