Meghan Markle made her return to social media shortly after Kate Middleton was criticized for "manipulating" her Mother's Day photo, and experts think the announcement was made at an odd time.
On Thursday, March 14, the Duchess of Sussex launched her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, which was the same day as The Diana Awards — a ceremony honoring Princess Diana's legacy.
"Even CNN, which has been notoriously critical of the monarchy, cited Meghan's launch as being suspicious and ill timed, while noting that Catherine is about three times more popular than Meghan," American royal commentator Kinsey Schofield told GB News.
"I don't know if she's relishing in it, but I do know that it's clear she's taken advantage of it," the podcaster added.
Before entering the royal fold, the Suits star managed a blog called The Tig, but she stepped away from the platform to prioritize becoming a working duchess.
As Meghan makes her return to her influencer roots, Kate's inner circle is worried about the toll her photo blunder is having on her recovery.
"In the same piece, friends are also concerned about the negative effects the rumors circulating online could be having on the Princess' recovery, adding additional stress that the palace has clearly tried to avoid," Schofield noted.
In a digital age, it's common for celebrities to use apps to refine their images before posting them to Instagram.
"It was a mistake. It was an innocent mistake. We all photoshop our images," Schofield admitted. "But I think that it becomes a historical issue when you are a historical figure. This is going to be the Queen one day."
Kate's original snapshot isn't public, but some royalists urged the palace to release it.
"Why not just auction off the original photo to a great cause, make it a bigger story, make it a happy ending and make light of the subject?" Schofield asked. "And in doing so, you're releasing a photo without pressure from the media or the public, and you're elevating a great cause that means a lot to you, and you nip the whole thing in the bud."
OK! previously reported Richard Fitzwilliams believes Meghan was intentional about American Riviera Orchard's launch date.
"Nothing is ever accidental. They do it to obviously push the news in their opinion," Fitzwilliams told an outlet. "There's no doubt at all that the Sussexes are making use of the material they have to do a bit of one-upmanship. It's obvious."
Meghan's friends admitted she's spent months developing her business.
“She’s been working on this for over a year and it’s all the things that are close to her heart — all the things she’s passionate about," a source shared.
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Before the unveiling of her latest project, Meghan admitted that she was taking a break from Instagram and other social media apps, making the timing even more suspicious.
“Yes, social media is an environment that has a lot of that [toxicity] …I keep my distance from it right now just for my own well-being,” Meghan said on Friday, March 8, at SXSW.
“You have to really wrap your head around why people would be so hateful. It’s not catty — it’s cruel,” she continued. “And certainly when you’re pregnant or you have a newborn, as moms you know it’s such a tender and sacred time."