Times Royals Were Parent-Shamed By Millions

Royals have been parent-shamed, just like many other fathers and mothers across the globe. For all the positives that social media has brought to the world, it's also given rise to cyber-bullying, and, when hidden behind keyboards, people become much more likely to dish out unnecessary criticisms and downright rude comments.

Parent-shaming has also become exceedingly present, though it's not limited to online attacks. Psychotherapist Heather Quinlan told Marie Claire, "Mean mom behavior can be exacerbated by shaky self-esteem and a drive to be more successful, happier, richer, prettier, and 'better than' other moms — and social media can be a triggering factor."

Celebrity parents, in particular, are frequently victim to this form of bullying with millions watching their every move online. In an ITV News interview, Meghan Markle opened up about her own struggles, telling the interviewer, "Any woman, especially when they're pregnant, you're really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging." She's certainly not the only royal parent to experience unwanted criticism, and her openness about her struggles has shed a bright light on just how much she and her royal counterparts have had to endure as parents.

In 2013, Prince William and Kate Middleton had their first child, Prince George. Since then, the future king and queen, who are just two of the royals who are anything but traditional, can't seem to catch a break.

Seven months after Prince George was born, the couple came under fire when they took a parents-only vacation to the Maldives, leaving George with Kate's parents. According to the Daily Mail, critics of the couple had problems with the trip because they had just gotten back from a family vacation to Mustique. The outlet pointed to multiple comments on the site Mumsnet that parent-shamed the royals for their decision. 

One user reportedly wrote, "Can't imagine choosing to be so far from my baby for so long," while others lamented that it seemed the couple's life was turning into one endless extravagant vacation. One woman, however, commended William and Kate for prioritizing their marriage. Leaving a newborn at home was likely an incredibly difficult thing for the new parents to do, but, if it offered them a chance to take a break from their extensive duties to focus on their relationship, can they really be blamed?

Parents don't stop being parents when their kids grow up, and Sarah Ferguson's social media posts celebrating her daughter's engagement proved just that. When Princess Eugenie's engagement to Jack Brooksbank was announced in January 2018, Ferguson took to Twitter to share her unbridled joy at the occasion. People were divided over whether or not the multiple photos accompanied by cheesy messages were sweet or simply too much.

One of Ferguson's posts from that evening, a grainy photo of the newly engaged couple with the message "Thank you for your message and for sharing all our happiness with them and you" written over it in a script font received a few negative comments. One user said, "Keep QUIET. It's all well and good and Yes, rather exciting, but keep it in the family. Act appropriate." Some users believed this kind of over-excited sharing was not befitting of a member of the royal family, and they weren't alone in that line of thought, as others also parent-shamed Ferguson for her behavior. 

According to the Daily Mail, after Ferguson's tweets were sent, a scheduled BBC interview with her was canceled, and Prince Edward spoke to the outlet alone instead.

The images of royal mothers on the steps of the Lindo Wing are iconic. With each of her children, Kate Middleton has appeared on the steps alongside her husband, smiling for the horde of cameras as she introduces their newest addition to the world. On some of these appearances, she has even honored her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. But even a sweet moment steeped in tradition isn't safe from parent-shaming.

In 2018, the duchess appeared on the famous steps just seven hours after giving birth to Prince Louis. While many considered this to be nothing short of inspiring — with even Serena Williams telling InStyle that Middleton was "No. 1" after this moment — she also received heavy criticism for her seemingly perfect appearance so soon after giving birth. 

According to Express, radio host Meshel Laurie was having none of this "inspiring" talk, finding all the praise Kate received to be troubling. The host wasn't alone in these thoughts, either. Express reported that multiple people took to social media to share similar views, pointing out that they believed Kate's appearance was creating an unrealistic expectation for new moms.

Even before the age of social media, the royal family was under the watchful eye of people the world over. And even years later, seemingly innocuous royal moments can come under scrutiny and spark parent-shaming. That was the case with a photo of Princess Diana holding a newborn Prince William in the back of a car that was unearthed by PopSugar — no car seat or seat belts in sight! However, as is the situation with so many other parenting "mistakes" made by royals, any criticism here would have likely been unfair. As PopSugar noted, when Prince William was born in 1982, the U.K. didn't have seat belt laws yet and car seats weren't widely used. 

Any criticism of Prince Charles and Diana's decision to not use a car seat would likely fall on deaf ears. By most accounts, Diana, who demonstrated a stunning transformation over the years, was a great mother who prioritized her kids and tried to show them what the world was really like (via History Extra). As with everything, context is key. Internet users with a penchant for calling out others on what they deem to be bad behavior would do well to get the full story before dishing out an opinion that may, after all, not hold up.

Meghan Markle wasn't the only one shamed for traveling after the birth of baby Archie. Prince Harry was also slammed for conducting some royal business shortly after their first child was born. Per The Bump, Archie was less than a month old when Harry traveled to Italy for the 2019 Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup.

This wasn't exactly a leisure jaunt, as the event was a fundraiser to support people with HIV, and Harry's appearance had been scheduled for some time. Still, that didn't prevent tongues from wagging. Prince Harry's friend Ignacio Figueras, a professional polo player, was forced to defend the royal from the press after one reporter asked him how Meghan felt about Harry traveling so soon after Archie's birth. Figueras pointed out that "sometimes duty calls," and that Harry was only leaving his newborn for a day.

Figueras later took to Instagram to call his friend "a kind, generous, compassionate person who is constantly thinking about how to make the world a better place."

Most people would say that a parent supporting their kid's passions is doing right by them. Unless you're Prince William, that is, and people expect you to uphold traditional gender roles. 

Many applauded the future king in 2019 after he revealed that his oldest child, Prince George, was studying ballet at school and loving it. It should be noted that ballet is a required part of the curriculum for young students — regardless of gender — at Prince George's school. But that didn't stop people from making fun of Prince George for participating in what many view to be a feminine pastime. One Twitter user said people should "stop encouraging" Prince George, stating that "he should be redirected as any man should be." Good Morning America host Lara Spencer mocked the royals on air, saying, "William says George absolutely loves ballet. I have news for you Prince William, we'll see how long that lasts."

Spencer later apologized for her comments, acknowledging the "bravery it takes for a young boy to pursue a career in dance."

Parent-shaming can be cruel, but also senseless. Of the many bizarre things that Meghan Markle has been shamed for, one of the worst is the shaming she received after simply announcing her pregnancy. The royal was met with backlash after the announcement that she and Prince Harry were expecting another child in 2021. Per Marie Claire Australia, a British tabloid covered the announcement with the headline "Publicity-Shy Woman Tells 7.67 BN People: I'm Pregnant."

Making the shaming even crueler is that Meghan had previously revealed that she'd suffered a miscarriage several months earlier. "I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second," she wrote in a heartbreaking piece for The New York Times in November 2020.

The criticism of the announcement was a jab at Meghan and Harry leaving the royal family in search of a more private life, but, realistically, it's not like they could have kept the existence of another child a secret from the world. Plus, as one Twitter user pointed out, Meghan has "never been shy of publicity" but has rather "been critical of bullying and misrepresentation in the media."