Meghan Markle Sparks Princess Diana Comparisons Yet Again With Rare Birthday Post
Meghan Markle has often drawn parallels with her late mother-in-law, and her recent Instagram post has triggered another such wave.
Meghan Markle has often given sartorial nods to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, over the years. However, this time, she sparked comparisons with the People’s Princess for an entirely different reason. On Tuesday, the Duchess of Sussex marked her 45th birthday by jumping into a swimming pool—an image that instantly reminded royal fans of Diana’s iconic 1997 St. Tropez vacation.
In the two black-and-white pictures Markle posted on Instagram on her special day, she was seen holding a bunch of birthday balloons and jumping into the swimming pool. She also appeared to be wearing a black monokini—previously seen in her summer vacation pictures—that closely resembled one of Diana’s swimsuits. While the Duchess had sported the black number on a beach day during her European vacation, she chose to wear it again for her birthday this year as she leapt into the water, hands up in the air.
Markle’s birthday pictures were reminiscent of Diana’s paparazzi pictures from her 1997 vacation in St. Tropez, in which the late royal was seen jumping into the water from a boat wearing a black-and-white swimsuit. Eagle-eyed fans were quick to catch the similarities. "I think she used the balloons as an excuse to have her hands up so as not to be SO obvious that she was once again copying a famous picture of Diana," one X user wrote, while another added, "We had a Diana; we don’t need another one."
Social media users also pointed out that Markle didn't take off her sunglasses before diving into the pool. "But Diana’s was natural, and she took her sunglasses off!!!" one X user said. However, many fans jumped to the Duchess's defense, as one noted, "Because she jumps into a river? So everybody who jumps into a river, wearing a black costume, is trying to be like Diana," while another wrote, "It’s a normal pool thing to do."
While Markle’s birthday post triggered Diana comparisons, she may have also mirrored another royal: her daughter, Princess Lilibet. The Duchess may also have recreated her daughter’s sweet picture from their recent summer vacation. In the photo dump that Markle posted from their European outing, Prince Harry could be seen flipping Lilibet in the swimming pool—a black-and-white shot caught mid-air, remarkably similar to Markle’s birthday post. It seems mother and daughter are water babies after all!
Later on Tuesday, the Duchess shared some adorable birthday moments on her Instagram stories. She was seen happily dancing in the kitchen, wearing a birthday tiara and a T-shirt that read, ‘It’s Giving Mrs.’ Harry’s voice could be heard in the background, suggesting he was the one behind the camera. Their Montecito kitchen was decorated with birthday balloons, and Markle also shared some fun moments with her dogs, Mia and Pula, who were adorned with tiny birthday hats.
Since rejoining Instagram last year, Markle has frequently shared glimpses into her family life. For her and Harry’s eighth wedding anniversary earlier this year, the culinary enthusiast even baked a lemon elderflower cake - the same flavor as their wedding cake. It remains to be seen whether she did something similar for her birthday as well.
