Meghan Markle’s 45th birthday ended up sharing the spotlight after Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Eugenie had welcomed a baby girl just hours after the Duchess celebrated her special day on Instagram on August 4.
The timing quickly caught the attention of royal watchers, with many calling it “karma” because Markle and Prince Harry shared news of their first pregnancy with family members during Princess Eugenie’s 2018 wedding celebrations.
Highlights
- Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank welcomed their third child, a baby girl, with Buckingham Palace announcing the birth on Meghan Markle's 45th birthday.
- The timing reignited debate over Meghan and Prince Harry revealing Meghan's pregnancy to family members during Eugenie's 2018 wedding celebrations.
- Social media users were divided, with some calling the moment "karma".
"What goes around comes around," one person commented.
Princess Eugenie’s baby announcement arrived just after Meghan Markle celebrated her birthday
Buckingham Palace announced on August 4 that Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, had welcomed their third child, a baby girl.
According to the palace, the little girl was born the previous evening, August 3, at 6:20 p.m., in a hospital in Lisbon, Portugal.
She weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces, and the palace said King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other members of the Royal Family were “delighted” by the news.
Soon after the official announcement, Eugenie shared the first photo of her daughter on Instagram.
"Jack and I are so excited to announce Baby Girl Brooksbank!! We are beyond in love with our girlie."
The couple, who already share sons August and Ernest, have not yet released their daughter’s name.
While the announcement celebrated the newest royal arrival, many people online immediately noticed that it came only hours after Markle posted photos celebrating her 45th birthday.
Some royal watchers speculated that Buckingham Palace intentionally waited until Markle’s birthday before announcing the birth, as one wrote, "The great announcement came today on what would be Meghan Markle's 45th birthday. Meghan announced her pregnancy at Eugenie's wedding."
Still, the timing quickly became a major talking point online.
Critics linked the timing back to Markle’s pregnancy announcement at Eugenie’s wedding
Many online comments referenced an event that happened almost eight years ago.
In October 2018, Prince Harry and Markle attended Princess Eugenie and Jack’s wedding at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.
Prince Harry later confirmed in his memoir Spare that he and Markle privately shared the news of her pregnancy with senior members of the Royal Family during the wedding celebrations.
Harry wrote that they told King Charles before the reception, before later sharing the news with Prince William and Kate.
Just three days later, Kensington Palace publicly announced that Markle was expecting Archie during the couple’s first overseas royal tour.
Although the public announcement came after the wedding, many royal commentators have long argued that the pregnancy news overshadowed Eugenie’s big day.
That history resurfaced today after Buckingham Palace announced Eugenie’s daughter’s birth on Markle’s birthday.
One person wrote, "It’s the fact that Meghan announced her pregnancy at Eugenie’s wedding. Karma is long delayed."
Another said, "I remember that when Princess Eugenie got married, Meghan’s pregnancy announcement dominated the headlines and took much of the attention away from Eugenie’s big day. So today I’m happy to keep the focus on Eugenie and her family."
The timing of both events quickly became one of the biggest discussions among royal fans
Many believed Eugenie’s announcement had unintentionally or deliberately, according to some online speculation, taken attention away from Markle’s birthday celebrations.
One person wrote, "Eugenie finally paid Meghan Markle back for announcing her pregnancy on Eugenie's wedding day,” while another said, "Can't stand Eugenie but well played Buckingham Palace!"
A third added, "This coincidence has actually made me believe that revenge is a dish served cold."
Others brought up another old royal moment involving Archie’s birthday.
One comment read, "Not only as payback to Markle for announcing her pregnancy at Eugenie's wedding, but also for Markle publishing George Clooney's congratulations for Archie's birth everywhere because George and Archie share the same birthday. Meghan hates sharing anything, especially her birthday."
Another joked, "You just know Meghan will hate this newborn she's never even met simply because she was born so close to her birthday."
Some commenters also praised Eugenie for staying out of the public debate.
"I don't particularly like Eugenie but she was a star on this occasion," one person wrote.
While attention shifted toward Eugenie’s baby, Markle’s own birthday celebrations also attracted criticism online
The Duchess marked turning 45 by posting a series of Instagram photos and videos, including black-and-white images of herself jumping into a swimming pool while holding birthday balloons.
Some online users questioned why she appeared to be wearing sunglasses and jewelry while jumping into the water, as reported by Bored Panda.
Others claimed the images looked edited, pointing to what they believed were unusual details around her legs.
Several people also criticized Markle for sharing birthday posts herself.
One commenter wrote, "Why does she have to make so many posts? Usually your family posts a birthday greeting,” while another said, "Who posts Happy Birthday to themselves?"
Others compared one of her diving photos to a famous image of Princess Diana diving into the sea during a holiday in 1997, claiming the pose looked similar.
“What is there to understand? He has been telling us she is Diana’s reincarnation. He sees Diana in her, wants everyone to see that in her,” said one netizen.
The discussion continued after Markle shared videos from inside her birthday celebration with Prince Harry, including clips of herself dancing in the kitchen and trying to place a tiny party hat on one of the family's dogs.
Some critics also pointed out that there were no public birthday wishes from Buckingham Palace or other senior royals.
However, royal commentators told Page Six that this follows normal palace protocol because Meghan and Prince Harry have not been working members of the Royal Family since stepping down in 2020.
Royal commentator Tom Sykes told the outlet, “Birthday wishes to a private citizen would be sent privately. There’s absolutely no way anything will be put on social media feeds or anything like that.”
"I didn't even think about that but fabulous," wrote one netizen
