The Duchess of Sussex has been criticised as ‘insensitive’ after sharing a video clip of her travelling with her feet up in a limousine close to the Paris tunnel where Princess Diana died in a car crash.
Meghan is facing a backlash after sharing the clip on her Instagram page during a visit to the French capital for Paris Fashion Week – with critics accusing her of being ‘thoughtless’ and ‘bewilderingly tasteless’.
The footage, which appears to be filmed from the duchess’s point of view, shows her putting her feet up inside the car as it passes bridges including the Pont Alexandre III and the Pont des Invalides.
The next bridge along the Seine is the Pont d’Alma, next to the Pont d’Alma tunnel in which Diana, boyfriend Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul died in August 1997 – a tragedy that caused such trauma for her son Harry, Meghan’s husband.
The new controversy comes as Meghan, 44, made a surprise appearance at Paris Fashion Week on her first trip to Europe since the 2023 Invictus Games, which took place in Düsseldorf, Germany.
She was seen at a show for luxury fashion line Balenciaga, mingling with fellow guests including Vogue’s global editorial director Anna Wintour, actress Anne Hathaway and film director Baz Luhrmann, with whom she exchanged a kiss.
The clip showing her travelling along the Seine, with her feet lifted up and legs crossed while sitting in the car, was shared to her 4.2million followers on Instagram overnight.
Critics on social media have expressed their horror at the Diana associations.
And royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams called the post ‘utterly bewildering’, ‘beyond stupid’, ‘insensitive beyond belief’.
He also suggested Prince Harry could take a dim view of his wife’s post.
Mr Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail: ‘I don’t understand what on earth she was thinking – well, she can’t have been thinking. No adviser would ever advise doing something so strange.
‘She has every right to go to fashion events but to share a video which had any connections with the tragic death of the Princess of Wales defies belief.
‘I’m sure she didn’t mean to cause offence, she can’t have been thinking, but it’s insensitive beyond belief. It’s a complete absence of thought.
‘She couldn’t possibly have intended to be disrespectful but it’s another example of the Sussexes doing something that makes no sense at all.
‘Diana’s death is a tragedy that has scarred so much of Harry’s life and I can’t imagine he would find this very appropriate.
‘While he’s always supportive in public I suspect he’ll be absolutely horrified and she could hear plenty from him about it.’
Users of X, formerly Twitter, posted critical tweets including: ‘Regardless of specific location, filming herself driving through Paris at night is sending exactly the message she intends to send.’
It was also suggested the clip could be ‘not exactly helpful’ for Harry, while another poster said: ‘You cannot make this up.’
Another X user added: ‘Please tell me that’s not real..? She didn’t actually do that.. did she..?’
The Daily Mail has approached a spokesman for the Duchess for comment.
There had already been plenty of commentary about Meghan’s appearance at the star-studded Balenciaga show. She was described as having ‘her own catwalk moment’ when departing and getting into a blacked out minivan.
One person commented on video footage, ‘Why is she walking like that?’, with another replying: ‘Thought the same thing. That’s the “I’m very important you know” walk.’
Another critic posted: ‘She’s trying way too hard. It almost looks like parody.’
The ensemble worn by the duchess was a custom piece from Balenciaga, made by designer Pier Paolo Piccioli, who is also Meghan’s friend.
A spokesman for the former working royal has said she made the unexpected appearance at the show on Saturday evening in support of Pier Paolo, who has recently become the creative director for the brand.
The mother of two paired the look with a black suede Balenciaga bag, glitzy oval diamond earrings and £745 black Balenciaga Knife heels.
She was previously a regular at New York and Toronto Fashion Weeks whilst working as an actress on US drama series Suits.
A spokesman for Meghan told PEOPLE: ‘She has long admired [Pier Paolo’s] craftsmanship and modern elegance, and tonight was no different.
‘This evening reflects the culmination of many years of artistry and friendship, reflected in her support for his new creative chapter at Balenciaga.’
According to the publication, the pair have worked together closely over the years and often ‘collaborate’ on designs for ‘key moments’.
