For years now, the British media has treated the Duchess of Sussex like every single thing she says, does, posts or wears has an ulterior motive, a hidden agenda which only the British press can properly decode. According to the British press, a thing is never just a thing when it comes to Meghan. What’s remarkable is how ulterior motives are never ascribed to the Windsors, whose raison d’etre is to operate through coded messages and hidden agendas. All of which to say, the British press is furiously trying to “understand” what Meghan is really doing back in the UK. She can’t simply exist and be a mom and do Pilates at Soho Farmhouse. There must be another agenda at play and by god, the Telegraph will spend eight pages decoding the messages being sent from Kelly Zajfen’s Instagram. Seriously – the Telegraph had a long-read called “Meghan’s ‘bestie’ and the toe-curling campaign to woo the British public.” Toes are being curled because Meghan took her friend to a pub, you guys. I’ll spare you the bulk of the histrionics but here are the basics:

First came American talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, then came the Duchess of Sussex – repatriating her Duke – but in the past week we have seen a new Californian attracting attention in and around the Cotswolds: one Kelly McKee Zajfen.

It was her own Instagram post that drew eyes. A carousel of 14 photographs depicting a trip to see her best friend in England, along with her baby boy, Jack. It received almost 10 times her standard amount of engagement. Why? Highlights include sweet pictures of Zajfen holding baby Jack on an estate… then her playing mah jong with a giggling brunette wearing a baseball cap and flip flops while enjoying a glass of white wine: coy, but immediately identifiable as the Duchess of Sussex.

Further evidence demonstrating the wholesomeness of the new Sussex life here included images of Meghan holding Jack by a demolished plate of fish ’n’ chips in the pub and Harry cuddling him on a rug on the ground. Then, a gushing caption. So positive. So grateful. So… on message?

The post raised two questions. For the British public: just who is Zajfen? It seemed she had popped up out of nowhere. And for the ever-suspect press: detectors will have been set off by the post’s concluding words, which read: “To everyone we’ve met or bumped into, thank you for being so loving to my friend. It’s been beautiful to witness. She missed you too!”

It seemed unlikely that Meghan had not approved the post, suggesting Zajfen could be part of the Duchess’s new PR plan, now that she’s back in the UK with a less-than-jolly British public to win over.

“It makes it read as a public communication,” says Lauren Beeching, a leading crisis PR who has represented major politicians, chief executives and celebrities. “At that point, the caption moves beyond documenting a visit and addresses an audience on Megan’s behalf.”

I understand from Sussex sources that while the Duchess was likely made aware of the post ahead of its publication, she had no direct involvement in the caption. Sussex backers point out the pair are best friends and, of course, support each other. They also note that Meghan already has a PR (Liam Maguire in the UK and Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylisin in the US). Still, interest in Zajfen (pronounced z-eye-fin) has been piqued.

…Last week’s post was nothing out of the ordinary in that sense, but it was the first real insight into Meghan’s life back in Britain. As a result, many felt like she was trying to deliver a message. Zajfen, after all this time, is a safe pair of hands for a debut look. So what of the suggestion that Zajfen is now part of the PR plan? Sussex sources say it’s just not true. But others say Meghan has long relied on personal connections to try and win public favour.

“She’s [Meghan’s] always communicated via friends. I don’t think there’s a turning point at all. I think it’s part of her playbook,” says James Henderson, a crisis PR who worked with Sarah Ferguson for over a decade and understands life on the border of The Firm. Beeching suggests there’s a clear strategy behind posts such as Zajfen’s. “Using Kelly’s voice to make that message feel more personal and credible allows us to benefit from a positive story without [Meghan] having to make the argument for herself.”

With Meghan’s approval rating in the UK languishing at less than 20 per cent, if she wants to be a powerful public figure, there is clearly work to be done – and a long game to map out. Henderson sees her separation from the Crown as an opportunity. “Not being part of the royal machine gives her more freedom to do it her way,” he says. “She should take up a big role with a global charity, similar to what she did before she was married, for a cause that she strongly, strongly believes in.” That, he says, would give her a vehicle to communicate, similar to Harry’s Invictus Games.

Those who know her claim that Meghan is very happy in the UK and that her and Prince Harry’s children are enjoying their new adventure. They say she accepts there’s always going to be noise around them, but that her experience in the past month has been positive and they have all settled in well. And Zajfen? Perhaps she will gain a whole new British audience. After all, we live in an era of self-promotion: bigging up your friends is par for the course, even if, for us British, it can seem cringeworthy.

[From The Telegraph]

Sometimes, it feels like British commentators and journalists really are talking down to their readers as if they’re idiots or newborn babies unfamiliar with the idea of “posting a supportive and pleasant caption on social media.” Kelly clearly visited her friend to see how she was doing, then Kelly posted some photos from the trip and that was it. The reason the Telegraph (and the Mail, and the Sun and the Mirror) are all obsessing over Kelly’s Instagram is because Meghan hasn’t attended any public events and she doesn’t seem eager to live any kind of “public life” in England. Because these same people ascribing ulterior motives to Meghan are shocked that she isn’t begging for their attention. They keep saying “well, Meghan’s approval rate is really low!” Who cares? Meghan certainly doesn’t. She’s doing the same thing she did in California – living her life quietly while the same people obsess over everything she does and says.

Photos courtesy of Kelly Zajfen’s Instagram.