Anyone who’s been following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s feud with the royal family over the last few years may have noticed a pattern when it comes to news and announcements out of the Palace and out of Montecito. They always seemed to come at the same time.

Whenever the royals have a birthday or important date marked on the calendar, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex suddenly have news or a project to announce and release that information at the same time. For example, Meghan chose to put out some new products for her lifestyle brand (another flavor of jam and dog biscuits) during the 2024 Trooping the Colour, which was also the same day the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) attended her first public event since announcing her cancer diagnosis.

Another time was when Prince Harry picked the release date for his book Spare within a day of Kate’s birthday. That was much like when the Sussexes decided to announce the bombshell news that they were stepping down in 2020 on Jan. 8, the day before the princess’s actual birthday leaving no chance that anyone would be talking about their sister-in-law then. But now something Meghan did and when she did it is being slammed and called “distasteful.”

Why Meghan’s speech was slammed as ‘disrespectful’ and ‘dreadful’

Meghan Markle wearing a silk brown shirt by Victoria Beckham at EAN University in Bogota, Colombia | Diego Cuevas/Getty Images

On Sept. 7, Meghan gave a speech at an event for Oprah Winfrey’s book club in California, where Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir was prominently on display.

During the book club meeting, the duchess said: “I’m looking at this time as my chapter of joy. The more you can look at your life and really, truly recognize and be able to be grateful for your life — you have to be grateful for all aspects of it. My intentionality is to enjoy this chapter and be able to love through every piece of this as best we can.”

But Meghan’s appearance didn’t coincide with another royal’s birthday or a public engagement. Her comments came on the eve of the second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

Express branded the timing of her speech as “terribly disrespectful.” And royal biographer Richard Fitzwilliams branded it a “dreadful” mistake, telling GB News: “I think it was an absolutely dreadful choice … especially on a very special anniversary.”

Meghan didn’t capture the headlines for long as the royals had a huge announcement

But Meghan’s name being No. 1 in the royals vs. Sussexes headline war didn’t last long. That’s because by Monday morning her sister-in-law announced something to share that dominated the news outlets.

On Sept. 9, the Princess of Wales revealed in an emotional video posted on Instagram that she had completed her chemotherapy and was focusing on remaining cancer-free.

“As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment,” the princess wrote before adding, “The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you. With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything.

“This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.
Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.”