Meghan Markle accused of ‘scraping the barrel for sympathy’ as she uses her kids to promote her brand

Meghan Markle’s choice to use her and Prince Harry’s two children as part of a post promoting her As Ever brand has received heavy criticism from people who have accused the Duchess of Sussex of “scraping the barrel for sympathy.”

Earlier this year, Meghan Markle announced a relaunch for her lifestyle brand and as things ramp up she’s begun teasing a few products expected to be available for purchase on the online shop. The duchess also posted a picture of herself, Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, both with their faces turned away from the camera.

This is one of the few photos of the two children as, until now, Harry and Meghan have done everything in their power to keep their kids out of the public eye.

Critics called out Meghan’s post

Now the duchess is being condemned for her decision to include Archie and Lilibet in what is essentially promotional material for her business. Royal expert, Tom Bower, told the MailOnline that Meghan is looking “for sympathy and support from American mothers.” Going on to say, “It’s hard to believe that holding her children to promote her clothes won’t stop her credibility sliding deeper into the mud.”

Meanwhile royal commentator, Richard Fitzwilliams, accused the duchess of being “ruthless,” as she knows that her children will grab people’s attention, “they are obsessive about privacy except when it suits them.” Former Tory MP, Anna Firth also accused Meghan of using her children as a ploy to drive engagement and attention for her products.

“I think this is the most appalling story. She’s used her children as clickbait, published a picture of her kids and an hour later… which she knows will drive huge traffic… and then an hour later she posts these pictures of this rebrand.”

Royal Author, Phil Dampier, echoed Firth’s statements as he said, “nothing happens by accident,” before accusing Meghan of intentionally posting pictures of her products after the picture of her children.

The Sussexes have often stressed how important privacy is

Meghan’s recent post is rather hypocritical as both her and her husband have repeatedly emphasized how important it is they keep their children out of the public eye. There are very few pictures of the Sussex children but now it appears as though things are changing.

Although we don’t see their faces in this recent post, it seems awfully coincidental that Meghan should decide to share this photo now. The former actress has already shared a few brief glimpses of her two children on social media in relation to her brand — could this be the new norm from here on out?.

An hour after posting the most recent pic she unveiled her ShopMy page. An online shop which allows influencers to curate collections of clothes which people can buy through their page — Meghan would earn a chunky commission for every item sold on her page. It seems like she has her eyes set on making some serious dough this year and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it.