Meghan Markle is facing more criticism — and quite frankly an unfair comparison — for her supposed photo ban!
If you haven’t heard, the Duchess of Sussex was in attendance at Wimbledon last week to cheer on bestie Serena Williams. While there were a few paparazzi pics, they seemed far less plentiful than usual.
According to a couple attendees, this was because Meghan’s security team were asking people not to take photos! And not just pros either — regular citizens with cell phones!
Related: Meghan And Harry Having More Issues With William?
We already know that didn’t sit well with Piers Morgan, who spoke out against the concept on Tuesday, saying:
“This is so ridiculous, this obsession that her and Harry have about privacy. It’s frankly hypocritical and they’re not private people, they’re the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. We get to pay for their mansion, we get to do all of this. If you want to be private, go back to America and live privately.”
On Wednesday he found a voice from Hollywood to back him up: Tatum O’Neal.
The Oscar winner, who is uniquely qualified to speak on all things Wimbledon as she was once married to John McEnroe, went on Good Morning Britain on Hump Day to put in her two pence. She asserted:
“To have a bodyguard muscle somebody out I just think is so tacky.”
Ouch.
Tatum brought out the big guns almost immediately, saying it wasn’t just problematic on its own merits — it was downright unladylike! And by that we of course mean unlike Lady Diana:
“It’s so upsetting to me because if you think about Princess Diana and how absolutely inclusive she was and how she would never turn anyone anyway, and I just had so much hope for Meghan, I wanted her to be the next Princess Diana and it seems like it’s all about her and it’s really upsetting me.”
Wow. To call out a woman as not living up to her man’s late mother?? Those are some strong words. And we’re guessing Prince Harry would not approve critics invoking his mother’s name…
But nevertheless, Tatum persisted:
“I’m sorry, Harry, because I love Harry. You’re now one of the people, you’re a royal, you’re not an actor.”
Fair?
She further criticized:
“If you get the ring reset and you do a $400,000 renovation and you do the private jet to New York for the party; it’s not Diana. This is not Diana, this is something else. I don’t know what it is.”
Right. Because as we all know Diana was the princess who never wore jewelry or lived in luxury or used private transportation. We all remember those endless photos of Di riding the tube home from her job as a barista because she insisted on paying her own way. Right? *eye roll*
We are of course having some fun with Tatum’s comparison.
But let’s look at the facts here. Princess Diana was a wonderful woman who dedicated countless hours to the support of many great charities.
AND she was born a daughter of a wealthy lord and became a princess who lived in a literal palace. She picked out a huge engagement ring with 14 diamonds.
Oh, and she was also highly scrutinized by the media for her public appearances, fashion choices, parenting decisions, and basically every little thing she did.
Sound familiar?
Diana also once filed a lawsuit over photos taken without her permission. It wasn’t at a public event, but what Meghan’s team were quoted as saying was that she was attending “in a private capacity.” She wasn’t there as the Duchess but as a pal.
Besides, we mean, if a woman doesn’t want pics taken, shouldn’t that be her decision?
No one owns Meghan Markle, even the citizens of Britannia!
Just a counterpoint since they didn’t provide one. Anyway, you can see Tatum’s entire criticism (below)!
[Image via Euan Cherry/Anwar Hussein/WENN/ITV/YouTube.]
