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Even after revealing they are struggling in the face of constant public backlash and scrutiny and taking six weeks off from royal duties to spend time away from the UK, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry just can’t catch a break.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have been keeping a low profile in recent months after speaking out in a documentary about the toll the British tabloid media is having on their mental health, released a Christmas card earlier this week, something they chose not to post on their official Instagram account as they did last year, and rather, let one of the organisations who received the digital card share it to the world.
Of course, almost instantly there were comparisons between the couple’s relaxed black and white photo, which shows their seven-month-old son, Archie Harrison, front and centre, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s more traditional portrait with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
But the most ridiculous report of all was one by The Daily Mail alleging that Meghan Markle’s face had been photoshopped to look more in focus than her husband’s. The piece questioned whether Markle’s face had been “photoshopped onto [the] Christmas e-card,” with “experts” claiming her “face appears weirdly in focus in Archie snap while Prince Harry is blurry.”
The article prompted Janina Gavankar, one of Markle’s best friends who took the image of the family in Los Angeles, to speak out, writing on Instagram: “So proud to have taken the Christmas photo for one of my best friends and her family. Here’s the original that was sent out (cropped to fit IG).”
She then addressed the tabloids, writing, “And to The Mail, I see your campaign against my friend continues. Nice photoshop of my non-photoshopped image. Now may we all get back to the spirit of Christmas and not the spirit of maliciousness.”
Markle and Gavankar have been friends for over fifteen years, with the True Blood and Morning Wars actress attending the royal wedding in 2018. Speaking about her friendship with Markle previously to Good Morning America, she said the duchess is “effervescent and talented and clearly brilliant” – adding she is a “magnetic person.”
She also noted that Markle is “incredibly blunt” and would “make you crack up.”
Talk about friendship goals.
