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Meghan Markle roasted for 'photo ban' at Wimbledon

Meghan Markle has been criticised for stopping fans from taking photos at Wimbledon.
Meghan Markle has been criticised for her appearance at Wimbledon. Photo: Getty Images

Meghan Markle has again sparked backlash after her security guards reportedly told fans not to photograph her during a very public Wimbledon match last week.

The commotion comes after spectator Sally Jones - who was seated in the same row as the royal - claimed she was ordered by a royal protection officer to put her camera down while enjoying the tennis.

“Would you not take photographs of the Duchess. She’s here in a private capacity,” Ms Jones told the UK’s The Daily Telegraph were the words of the officer.

“I told him it was bonkers and even if I had been trying to snap the Duchess, I’d have got a blurry picture of her right ear.”

Instead Ms Jones informed the ‘embarrassed’ officer she was actually taking a snap of 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, not Meghan - who attended with two of her friends from the US.

The media consultant went on to note she thought Meghan was 'clearly looking around looking to see who was looking at her’ as she sat in a section away from the rest of the packed arena.

Piers Morgan goes hard

However, the brash response from the royal’s team was one questioned widely by the public - and the press - including her most prolific critic, Piers Morgan.

Speaking on Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain , the talk show host took a divisive stand.

The Duchess of Sussex attended the match with two of her American friends and was seated in front of a security guard and her personal assistant, away from the rest of the crowd. Photo: Getty Images
The Duchess of Sussex attended the match with two of her American friends and was seated in front of a security guard and her personal assistant, away from the rest of the crowd. Photo: Getty Images

"This is so ridiculous, this obsession that her and Harry have about privacy,” he said.

"It's rankly hypocritical and they're not private people, they're the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. We get to pay for their mansion, we get to do all of this ..."

He went on to criticise Meghan for expecting privacy while sitting in Wimbledon’s Royal Box even though she attended as a personal guest of Serena Williams.

“If you want to be private, go back to America and live privately, it’s pretty straightforward,” he continued, prompting an objection co-host Susanna Reid.

“They don’t have to go back to America by the way,” she said, while Morgan railed, “She does, she’s American!”

Meghan was at the tennis to watch friend Serena Williams play, rather than in an official royal capacity. Photo: Getty
Meghan was at the tennis to watch friend Serena Williams play, rather than in an official royal capacity. Photo: Getty

Television host Kirstie Allsopp levelled similar criticism at the relatively new royal, adding some public intrusion was often synonymous with life in the spotlight.

“If you earn money by entertaining, in sport or media, or by being a member of the royal family, photos are part of the deal - because you’re b****y lucky to have the privileges that come with the jobs & the wages,” she wrote on Twitter.

Despite the backlash, palace officials have insisted similar photos bans are often put in place by royals while out and about in a non-official capacity.

“It's not uncommon for personal protection officers accompanying any members of the Royal Family to ask people not to take pictures so they can engage with people and events rather than camera phones,” the source told Mail Online.

However, this is far from the first time Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, have copped criticism for their resistance to public life.

Just last week they made the divisive decision to conduct baby Archie’s christening completely privately, without revealing the names of his godparents.

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