Meghan Markle is no stranger to celebrating International Women’s Day – and for 2026, she marked the occasion by sharing an adorable picture of herself and four-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet, as well as a short video of the ocean.
However, as with everything the former Suits actress does, it was met with mixed reactions on social media. The majority of them negative…
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Meghan Markle Celebrates International Women's Day With Daughter Princess Lilibet
The As Ever founder, 44, seemingly spent International Women's Day on March 8th with her family at the beach, presumably near their home in Montecito, California. She shared a video of the ocean on her Instagram Story with the caption "IWD" and a shooting star emoji at the beginning, with Lilibet, who is off camera, saying "wow!" at the end of the clip.
On her Instagram grid, the With Love, Meghan star shared a picture of herself and her daughter sitting on rocks on the beach. Meghan, wearing her hair in a low bun and dressed in an oversized blue shirt, can be seen cuddling Lilibet as they look out over the ocean.
Meghan captioned the post: "For the woman she will one day be… Happy International Women's Day." She also credited Prince Harry as the photographer and referred to him as "Papa Sussex" – something the internet also mocked her for.
This post makes a change from the carousel she shared last year, where she honored women who "uplift" and inspire her, including her mother, Doria Ragland. Does this mean that there is some truth in the rumors that the mom-and-daughter are somewhat estranged these days? Perhaps!
Internet Reactions
Although the comment section was turned off on the Instagram post, critics found other places online to sound off. One recurring criticism centered on the relevance of the video, with many people confused about what it had to do with International Women's Day. Others believed Meghan was attempting to copy estranged sister-in-law Kate Middleton's nature videos.
"Trying to make one of PoW's nature videos," thought one Reddit user. "Someone said on another comment that this is her copy of the mother nature videos Catherine has posted and I totally believe it," echoed a second.
"Who sees a random beach they go to regularly and think "Ah yes... International women's day... that will do. Should I post a picture of my local park?" quipped a third, as a fourth asked: "What exactly is she trying to convey?"
"What has this video got to do with International Women's Day? She's delusional, desperately inserting the invisikids into as much "content" as she can online. I think there's disagreements between them & she justifies posting the kids in this because it's to do with IWD & he's so dim he believes her," thought a fifth. "She's hoping her sins will be washed away," joked a sixth, followed by the crying laughing emoji.
Lovely Meghan,The Duchess of Sussex shared a new photo taken by papa Sussex, Prince Harry of herself with lovely daughter Princess Lilibet. “For the woman she will one day be… Happy International Women’s Day.” – Meghan#InternationalWomensDay2026#MeghanSussex #PrinceHarry pic.twitter.com/NO53lb5fsg
— MimiRoche (@Mimicinque) March 8, 2026
And then there was criticism for the picture itself, most notably the way Prince Harry was credited as the photographer.
"Yeah this is the exact kind of cringey IG post that is her brand," wrote one user on another thread. "It's incredibly performative," thought a second. "I always hate when people use their kids for sympathy points. Even not celebrities. Stop posting your children on social media!" exclaimed a third.
"Calling him Papa Sussex is weird IMO. Why not Papa Harry?" asked a fourth. "Please, Father, may I call you by your made up last name?" joked a fifth, as a sixth concurred: "It's so weird & her obsession with titles & Sussex makes me go, 'well bless her heart' Papa H (what she used to call Harry per her interviews) or even using Papa Duke would be a whole lot better than Papa Sussex imo."
"They're obsessed with their titles, and I 1000% believe if they throw parties their invites are stamped with TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and even correspondence likely is the same," a seventh chimed in. An eighth added: "She wants to remind everyone that they're Sussex now, I'm guessing? Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their Prince and Princess of Sussex. Wouldn't want anyone to think that some COMMONER just named Harry took the picture."
