Meghan shares pictures with BFF Kelly McKee Zajfen's newborn just hours before the Royal Family heads to Trooping the Colour - despite not showing her own children's faces on Instagram
Meghan Markle has shared a new photograph of herself with her best friend's newborn baby to her 4.6million Instagram followers - just hours before the Royal Family's appearance at Trooping the Colour.The Duchess of Sussex, 44, who lives in Montecito, California, with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet, hasn't stepped out on the Buckingham Palace balcony since 2019 after quitting the Firm the year after.Posting on social media ahead of the King's official birthday, Meghan shared the image to her Stories following her visit to her friend, Alliance of Moms co-founder Kelly McKee Zajfen, who gave birth to Jack Oliver Zajfen earlier this year.Unlike Kelly, Meghan typically hides her children, Archie, seven, and five-year-old Lilibet's faces when posting about them on social media.However, following her friend's approach, she posted newborn Jack's features in the photo, in which she's pictured embracing the baby and pecking him on his head.'We know I love a redhead,' the Duchess wrote alongside the image, before joking: 'And let me stop you before they start, no it's not his baby.'Her close friend Kelly, a former model, announced she was expecting Jack in November last year, after tragically losing her 9-year-old son in July 2022, after he contracted a viral illness.Meghan added a second picture of her fellow California mother, whom she has been friends with for 20 years, smiling alongside Jack, saying: 'Love you @heartmom.' The Duchess of Sussex shared a photograph with her friend Kelly McKee Zajfen's newborn baby, Jack Oliver Zajfen, on InstagramEarlier this month, the Duchess was forced to defend her decision to share images of her two children online more frequently while warning of the dangers of social media to young people after posting new photos of Lilibet on her fifth birthday.In a post captioned 'our dream girl', the Duchess of Sussex released the clearest photo yet of Lili to her millions of Instagram followers.Despite the images showing much of the five-year-old's face, Meghan, through her spokesman, insisted she is protecting her daughter's privacy while sharing important family moments.The response came after she was accused of hypocrisy last month when she shared an image of Lilibet sitting at her feet in a wardrobe packed with designer fashion before leaving for Geneva to warn of the dangers of social media for children.'The Duchess has always been clear that there is a distinction between sharing moments from her life and exposing her children to public scrutiny,' her spokesman said.'By obscuring their faces, she is demonstrating the very principle she advocates for: giving children privacy, agency and protection in an increasingly digital world.'Critics are not convinced by the Duchess's argument. British brand expert Nick Ede, told Newsweek: 'She can commercialise her social media, obviously as an adult, but it just felt very hypocritical.'This is still the huge problem with Meghan, it is the whole identity crisis. One minute she's a savior, allegedly, of all children who've unfortunately lost their lives through social media and the next minute she's a social media influencer. So what are you?' Meghan also shared a second picture of Kelly holding Jack, with the caption, 'Love you @heartmom_'Hours after the statement was issued, Meghan shared the new images of Lilibet to mark her birthday.The former Suits actress made her balcony debut at Trooping the Colour on June 9, 2018 – just three weeks after marrying Prince Harry at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. She took part in the King's official birthday celebrations twice during her short stint as a working royal before moving back to the US.Kelly has long praised the support she received from Meghan during her bereavement, and has previously opened up about her loss, describing it in a personal essay as 'traumatic, painful, and very vivid'.Writing about the death last year, Kelly told People magazine: 'It happened very quickly.'We had no idea when we took him into the hospital that 12 hours later, he would not make it. My 9-year-old son George died. Died of Covid and viral meningitis.'A healthy and vibrant boy could not fight it. We lost him. I kissed him.'But it was to say goodbye. It is impossible to know how to survive this type of grief. Even more impossible is the ability to find all the right tools that will help you manage each day. I definitely do not have all the answers.'At the time of George's death, the Meghan and Prince Harry showed their support by donating $5,000 to a GoFundMe set up in George's honour, attributing the donation to their two children, Lilibet and Archie.After the event, Kelly thanked the couple for their generosity, writing on Instagram: 'Harry and Meghan, you have been such a guiding light for our family, not just in the way you have shown up in friendship but how you have shown up through the incredible work The Archewell Foundation does every day. I'm in awe of your commitment to community and to friendship.'In the years since George's tragic death, Meghan and Harry have attended several of Kelly's charity events and initiatives in memory of the nine-year-old.These included a charity tennis tournament last year in honour of George, which also took place around Prince Harry's 40th birthday.
