Meghan Markle shared a heartfelt tribute to legendary activist Gloria Steinem, but critics online claimed it was nothing more than a “PR” stunt.
The Duchess of Sussex, 45, wrote a lengthy message on Instagram, sharing one last goodbye to her “friend and mentor.”
“Markle used Steinem for PR only,” one commented online, amid countless theories that sparked online following the tribute.
Meghan Markle shared a heartfelt tribute to Gloria Steinem, but critics claimed it was nothing more than a “PR” stunt
Meghan Markle, who relocated to the UK with Prince Harry and their kids last month, posted a tribute to celebrate Gloria Steinem’s “life and legacy” shortly after her passing was announced on Wednesday.
Publicly, they had done interviews together, attended award ceremonies, urged youngsters to vote, and “brainstormed how to help this beautiful yet complicated world to become more equitable,” Markle wrote.
But behind closed doors, Steinem was “even better than you would imagine,” she added.
Markle listed some of the things she got to experience with Steinem over the years.
“Spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counseling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivaled cheekiness and wit,” she said.
The Duchess shared her “favorite” story about the iconic activist in her emotional message
The Suits alum then shared her “favorite story about GLO,” which took place during an outing in New York.
A woman had approached them, absolutely in awe of Steinem at the time.
“She wanted to introduce her young daughter to her (though she was embarrassed to say the young girl may not know who she was),” Markle wrote.
“Gloria replied: ‘It doesn’t matter if she knows who I am. What matters is that she knows who SHE is,’” she added.
Alongside the emotional caption, Markle shared three photographs of Steinem.
The first showed both of them sitting outdoors in lawn chairs, while the second showed the activist with Markle’s now-7-year-old son, Prince Archie.
The third was a monochrome photo of Steinem and Markle on a couch.
While the post gave a glimpse of their personal relationship, critics began investigating it for entirely different reasons.
Some claimed one of the pictures was from Markle and Prince Harry’s Montecito home, spinning bizarre theories about her not having moved to the UK after all.
Many questioned how she had the picture of a framed photo, showing Steinem with Prince Archie, readily available to share.
“Did Meghan Markle expose herself as not being in the UK? That is the Montecito abode,” one said.
“She’s not in the UK,” another claimed. “She wasn’t allowed in.”
Netizens spun wild theories about Markle and accused her of sharing the tribute for attention
The speculations continued, with one saying, “Why would Rachel take that framed photo to sit on a shelf of a Cotswold rental. Surely, it’s on a shelf in Montecito, she’s not in the UK, never was.
“Or…which is even freakier, she had the pic of that picture saved on her phone,” wrote another.
One pointed out, “That stone wall could be from a house in the Cotswolds.”
Others left harsh comments, claiming Markle was simply trying to gain attention.
“Eww she’s so creepy. She always likes to throw something out there to keep everybody talking about her,” one said.
“Markle is a toxic adhesive,” another wrote. “She will attach herself to any notable celebrity if they let her. Now her preying/targeting of a senior citizen in the final stages of life is over.”
“Met her once, makes her d**th about herself,” said another critic. “What a horrible woman.”
“Big surprise that Markle milks any connection she can get….as for Steinem,” read one comment online
Steinem passed away peacefully at her New York City home after 92 “well-lived” years and “working for equality until the very end,” according to a statement that went up on her Instagram account.
It is believed Steinem was a close friend of Markle’s in the final years of her life. They first met in 2020 after joining hands to make calls to thank voter registration organizers.
Steinem had showered Markle with praise on multiple occasions and presented her with the 2023 Women of Vision award
“Meg is herself, smart, authentic, funny, political. She came home to vote,” Steinem told Access Hollywood.
“And the first thing we did and why she came to see me was we sat at the dining room table here—where I am right now—and cold-called voters. And said, ‘Hello, I’m Meg,’ and, ‘Hello, I’m Gloria,’ and, ‘Are you going to vote?’ That was her initiative,” she continued.
They have had multiple public conversations about political issues, including a joint interview with Vogue US in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a ruling that put abortion rights at risk for women across the country.
The pair was also spotted grabbing lunch together in New York in July 2022.
The following year, Steinem presented the 2023 Women of Vision award to Markle.
“I think Meghan has been subject to the British tabloids,” Steinem said on the award show’s red carpet while speaking to Town & Country, “and so people may not know just how wonderful she is.”
“She is like the grim reaper,” one commented online following Markle’s tribute
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