Skip to main content

Meghan Markle shared a bit of how she celebrated her 45th birthday with her fans via social media. The Duchess of Sussex marked another trip around the sun on Aug. 5, posting photos and videos from her special day.

But some have accused the Duchess of Sussex of “copying” Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) with her posts. That includes someone who used to work for the royals and knows the Duke of Sussex and the Waleses very well.

Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler for seven years. He also looked after Prince William, Catherine, and Prince Harry when they stayed at Highgrove House. Since leaving the royal household, Harrold has become one of the U.K.’s leading etiquette experts. In 2025, he published his first book, The Royal Butler, which became an Amazon bestseller. He regularly appears on TV offering royal commentary on both current and historic news stories.

Speaking to OLBG, Harrold told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “This video of Meghan reminded me of how William and Kate have posted fun videos of them on holiday to mark special occasions and say thank you to the public. But on this occasion I don’t think [Meghan and Harry] needed to say ‘Thank you for the birthday messages.’ I think they could have said something different. This is still them acting like senior members of the royal family, which is interesting, particularly after their recent visit.” 

The former royal butler continued, “When I first saw it, I thought it was them almost trying to one-up William and Kate or copy how they have done things and how they approach social media. It’s very close to the bone to how they do things. However, they are well within their rights to put up a birthday message, but this does seem intentional in my opinion. I think there are other ways they could do a post like this. It is what siblings always do, they try to copy and one-up each other, but usually they grow out of it.

“Looking at the ‘behind the scenes’ video of Meghan with the balloons, it’s like she is trying to act like it’s candid and she isn’t aware of the camera is there. But it’s quite obvious she is being filmed, but this is their way of trying to appear normal.”

This isn’t the first time Meghan has been called out for trying to one-up or copy other royals. For years it’s been claimed that she and Harry always make announcements or have some “news” on the same dates they know are important to another family member, especially Kate.

In terms of copying her sister-in-law, critics have pointed to Meghan’s overlapping fashion choices, lifestyle branding, and public gestures. With her fashion, some have noted that the former Suits star has worn tailored coat-dresses, neutral palettes, or specific designer labels similar to Kate’s signature wardrobe. And how Meghan now greets members of the public and children at eye level, the way Kate always has.

Some commentators have also compared Meghan’s lifestyle brand and content announcements–such as aesthetic mood boards or seasonal specials–to traditional royal endeavors managed by Kate. One example of that is when the duchess was featured beekeeping on her lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, just like the Princess of Wales, who famously maintains beehives at Anmer Hall.

However, others argue that public figures naturally share similar classic aesthetics.

Best in News