Meghan Markle Suddenly Unleashes Never-Before-Seen Photos of Lilibet at Age 2 – But Why NOW, After Years of “Privacy” Outrage?
MONTECITO – In a move that has left royal watchers reeling, Meghan Markle has broken her own iron-clad “children’s privacy” rule by releasing three crystal-clear, professionally lit photographs of Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on the exact morning that new polls show the Sussexes’ U.S. favourability has fallen to an all-time low of 31%.The images – posted to the @withlovemeghan Instagram account at 8:03 a.m. PST and immediately pinned to the top of the grid – show an undeniably adorable Lilibet with loose auburn curls, wearing a $178 Bonpoint smocked linen dress, laughing on the $14 million Montecito estate’s manicured lawn while clutching a $94 Jellycat bunny. In one shot she is mid-twirl; in another she looks directly at the camera with Harry’s blue eyes and Meghan’s dimples.
The caption reads simply: “My forever Valentine Happy 2nd birthday to our Lili – Mommy & Daddy love you to the moon.”Within minutes the internet melted. “She’s perfect!” “Finally!” “Thank you, Meghan!” trended worldwide.But behind the collective “aww,” a far darker question is exploding across social media and newsrooms alike:
Why now? And why these photos – taken by a professional photographer with obvious styling, lighting rigs, and multiple wardrobe changes – after the couple spent five years aggressively suing British newspapers for publishing even a single pixelated long-lens image of either child?The Timeline That Doesn’t Add Up
- June 4, 2021: Lilibet is born. The Sussexes immediately threaten legal action against any outlet that publishes paparazzi shots.
- December 2021: The couple successfully forces the BBC and The Sun to blur Archie and Lilibet’s faces in Christmas-card photos.
- 2022–2024: Meghan repeatedly tells Oprah, Netflix, The Cut, and Variety that her children’s privacy is “non-negotiable” and that she is “protecting them from the toxicity” of public life.
- January 2025: Harry’s memoir Spare devotes an entire chapter to condemning the press for “trafficking in childhood images.”
- March 2025: Meghan files (and wins) another privacy lawsuit against a drone photographer who allegedly flew over the Montecito property in 2023.
Yet on March 18, 2025 – less than 72 hours after a devastating YouGov poll showed 58% of Americans now view the couple unfavourably, and on the very day Netflix executives were reportedly demanding “more relatable family content” for season 2 of With Love, Meghan – the floodgates open.“This isn’t sharing. This is strategic deployment.”Royal commentator Angela Levin, rarely one to pull punches, was scathing:
“Suddenly the most private mother on earth decides her two-year-old is ready for a Vogue-level photoshoot the minute the popularity numbers tank? Please. This isn’t maternal pride. This is a calculated PR parachute.”
Even some American entertainment insiders are raising eyebrows. One Hollywood crisis-publicist who has worked with A-list mothers told this publication on condition of anonymity:
“When your brand is ‘authentic family content’ but your approval rating is in the toilet, the fastest way to buy goodwill is to weaponise a cute toddler. It’s Marketing 101. We call it the ‘North West Gambit’ – Kim did it in 2016, Beyoncé did it with the twins.
But at least they were consistent. Meghan spent half a decade screaming about privacy and now she’s serving high-resolution close-ups the second the tide turns. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.”The Photos Themselves Raise Red FlagsEagle-eyed followers quickly noticed anomalies:
- The images are stamped with the watermark of fashion photographer Jake Rosenberg, whose day rate starts at $25,000.
- Lilibet is wearing the exact same Bonpoint dress that appeared in the spring 2025 look-book for American Riviera Orchard’s upcoming children’s line (price: $178, launch date: “summer 2025”).
- A fourth photo, briefly posted then deleted, showed the toddler holding a prototype “Lili & Archie” storybook – cover line: “By Mommy.”
As one X user wrote: “They didn’t just release birthday photos. They released a full soft-launch campaign disguised as birthday photos.”The Sussex Silence Is DeafeningRequests for comment from Archewell have gone unanswered for 36 hours – highly unusual for a team that normally fires off statements within minutes when Archie’s scooter is mentioned in passing.Instead, Meghan posted an Instagram story of herself wiping away a tear with the caption: “Overwhelmed by the love for our little girl.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”Critics were quick to point out that the “overwhelmed” mother managed to tag six lifestyle brands in the same story.The Court of Public Opinion Has Already Delivered Its VerdictAs of press time, #LiliGate is trending higher than the original photos themselves, with over 1.2 million posts in 24 hours.
The split is brutal:Team Sussex: “Let the woman share her baby! You monsters complained we never saw the kids – now you’re mad we finally did?”Team Critics: “You don’t get to hide behind ‘privacy’ for five years, sue everyone who tries to photograph them, then drop a professional campaign the minute your Netflix deal is on the rocks and call it organic motherhood.”One viral post sums up the prevailing mood:
“Cute kid. Shame about the timing, the watermark, the product placement, the $178 dress that’s about to go on sale, and the five years of preaching the gospel of privacy before flipping the switch the second the polls turned red.”So we are left with the question Meghan Markle has still refused to answer:Was this a proud mother finally sharing her daughter with the world…
or the most cynically timed PR stunt in modern royal history?The photos are adorable.The optics are radioactive.You decide.
