Meghan Markle Accused of Using 'Calculated' Father's Day Post to Position the Sussexes Against Prince William Ahead of U.K. Trip
Meghan Markle allegedly chose a 'calculated' Father's Day photo after Kensington Palace released one of Prince William and Charlotte.
June 23 2026, Published 7:45 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle was blasted as "calculated" over the photo she chose for her Father's Day tribute to Prince Harry, as a royal expert claimed it was designed to draw comparisons to the heartwarming family snapshot Kensington Palace released to mark Prince William's own celebration of the holiday, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Earlier this month, the Suits actress, 44, posted a very casual shot of Harry hugging their children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, with their heads turned away from the camera, in stark contrast to William's more formal portrait with his daughter, Princess Charlotte.
The 'Contrast Is Very Deliberate,' Expert Claims
Prince William and Princess Charlotte were featured in a sweet Father's Day tribute.
"So, nothing wrong with that photo that Meghan posted. But when you put it next to William and Catherine's image, the contrast is very deliberate. I don't believe it's accidental," Tom Sykes noted on his The Royalist podcast on June 22.
The Prince of Wales was pictured in the full ceremonial uniform of the Welsh Guards ahead of the June 13 Trooping the Color parade, while Charlotte, 11, beamed beside her father in the elegant white dress she wore for the annual celebration honoring the reigning monarch's official birthday.
The sweet father-daughter photo didn't feature the couple's two sons, Prince George, 13, and Prince Louis, 9.
"Happy birthday and Father’s Day to the best Papa in the World! We love you very much. C, G, C & L," the caption read, as June 21 was also William's 44th birthday.
Meghan Markle 'Posted Something Calculated to Make a Really Opposite Point'
Prince Harry grinned while hugging his kids, Archie and Lilibet, in the snapshot.
Hours later, Markle posted a photo to Instagram of Harry, clad in shorts and a T-shirt, standing against beige curtains, with his equally casually dressed children leaning into him.
"I think that Meghan waited. I think she waited to see what Kensington Palace posted, and then I imagine that she had some options ready, and then she posted something calculated to make a really opposite point," Sykes said.
Father's Day Photo Was 'Textbook Sussex Positioning'
Royal expert Tom Sykes claimed Meghan Markle purposely used the casual photo to contrast against William's formal shot.
"So, if William's in full military dress, formally structured, you know, that made her job very easy because it's just Harry and casual clothes with the kids, relaxed, natural, free," Sykes noted.
He suggested that Markle was trying to portray a specific look that sent the message, "We got out, we're living our best life. We're real. They're the institution. We're the real family. We're the real example of domestic bliss despite the fact that we don't talk to any other members of our family."
"So, it is textbook Sussex positioning," the royal insider alleged of Markle's snapshot.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Making Long-Awaited Return to U.K.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expected to return to the U.K. together for the first time in years.
The snapshot of Harry and his children comes just days before the Duke's highly anticipated return to England for the one-year countdown to the Birmingham Invictus Games.
Markle is reportedly set to join him, marking her first official trip back to the U.K. in nearly four years, with the couple also expected to bring Archie and Lilibet along for the visit.
The prince had previously been staunchly opposed to bringing his family back to his homeland amid his ongoing battle for an armed security detail.
"I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point," he said in a 2024 ITV interview while discussing the loss of his taxpayer-funded police protection.
The last time the couple was in the U.K. together was for the late Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022.
