A never-before-seen picture of Meghan and Harry’s children has been called ‘disgusting’ online and sparked outrage in the comments.
The pictures marked Archie’s seventh birthday, and the post on Instagram featured two images.
In the first photo, baby Archie can be seen asleep on Prince Harry’s chest.
In the second, he can be seen pictured on the beach with this sister, Lilibet.
Meghan wrote: “7 years later… happy birthday to our sweet boy.”
She finished the post with a heart emoji, and the post has since been liked by hundreds of fans.
But alongside the heart-warming comments and birthday wishes, the post has triggered a wave of criticism, with some social media users criticizing the photos.
Mounting criticism towards Meghan
On the post Meghan posted for Archie’s birthday, as on all of her posts, she kept her comments turned off.
When Meghan returned to Instagram in 2025 after a long break, many people quickly noticed she had disabled the comments on her account, as per People.
However, this hasn’t stopped the hate, and people find other platforms to criticize her life on.
The Duchess frequently receives backlash for not posting her children’s faces, for example.
One viewer commented: “As ever, both faceless phantoms.”
Each time, the response follows a familiar cycle. Critics speak out, supporters push back, and the debate only grows louder.
Meanwhile, Meghan has continued to stand by her position.
“Our children Archie and Lili are still too young for social media,” she said at a recent event. “But like so many parents, we think constantly about how to embrace technology’s benefits while safeguarding against the dangers.”
Meghan’s experience with online trolling
Meghan has also been the victim of some pretty intense online trolling.
During an appearance on the Teenager Therapy podcast, Meghan spoke about being the ‘most trolled person in the entire world’ the year prior.
“I don’t care if you’re 15 or you’re 25, if people are saying things about you that aren’t true, what that does to your mental and emotional health is so damaging,” she said, adding later in the episode: “we all know what it feels like to have our feelings hurt.”
And even while speaking about how difficult she’s found it all, she can’t escape from the vicious hate she receives.
On another platform, one critic wrote: “Way to start your brand new life, Meghan, with your victim mentality. How’s that working for you?”
Another wrote: “Don’t want your feelings hurt? Get out of the public eye that you’re always complaining about.”
Also, in the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, Meghan became emotional as she described the impact social media threats had on her life.
“I think for people to really understand, you know, when you plant a seed that is so hateful, what it can grow into,” she said through tears.
Meghan also revealed she had reviewed guidance from the couple’s security team relating to online threats.
“Just a couple of days ago, I was going through the manual for our security team at home, and on one of the pages that I happened to flip to, it was about online monitoring,” she explained.
“And they’re like, ‘If you see a tweet like this, please report it to the head of security immediately.’ And it just said: ‘Meghan just needs to die. Someone needs to kill her. Maybe it should be me.’”
‘Disgusting’ pic of their children sparks fury
What was meant to be a sweet birthday post quickly attracted criticism online.
Some social media users compared the post to previous birthday uploads shared by Kate Middleton, some questioned how the children appeared in different photos, and others commented on how isolated people feel her children are from everything and everyone.
One critic commented, “The images always tell one glaring story. isolation. Isolation from family, isolation from the public.”
Another added: “It’s all so odd!”
Other criticism of the post is that people believe that the images of her children are either fake or edited.
“Those kids are either AI or photoshopped,” said one person.
Another added: “Fake and photoshopped.”
Others criticized the caption for not mentioning Archie by name.
“Poor Archie, his name isn’t even mentioned on his birthday,” said one social media user.
Another said, “I agree, she didn’t have much to say about poor lil Archie, did she?”
“They don’t wear shoes?” another added, while someone else said, “Poor kids don’t own a lot of footwear.”
A third wrote: “Disgusting. They need to be looked after better.”
Fans push back against criticism
Not all of the reactions to the photos were negative, however.
Some fans defended Meghan Markle, saying she raised happy and well-cared-for children despite the public scrutiny she faces.
Others also praised her for documenting her children’s lives without fully exposing their faces.
One person said: “These fleeting moments are truly special, and it’s wonderful to have these cherished photographs.”
Another said, “I love how she can take great photos without exposing her children’s faces. So she is still documenting their lives, but she’s not exposing them too much.”
Another person added: “What an adorable little family.”
“And deranged haters. They try to say these kids are mistreated. They’re the happiest, luckiest kids I’ve ever seen,” one person wrote.
