On Wednesday, June 4, Meghan Markle marked her daughter Lilibet’s fourth birthday with a heartfelt tribute on social media.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, shared never-before-seen photos, including a touching black-and-white image of her cradling Lilibet on a boat. But as often happens whenever Meghan posts online, the gesture quickly attracted a wave of conspiracy theories and online criticism.
Since rejoining social media on January 1 after a four-year hiatus, Meghan has offered glimpses into her life with Prince Harry and their children. While the posts portray a happy, peaceful family life, they’ve also ignited relentless scrutiny from critics who comb through every detail, often with bizarre and unfounded accusations. As a result, Meghan has turned off comments on her Instagram account.
Among the more outlandish claims: some users have questioned whether her children are even real, pointing to supposed inconsistencies in their hair color, or alleging she digitally altered images—such as the time trolls said she “photoshopped Archie’s toes.”
The latest birthday post was no exception. Some online users fixated on perceived “editing” in the black-and-white photo. One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “Black and white photos as this time could not get a girl with ginger hair,” suggesting the image was manipulated to hide Lilibet’s natural coloring.
Another posted, “Which version of Lilibet is this? This version has fine, straight, blonde hair. And look who is dominating the photo…”
A third chimed in with: “Always monochrome. Is that easier to retouch? YES.” While yet another added, “The upper body of that kid doesn’t look proportional. But maybe it’s just me trying to detect AI.”
Some went even further, cruelly commenting things like, “Whose kid has she borrowed this time?” and “What a happy looking child… whoever’s it is.”
This isn’t the first time Meghan has faced such claims. Earlier this month, a Mother’s Day post spiraled into another round of online speculation, with accusations she had altered her son’s toes in the photo.
Others claimed that changes in the children’s hair—lighter or darker depending on lighting—were signs they weren’t really Archie and Lilibet. “Where is Archie’s and Lili’s red hair this week Meghan Markle?” one person demanded, ignoring the obvious explanation of lighting and angles.
“Her hair changed colour,” wrote another, while a third quipped, “Different hair colour too.” Others echoed similar remarks: “Their hair is dark now too” and “And what about Archie’s hair? Coarse, thick, curly and red… to black and dead straight.”
Despite the endless speculation, Meghan and Harry appear to be doing well since moving to California. The couple married in 2018 and now have two children: Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
In 2020, they made headlines after stepping back from royal duties and relocating to Meghan’s home state of California, where they’ve since built a new life away from the constant pressures of royal life in the UK.
