Meghan Markle Defends 2019 Baby Shower Amid Criticism

Meghan Markle has spoken out in defence of her 2019 baby shower in New York City, which was met with intense scrutiny from both the public and the palace.

The celebration, held at the Mark Hotel in Manhattan, was admittedly lavish, with a guest list full of famous figures.

But Meghan has never understood why the affair was met with such criticism.

During the Netflix series, Harry and Meghan, Meghan explained that her friends paid for the baby shower themselves, so the press had no right to tear it down.

She questioned rhetorically, “But who told the media about it in the first place?

How would anyone know unless they were told?”

Meghan also arranged for her and the guests to enter the hotel through the main entrance, when it's common practice for high profile people to enter through the back.

According to Tom Bauer's book, Sunshine Sachs asked Serena Williams' publicists to organize the baby shower.

In return, Serena was guaranteed she could merch a clothing line.

Basically, every guest was promised something in terms of PR or merching or career perks in return.

It was intended as part of launching Meghan's brand in the US ahead of a move back, so Serena Williams and Amal Clooney were used.

This is a clear sign that Meghan thinks being a royal duchess is about celebrity, not royalty.

Patrick Jeffs and Diana's longtime private secretary described the reported $500,000 baby shower as excessive.

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward also criticized the affair as trashy, with its starry guest list and swanky location.

In photos shared by Meghan, the A-list group, which included Serena Williams, placed their hands on Meghan's baby bump and gathered on the couch for a photo.

Dickie Arbiter, the late Queen's press secretary until 2000, said, “Baby showers, it's very much an American thing.

We don't do it here in the UK.

It was a bit over the top in terms of expense.

And the way she got there, Meghan is American and she does things the American way.”

Meghan explained her confusion on why there was so much upset about the shower, saying, “When I flew to New York, how would anyone know what I was doing or where?

That would indicate that I planted it.

I wanted to be important.

I wanted press.

I wanted to be associated with those names in a public forum.”

Meghan shared never-before-seen photos of her star-studded baby shower in the Netflix series.

In the photos, the group, which included Gail King from CBS, Serena Williams, and Amal Clooney, gathered on the couch for a photo.

For the special occasion, Meghan wore a navy blue sleeveless dress with a white polka.

In conclusion, Meghan Markle has defended her 2019 baby shower, stating that her friends paid for it themselves and that the press had no right to criticize it.