There are only seven weeks left in 2023, and Meghan Markle is likely among those who will be happy to bid this year adieu.
The Sussexes have been enduring one PR crisis after another in recent months, and recent polls indicate that Meghan is less popular than ever in the US.
And the situation has begun to affect the duchess’ career prospects.
In June, Meghan’s Spotify podcast was canceled after a single season, and insiders say her handlers are scrambling to ensure that there are no more embarrassing setbacks.
Yes, Meghan is probably more than ready for this current trip around the sun to come to an end, but before she can ring in 2024 with her fingers crossed for better days ahead, the duchess will need to endure a gauntlet of year-end events and appearances.
The hectic schedule began earlier this week when Meghan and husband Prince Harry joined members of the Navy SEAL Foundation for the opening ceremony of a new fitness and training facility in San Diego.
In a nod to the UK’s Remembrance Day, which is observed on November 11, Meghan paid tribute to her adopted nation’s fallen soldiers by wearing a small paper poppy pin on her lapel.
This is a customary practice among British public figures, but as is so often the case with situations involving Meghan, a double standard was applied, and commonplace behavior was used to justify hundreds of online meltdowns.
“I didn’t think poppies are worn on Veterans Day in the US, but are worn on Memorial Day in May? Am I wrong? … & instead of attending court, here’s ‘that one’ yet again claiming front & centre stage at an event that has absolutely nothing to do with her,” one Twitter user ranted, according to Newsweek.
“God give me strength,” this exasperated arbiter of proper poppy protocol continued.
(Poppies, of course, are not a traditional part of American Memorial Day celebrations, so to answer this person’s obnoxious rhetorical question: yes, you are wrong.)
“Meghan Markle looks like a bloody moron wearing a Royal British Legion Poppy,” wrote another furious tweeter.
“Who told her wearing a British poppy while ‘celebrating American veterans’ would be a good look.”
It seems to us that if you’re overly hung up on the nationality of the fallen soldiers you’re honoring then you’re missing the point, and Meghan’s understanding of the sentiment involved here might be far superior to yours.
Thankfully, several Brits came to Meghan’s defense and aptly pointed out that the spirit of the tribute is more important than the protocol.
“As the wife of a British veteran, who served for 10 yrs, Meghan Markle can wear as many poppies as she wants,” tweeted one woman.
“She’s supporting her husband & the community. What really is offensive, is when those who’ve never served, use military uniforms as costumes.”
“I love the way Meghan incorporates the Poppy flower into her clothing,” another wrote.
“She always pays close attention to detail, creating looks that speak to her character, that connect us to what causes are dear to her heart, and chooses pieces that can become a staple in anyone’s wardrobe.”
So yeah, in case you had forgotten the severity of the anti-Meghan bias in the UK, we hope this instance — in which the duchess was slammed for honoring UK veterans during an event benefitting US troops — served as a powerful reminder that the situation is really, really bad.
