Meghan Markle has found herself at the receiving end of relentless online hate and accusations of lacking "even a semblance of humility" after sharing a video celebrating her successful endeavor to procure Billie Eilish merchandise for a teenage girl whose home was reduced to ashes in the devastating California wildfires. The millionaire duchess, who amassed her wealth through lucrative deals inked with her husband, Prince Harry, following their exit from royal duties and subsequent revelations, posted this heartfelt gesture on her Instagram page.
Though comments were disabled on the post, it swiftly became the focal point of scathing remarks across other platforms, with critics lambasting her for perceived insincerity and an ill-conceived attempt at self-promotion. One particularly scathing response on a social media platform featured a mock-up T-shirt bearing the sardonic caption: "My house burned down and all I got was this crappy T-shirt from Meghan Markle."
Meghan faced similar scrutiny before, with both her and Harry being labeled as "disaster tourists" by 'Family Ties' actress Justine Bateman when they visited fire-ravaged Altadena in January. In her selfie-style video, Meghan referenced that visit, recounting, "About two or three weeks ago, when my husband and I were in Altadena, we visited a community where homes had been reduced to cinders. I met a mother who had salvaged a few belongings. While chatting with her, I noticed her 15-year-old daughter standing nearby. I asked her age, and she replied, 'Fifteen. I live here.'"
Continuing her narrative, Meghan said, "The mother confided in me that when they returned to their home for the first time, which coincided with our meeting, all her daughter was looking for was the T-shirt from the Billie Eilish concert she had attended recently and left in the washing machine or dryer. Tragically, their home, including the washing machine and dryer, was now just ashes. Moved by her story, I vowed to find a way to get her the shirt, despite not knowing Billie Eilish personally. I reached out to everyone I knew, leaving voice notes, pleading, 'Please, someone get this message to Billie Eilish.'"
The video's tone was further tinged with controversy when Meghan casually mentioned Maroon 5's Adam Levine and his wife, Behati Prinsloo, as the intermediaries who helped convey her message to Eilish. This latest foray into social media marks Meghan's return to promote her upcoming Netflix cooking show, set to debut next month.
