Meghan slammed for ‘advertising’ friend’s luxury retreat on royal Instagram
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been accused of ‘advertising’ a friend’s luxury retreat on their official royal Instagram.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex unfollowed every account, including the Invictus Games and Kensington Palace, so they could follow other accounts to ‘shine a light’ on the work they do.
One of the first accounts chosen as promoting good mental health was The Class, run by Taryn Toomey, who was one of the guests at Meghan’s baby shower in New York.
Her Instagram links to her website, promoting luxury yoga retreats in Mexico and the Caribbean, each costing thousands of pounds, as well as her exercise classes in LA and New York.
The endorsement was criticised by some on social media.
One user responded: I generally am a fan of both of them, and many of the highlighted organizations seem worthy. But to use this platform to promote acquaintances FOR PROFIT businesses is pretty appalling.’
Another wrote: ‘Is this still a Royal Family account, or an advertising platform?’
In another comment, someone wrote: ‘Don’t be biased. It is a simple way of advertising your friend’s yoga club.’
Responding to the Instagram shout-out, The Class wrote: ‘We ARE all in this together. And it is a great honor @sussexroyal – thank you for sharing, uniting and leading.’
Royal biographer Penny Junor told the Daily Mail she thought it was ‘wrong’, saying: ‘They are in an unusual position and have a real responsibility because they are hugely influential so it is very important that they don’t favour friends.
‘I would say that to endorse commercial organisations is a mistake anyway. I think they should stick to charities.’
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: ‘As the post states, The Duke and Duchess wanted to pay tribute to all of the incredible work people across the globe are doing in this space, hoping to shine a light on several Instagram accounts that promote mental well-being, mental fitness, body positivity, self-care and the importance of human connection.
‘The Duke of Sussex has on many occasions spoken publicly, in TRH Instagram account and most recently at this Thursday’s Invictus 2020 launch in The Hague, about his belief that “mental fitness, is key, because without it we fail to operate efficiently; but with it your physical performance and potential are exponentially improved, and we have witnessed this over and over again”.’
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