Meghan Markle’s latest attempt to be a lifestyle influencer blew up in her face earlier this week, after the former royal posted a bizarre video of herself relaxing in a limo not far from where her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, was killed in 1997.
The Suits actress was in Paris for her first-ever Paris Fashion Week, where she attended the Balenciaga show to support the brand’s new creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. But those headlines were overshadowed by the stunning social media activity that was universally condemned as tasteless, insensitive, and bewildering.
On Wednesday’s show, Megyn was joined by Link Lauren, host of MK Media’s Spot On, to discuss Markle’s latest misstep.
The Drama
Markle attended the Balenciaga show Saturday evening in a dramatic white ensemble featuring an oversized cape. There, she hobnobbed with outgoing Vogue editrix Anna Wintour, exchanged awkward kisses with Piccioli, and reportedly committed the faux pax of laughing from the front row during the presentation.
That same night, she posted an Instagram Story from the back of a limousine in which her bare feet were kicked up in front of her as the City of Light buzzed by in the background. Social media users were quick to note that Markle was passing the Pont Alexandre III and Pont des Invalides bridges, which are not far from the Pont d’Alma tunnel where her husband’s mother got into a car accident and later died of her injuries on August 31, 1997.
“Her feet are up in the car. She is having a grand old time. She is showing you out the window where she is,” Megyn noted. “And then you see her as her naked feet crisscrossed in front of her, like, ‘The world is that my feet. Hahaha. This is so fun. This is where my children’s grandmother died. Good times. Let me put this online.'”
The Backlash
The backlash was swift, but that didn’t stop the As Ever founder from shamelessly posting a montage of her jaunt on Sunday. “About last night. Thank you @pppiccioli and @balenciaga,” she captioned the video. “I’ve missed you 🇫🇷 – thanks for the love ❤️”
Lauren said the tone-deafness is nothing new for the ex-duchess. “She will try to plead ignorance and say it was just a video… [but] everything is a deliberate choice with Meghan Markle,” he explained. “For her to act like she didn’t know where Princess Diana died in that famous car crash is just absolute malarkey, buffoonery, tomfoolery… She is doing this for attention.”
And that, he added, stands in direct contrast to what she and Prince Harry claimed they wanted when they fled the Royal Family. “You left the Royal Family because you guys wanted privacy. You wanted to be low key. Go be with your kids and raise your kids,” Lauren said. “You don’t need to go to Balenciaga… and then you’re out partying with your friend who’s in charge of membership at Soho House. Go be a mom… If that was the reason you left the Royal Family, go do it.”
In Megyn’s view, Markle hasn’t lived the low-key life because she doesn’t actually want one. “That video of her walking into the Balenciaga show was ridiculous. She looks like she’s part of the fashion show in all white, walking out like… I am the model I’ve always wanted to be,” she said. “No, she doesn’t want to be with the children. That’s why she keeps doing these things… She is not a well person.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Lauren by tuning in to episode 1,167 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.