As far as some Brits are concerned, Meghan Markle is still an unwelcome member of the Royal Family.
The Duchess of Sussex joined her husband, Prince Harry, and her in-laws, the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, as they greeted mourners who gathered outside of Windsor Castle in England to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 10.
The longest-reigning monarch passed away on Sept. 8. She was 96 years old. Three days prior to the queen’s passing, Markle made her first work trip back to the United Kingdom for the One Young World Summit in Manchester.
In 2020, Markle and Harry publicly announced that they would be stepping back from their royal duties. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple would later reveal that the former “Suits” actress had faced an unbearable onslaught of racist antics from the British media, and various other challenging circumstances upon adjusting to life as a royal.
With her scathing tell-all, sit-down interview publicized to the world, Markle was seemingly further made into a spectacle among critics. Even while dealing with a grand loss, critics made no exception to hiding their displeasure. While shaking hands with mourners, cameras caught more than one person avoiding contact with the Duchess.
In one clip circulating online, the mother of two is seen meeting members of the public when at least three women avoid making eye contact or any form of physical contact with Markle. One woman in particular, who is dressed in a blue shirt, is captured looking at the ground and in the opposite direction of Markle as she passed by.
Reactions to the clip range from zealous support of those uninterested in the Duchess, to comments justifying the disdain expressed toward her. “You don’t snitch and lie on your family, then still want an invitation to the ball #PrincessPinocchio #DuchessOfNetflix #GoHomeMeghanMarkle,” read a tweet.
Another person wrote, “Sickening to see Meghan Markle at Windsor. It’s not difficult to imagine the amount of stress she has caused Her Majesty and the Royal Family. She has done nothing but defame them and us. Go home!!”
Elsewhere online, Markle has been defended for joining her family as they greeted mourners. “I’m trying to imagine what I’d do if someone suggested to me that I go out and cordially meet and greet a crowd of people so that the company that ostracized & defamed me can get positive reviews. I doubt I’d do it. So again, #MeghanMarkleIsASaint #WeLoveYouMeghan #MeghanMarkle,” read a tweet of support.
“The woman who ‘snubbed’ Meghan Markle while greeting her over the Queen’s death. You have your own choice, fair enough. But giggling over it, making someone feel uneasy & uncomfortable, like a school bully, isn’t remotely funny at all. Laughing at not shaking her hand? Weird,” read another.
In addition to the support online, a singular hug from 14-year-old mourner Amelia Zak has proven that there are Brits who hope to make Markle feel welcome. The teen, who waited outside Windsor Castle for two hours, told CNN, “Everyone was kind of cheering me on to and I guess I just felt like I needed to in a way. Like I just really wanted to at least hug her because I look up to her in some ways and it just felt like it was the right thing to do.” She added, “I just wanted to like show her that she’s, like, welcome here, I guess. And wanted to hug her after everything that’s happened, really, now.”
