Meghan Markle's Photo Dilemma for Lilibet's Fifth Birthday
Princess Lilibet is preparing to celebrate her fifth birthday, leaving Meghan Markle to decide whether to mark the occasion online despite her recent criticism of social media.
When Prince Archie, Lilibet’s older brother, turned 7 in May, Meghan posted a photo of Archie as a baby asleep on Prince Harry’s chest, a rare image of the youngster with his face visible.
Since then, though, Meghan has been criticized for hypocrisy for putting photos of her children on Instagram while criticizing social media companies during a speech for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, in May.
Why It Matters
That means greater scrutiny of whatever approach she takes to Princess Lilibet’s birthday, on June 4, when she turns 5.
Since 2025, the duchess has been back on Instagram and posts photos of her children but generally with their faces obscured to protect their privacy. This has led to significant backlash with critics arguing that she is simultaneously claiming to shield them from publicity while inviting attention at the same time.
Meghan Markle’s Dilemma for Lilibet’s Birthday
The duchess spent many years away from social media but returned in 2025 and posts images of her children online, including for their birthdays.
For Archie’s, she posted a carousel of images from a family trip to Disneyland days after the prince turned 7. Among them was a snap of Lilibet hugging a performer dressed as Elsa from Frozen.
People magazine reported at the time that the trip was for both birthdays, which are almost a month apart. Meghan may opt not to post for Lilibet's birthday, particularly if the earlier trip was positioned as celebrating both children. That would, though, risk looking a little like Lilibet missed out.
Yet, if she does post images of Lilibet so soon after the speech, she is likely to draw criticism in a moment that is supposed to be about celebrating her daughter.
Meghan Markle’s Speech on Digital Harms
Meghan Markle used her Geneva appearance to frame the impact of social media as a global public health crisis, arguing that online platforms are exposing children to significant and preventable harm.
During a speech at the unveiling of the "Lost Screen Memorial" during World Health Assembly week, she centered her remarks on the real-world consequences of digital abuse, highlighting children who died after experiences linked to online bullying and harmful content.
“One day, generations from now, children will look back at this era with disbelief,” Meghan said, “that adults once allowed digital spaces to exist without basic protections for young people.
“But let's do something now so that they will also look back and see that during this increasingly polarized time-where people can barely agree on basic facts-that beyond politics, or party lines, beyond demographics, incomes, or ideologies, race or religion, we could all universally agree on one thing: we want our children to be safe.
“Let our children look back at this moment, and let them feel proud of us-that we chose something better-for them, and for us all.”
She argued that technology companies have created systems that prioritize engagement over well-being, describing how young users are shaped by "relentless algorithms, exploitative engagement and endless exposure to harmful content."
Meghan Markle Hypocrisy Allegations
Meghan and Harry have made opposing the harms caused by digital technology a key plank of their campaigning dating to 2020, when they backed a Facebook boycott by Stop Hate for Profit.
However, at the time, they were not on social media. Scrutiny has been growing since Meghan’s return to Instagram in 2025, in particular over her policy of posting photos of their children online with their faces obscured.
In particular, Meghan posted an image of herself getting ready to fly to Geneva for the speech on May 16. The image showed the black suit she would wear to give the speech, complete with its Giorgio Armani label, while Lilibet was crouched in front of Meghan.
Nick Ede, a U.K. brand and culture expert, told Newsweek: “The day before she went and did that speech, she posted a picture of herself and her daughter and then literally had the Armani label out of the Armani suit that she’s wearing to a very important speech.
“She can commercialize her social media, obviously as an adult, but it just felt very hypocritical. We know she’s a hypocrite so there’s no two ways about it.
“This is still the huge problem with Meghan, it is the whole identity crisis. One minute she’s a savior, allegedly, of all children who’ve unfortunately lost their lives through social media and the next minute she’s a social media influencer. So what are you?”
Supporters might counter that she has sought to strike a balance between sparing her children the paparazzi harrasment Prince Harry experienced as a child and wanting to maintain some relationship with fans.
However, Ede was not alone in picking up on the juxtaposition. Left leaning U.K. newspaper The Independent ran a column headlined: “I've had it with the hypocrisy of social media mums like Meghan.”
Journalist Claire Cohen wrote: “‘Posture parenting' is all the rage … but any fool can see that sharing your emoji-faced little darling over and again betrays their privacy rather than protecting it.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Beast wrote: “Yes, a woman who is about to stand alongside the world's most senior public health official and discuss the measurable, preventable harms of exposing children to social media has just exposed her own child to social media.”
With those criticisms in mind, some might think Meghan will want to think carefully about how to handle Lilibet’s birthday.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 2:00 AM.