While everyone in America was grilling burgers poolside on July 4th, Meghan Markle had a V.I.P. seat to her good friend Serena Williams’s match at Wimbledon. The duchess appeared in good spirits, laughing and smiling with friends—and sporting a very chic blazer—but of course some drama has stemmed from the outing. A new report from the Daily Telegraph claims that Markle’s staff asked people not to take photos of her at Wimbledon because she was there in “a private capacity.”
Specifically, a woman named Sally Jones, 64, was reportedly asked by a royal protection officer to abstain from snapping pics of Markle. Jones wasn’t here for the request, branding it “another example of silly control freakery.”
“I think this royal protection officer was quite embarrassed,” Jones told the Daily Telegraph, per the Express. “He appeared a bit mystified as to why he was being asked to make such a request.”
Meghan Markle chatting with a young fan at Wimbledon
Getty ImagesA palace source who spoke to the Daily Telegraph defended this call, saying, “It’s not unusual for people accompanying Members of the Royal Family at private, or public, events to ask members of the public not to take photographs. It is to enable Members of the Royal Family to engage with people and events.”
Unsurprisingly, a debate is brewing online about whether or not it’s reasonable for royals to ask fans not to take photos of them in public. Piers Morgan went on a bit of a rant over this on Good Morning Britain, saying, “You’re public people…stop your squealing about privacy. If you want to be private, go back to America. [If] she doesn’t want to be a British public figure in the Royal Family, go back to America.”
The Daily Mail‘s Rebecca English took a similar stance, albeit less antagonistic. “The Royal Family occupy a very privileged position,” she tweeted. “That doesn’t mean they aren’t entitled to some privacy. But not at a global sporting event.”
And here are a few more reactions from fans who think the same thing:
Some people came to Markle’s defense, though, with one fan writing, “She’s entitled to some privacy in public and people should respect that.” Another person added, “I guess when you are Meghan Markle and married into the Royal Family you have no right to privacy.”
Markle’s request for privacy at Wimbledon isn’t that outrageous, in my opinion. If you saw a celebrity eating dinner at a crowded restaurant, it’d be a bit intrusive to barge up to them and demand a photo. The same principle applies here. Markle is incredibly friendly and warm when she’s at formal engagements—we’ve seen that time and time again. I don’t think it’s too much to ask of fans to keep a distance when she’s off the clock—whether that’s at home or in a sports arena.
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