Meghan Markle Accused by Former Royal Butler of Trying to ‘One-Up’ Kate Middleton With Birthday Video

LONDON — A birthday video posted by Meghan Markle has drawn criticism from a former royal household staffer, who says the Duchess of Sussex’s latest social media posts closely mirror the style used by Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Markle, who turned 45 on Aug. 4, shared a series of personal clips and photos on Instagram documenting her celebration. One image showed her jumping into a swimming pool while holding a bunch of birthday balloons. Other footage, captured by Prince Harry, showed her dancing in the kitchen of the couple’s Montecito, California, home and placing small party hats on the family’s dogs.

A former butler weighs in

Grant Harrold, who served as a butler to King Charles for seven years and also looked after William, Catherine and Harry during stays at Highgrove House, said the tone and format of Markle’s video reminded him of content the Waleses have posted in recent months.

Speaking to Showbiz Cheat Sheet through the betting analysis site OLBG, Harrold said: “This video of Meghan reminded me of how William and Kate have posted fun videos of them on holiday to mark special occasions and say thank you to the public. But on this occasion I don’t think [Meghan and Harry] needed to say ‘Thank you for the birthday messages.’ I think they could have said something different. This is still them acting like senior members of the royal family, which is interesting, particularly after their recent visit.”

Harrold went further in comments carried by RealityTea, saying, “When I first saw it, I thought it was them almost trying to one-up William and Kate,” adding that he found the style of the videos “very close to the bone” when compared with how the Waleses currently communicate with the public online.

Questioning the videos’ spontaneity

Harrold also raised questions about how the footage was produced, telling Reality Tea that while the clips appeared designed to look spontaneous, he claimed it was “obvious” Markle knew she was being filmed. He did, however, acknowledge that Markle had every right to mark her birthday publicly, saying only that he believed there were other ways the occasion could have been shared.

Since leaving royal service, Harrold has built a public career as a U.K. etiquette expert. He published his first book, “The Royal Butler,” in 2025, which became an Amazon bestseller, and now appears regularly on television offering commentary on royal news.

Other commentators offer a different take

Harrold was not alone in commenting on the video, though not every royal watcher framed it as a comparison to William and Kate. Broadcaster Rupert Bell, speaking on TalkTV with Ian Collins, offered a separate critique focused on the couple’s broader approach to sharing their private life. According to Bell, “I think it’s their desperate need to always seem to be posting how wonderfully fun they are.”

Bell suggested the timing of Markle’s post may have been influenced by recent public attention on the Wales family, saying, “We saw the pictures of the Waleses and their children plastered everywhere when they went to the Commonwealth Games.” He added: “It feels like they’re showing that they’re one big happy family and everything is alright in their world.”

Context: a complicated family relationship

The commentary comes against a backdrop of ongoing public speculation about the relationship between Meghan and Kate, which has remained a subject of tabloid interest since Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020. Harrold, in separate comments reported by AceOdds and carried by the Daily Express, previously suggested that Meghan missed a chance to publicly extend goodwill toward Kate on the princess’s birthday in January, saying a public message would have sent a strong signal that relations were improving.

At the time, Harrold said he believed any reconciliation between the two women was likely happening privately rather than in public view, telling AceOdds, “I absolutely believe that privately there will be birthday wishes — whether that is a phone call, a video call, birthday cards being sent, and possibly even gifts.”

Little confirmed about the day itself

Beyond what Markle posted online, few details have been confirmed about how she actually spent her birthday. Reports indicate she is believed to have marked the occasion with Harry and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, at the family’s California home. Harry can reportedly be heard speaking in the background of some of the Instagram clips, though neither he nor Markle has commented publicly on the criticism.

Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to the various claims made by royal commentators about the video’s intent or execution.

A recurring pattern of scrutiny

The episode reflects a familiar dynamic in British tabloid coverage, in which the Sussexes’ social media activity is routinely analyzed and compared against that of the Wales family, often by royal commentators without direct knowledge of either couple’s private intentions. Since Markle rejoined Instagram in January 2025 after a five-year absence from the platform, her posts — from family photos to behind-the-scenes glimpses of life in Montecito — have consistently drawn this kind of comparative commentary from royal watchers in the U.K. press.

No formal statement addressing the comparisons has been issued by Kensington Palace or by representatives for the Sussexes as of this writing.