Princess Beatrice officially announced her pregnancy yesterday and, while the news may have seemed to be innocent enough, rumors have sprouted that the timing was planned and aimed to take a jab at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The world was thrilled to hear the news that a new baby would be joining the royal family but it also raised some eyebrows as the announcement was made on the same day of Harry and Meghan’s third wedding anniversary.
Royal fans have now interpreted the uncanny timing as a purposeful dig at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Why might Princess Beatrice’s pregnancy announcement be a dig at Harry and Meghan?
As reported by Page Six, royal insiders claim the move was a retaliation scheme to get back at the couple for overshadowing the wedding of Beatrice’s sister, Princess Eugenie, back in 2018. The Sussexes’ announced they were expecting Archie on the day of the wedding.
“It was a total dig at Harry and Meghan. They stole Eugenie’s thunder on her big day, after all, and it appears that has not been forgotten,” the unnamed insider was quoted as saying.
Page Six also shared multiple other insider information, with all the sources seeming to agree that the timing of Beatrice’s announcement was no coincidence.
Royal author Robert Jobson chimed in on the debate, adding his opinion that “timing is everything” regarding the royal family and that Beatrice was very likely getting back at Harry and Meghan for stealing her sister’s “thunder” on her big day.
Is there animosity between Princess Eugenie and Meghan Markle?
Despite this perceived dig at the Sussexes’, Eugenie and Meghan actually seem to have no bad blood between them; the pair stayed in close contact during each other’s pregnancies.
Eugenie and Harry were always close growing up and, Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, moved into Harry and Meghan’s old home at Frogmore Cottage when the latter couple moved to America.
The Queen congratulated Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and is reportedly delighted with the baby news.
Whatever the feelings are between Meghan and Eugenie, it hasn’t stopped many from believing that Beatrice may have retained a sense of animosity towards Harry and Meghan for their untimely pregnancy news.
Royal authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand have also documented that Eugenie “felt that the couple should have waited to share the news” until a later date so as not to steal the show away from her. This has not been confirmed by either Eugenie or harry and Meghan.
This will be the first child for Beatrice and Edoardo, though the couple share custody of Edoardo’s son from a previous relationship. The baby is due sometime later in the year.