On Sunday, the Duchess of Sussex posted some cute videos of Archie and Lili at a local pumpkin patch. She also included some footage of the family – including Doria Ragland and Markus Anderson – carving pumpkins at home in Montecito. One video clip was a time-lapse of Harry carving his pumpkin like a boss. I didn’t realize it, but Meghan ended up deleting that part soon after it was posted. The reason? In the background of Harry’s pumpkin-carving, you could see Lili and Archie running around. They were super-blurry and in the background, but you could “see” their faces. Again, I have no real idea what these kids look like beyond their hair. I haven’t seen clear photos of Archie and Lili’s faces since they were both babies/toddlers. But it’s up to Meghan and Harry to show whatever they want to show, and Meghan’s Instagram is all about showing a more personal side to her life. The British press eats it up and then those same people scream, cry and throw up every single time Meghan includes her kids on IG in any way. Which brings me to Tom Sykes’ Royalist Substack, in which an unnamed publicist snidely and exclusively claims that this whole pumpkin-carving video was all a convenient branding exercise. The pumpkin is made of lies!
For a couple so famously vigilant about privacy, it is an extraordinary lapse. Over the weekend, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle briefly posted a video to social media showing the clearly visible—if blurry—faces of their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, for the first time since they were infants. The clip, showing Meghan on what appeared to be a wholesome autumnal outing to a California pumpkin patch, went viral after eagle-eyed followers and journalists noticed that both children’s faces were clearly visible in the background. But within hours, the footage was scrubbed, a source confirmed to The Royalist.
The Sussex social media operation—usually cautious to the point of paranoia when it comes to images of the children—moved at lightning speed to delete the entire second half of the video. But by then the damage was done. Dozens of screenshots circulated on X and TikTok before the takedown was complete, leaving Meghan’s communications team scrambling to contain a pumpkin patch privacy fiasco.
“It’s all a bit too convenient,” one cynical publicist told The Royalist. “The clip gets attention, the internet explodes, and suddenly Meghan’s brand rollout is on everyone’s radar.”
For years, Harry and Meghan have maintained a blank space around their children’s faces, allowing only carefully curated, back-of-the-head glimpses in documentaries and family Christmas cards. But, if you genuinely wish to keep your children out of the public eye, why include them in any promotional material at all, some might say.
The Sussexes’ digital output is famously controlled—every frame reviewed, every caption weighed. This was not a paparazzi ambush but a self-produced, self-edited video. The notion that their children’s faces could appear by accident will strain credulity for some.
Sykes continues to go on and on about how Harry and Meghan should never, ever show their children and now everyone knows what the kids look like, and I don’t even know who he’s trying to convince at this point. I follow what the Sussexes are doing, and as I said, I have no idea what these kids’ faces look like at this point. I didn’t even catch the kids running around in the video of Harry’s pumpkin carving but sure, other people noticed it and whatever – extremely blurry, out-of-focus photos of the kids. Meghan took down that part quickly and that was that. This is not a crisis, nor was it some cynical brand-building exercise. These people are going to climb up Meghan’s ass regardless of what she shows or doesn’t show. What they’re really mad about is that Meghan gets to decide what she shows and doesn’t show. They’re mad that one post from her account makes international news and overshadows them. They’re mad that THEY can’t profit from two cute ginger kids.
Photos/screengrabs courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram.
Sykes is now trying to build an audience for his Substack. He knows that being provocative about Meghan gets the clicks he needs since he no longer has the daily Beast to draw from. His Substack is almost unwatchable, so I expect him to get more frantic about Meghan to get the clicks but viewers are onto him.
Yep, he’s throwing meat to the unhinged derangers because they’ll give him clicks. Somehow I managed to get on to see a single article without subscribing–I clicked to comment in some space that wasn’t the “click on the article, whoops, you can’t see the article or comment unless you subscribe” space. From there on, I could see my own comment, anyone who responded to my comment, and then if I clicked on “return to thread,” I could see the whole article and every other comment, too. Of course it seemed like 80% derangers, although there were pathetically few unique commenters in total (maybe 20? but man the derangers were obsessed, posting multiple times each) if he’s trying to make a living from this. I recommend you guys click around and see if you can swing the balance there–for free, without subscribing and giving him money for trash like this pumpkin article, of course.
They are so unhinged that they have absolutely no control over what the Sussexes put out it just oozes out of them in pure hatred and nastiness. What is this brand he is talking about? This is just a loving family showing them in a pumpkin patch and carving pumpkins. People of all walks of life do the same. Pictures and videos are taken to preserve the moments. This is not them, like an un-named couple of fakes with camera crew in tow, trying to present a happy family they truly are a happy family.
And?
Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think what Sykes is insinuating happened at all. The pumpkin carving video was an instagram story separate to the reel she posted at the pumpkin patch. Some fans slowed the instagram story down and you could see the kids briefly but it was blurry and you definitely couldn’t see their faces. I don’t think Meghan deleted it because it was a story it disappears in 24 hours. I think Sykes is confused because those of us who watched it at the speed Meghan posted couldn’t see the kids at all. Anyway what a strange creepy man Sykes is yikes…
Okay, I’m laughing if that’s the case. I’m not very insta savvy and even I understand that Stories on insta is for a limited time. Maybe it was removed idk. I saw that pumpkin carving vid a few times and never even noticed the kids in background let alone their faces. My algorithm is pretty tight on SM and I didn’t see anyone screen-shotting the kids faces. Maybe Derangers were doing that somewhere idk but I didn’t see it bc I mute any account that is even slightly sketchy.
Just adding…Check out WWD! They’ve got the update on Meghan’s new products dropping today. Raspberry and strawberry and sparkling wine, oh my! Plus other cute stuff.
Thanks for the reminder, Jais!!!
it looks like there’s a trio of jams, strawberry, raspberry and marmalade, but I can’t tell if you can get full sized options of each of those flavors separately. A very good gift idea though. It looks sweet and cute but I want a bucket of the raspberry, lol. Plus there’s candles and honey and drink spices.
As Kaiser stated, they are just mad they cannot profit off those kids and H&M controls what they are allowed to see of their family life. A happy life surrounded by love.
“Show the children!” they demand. And when the children are shown, “How dare they show the children!” Meghan and Harry are not listening to you Tom Sucks, they’ve concluded like the rest of us that you are insane.
I thought that that was a reel that disappears after 24 hours anyway? Also is it really a PR blunder if you slow down a video to look at it frame by frame to zoom in to see a blurry shot of someone front facing where you couldn’t see any identifiable details? That speaks way more to the people that took those screenshots then Meghan posting a quick video on her Instagram. Why are you treating it like as a Zapruder film?
Also, why is it cynical brand building that they control how much you see of their children? They are hardly the only people famous or not that don’t show their kids faces. They’re some celebrities you don’t even know their kids sex or name. Their loss of control and frustration at them for not playing their game is wild to witness. They are crashing out because of a stranger setting boundaries about their children and maintaining control.
Right? Meghan can choose what she shows and it is driving some people up a wall. LOL.
I watched that PH part over 10 times. Didnt see the Kids. These people are certifiable crazies even if this stalking pays their bills.
That’s because you had to slow down the video and watch it frame by frame to see the kids. Which is the kind of thing only crazy people do. I’m pretty sure she didn’t delete anything. It was an instagram story that disappears after 24 hours. Sykes is just showing that he is not tech savvy and gets conspiracy theories from trolls!
Imagine if all that microscopic scrutiny was directed at Andrew and the rest of the RF.
I know right? Instead they try to make a an issue with a family going to the pumpkin patch and carving the jack-o-lanterns 🎃.. definitely something is broken in their brains 🧠.
Yes, some young girls may have been saved from sex traffickers if this amount of scrutiny had been directed at Andrew. It’s deeply disturbing.
My question is so what if she did show their photos? What business is it of his. They are private citizens and can do what they want. She never said she wouldn’t show any pics of her kids just that it was her prerogative of hers to do it anyway she wishes. They use to put out Christmas cards of pics of their family. These people want to tell them what to do but they have no say in their life. Harry and Meghan can do what they want to and they can’t do a damn thing about it. I said this before what they want for them is to hide away so they won’t over shadow the left behinds. I’m glad Meghan isn’t listening to them.
She didn’t delete it, it was a story and it only last 24 hrs. So this is all based on a lie, meaning everything that comes after is also a lie. The over thinking when it comes to anything Meghan does insane. She’s just sharing a sweet video, like any other person with social media. It’s not that deep. And you can’t see their faces, at all. It’s why the screams of show their faces what are you hiding is just fake, if she does show(she didn’t), they accuse her of merching her kids.
I didn’t notice the kids In the background. However it’s her children so therefore her choice to remove the video .Tom sucks should get a f-I g life and get off Meghan back . He is such a deranged lunatic. This is why he is perfect for willy because they are both insane in the membrane
““It’s all a bit too convenient,” one cynical publicist told The Royalist.”
I wonder how much she was paid for that, said one cynical supporter.
“Viral” “fiasco”
I do not think that means what you think it means, Tom.
Tom Sykes is unhinged. As Kaiser said the British press is just upset that they have no control over Meghan and also no access to the children. The best thing Harry did was to leave the UK with his family.
The kids’ bright red hair is a joy to see. Spencer genes are strong.
The hair color is a problem for some of those commenting. It looks red in some shots and darker in others.(in direct sunlight or not). This proves beyond a doubt that these children are rented. No kidding. Actual comment. If I could shudder. I would