Meghan's Instagram posts of family Utopia are designed to quash rumours of surrogacy & 7yr-itch with Harry – here's why
OH, Meghan you tease….
From bare baby bumps to PDAs, the Duchess of Sussex's 'mood board' of intimate snaps to mark her seventh wedding anniversary with Prince Harry may be revealing but, as ever, it's not quite the full picture.
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With the 'mood' pretty self-satisfied this curated Instagram-shared 'love story' is the usual drip feed of both oversharing and censoring that has become a Sussex hallmark and remains a tricky mix.
We see images of their first blind date in London, Prince Archie's ultrasound scan and a sweet shot of the six-year-old kissing his young sister Lilibet on the forehead.
And while their faces are still mostly obscured, there is more on show than a back view or silhouette.
'Love story'
So why is the duchess upping the ante? Well, for all her prowess with a table setting and flower display, Meghan 's brand currency is still rooted in her family and its blood ties to the British Monarchy – a son and daughter, sixth and seventh in line to the throne.
In recent months, the couple's separate professional endeavours - Meghan's focus on lifestyle brand, As Ever, and new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder and Harry's solo charity trips have predictably given rise to rumours that all is not well.
Brand currency
What better riposte than with a pictorial gush-o-meter on Instagram?
Indeed, the mood board's main message is far from cryptic; seven-year itch? Not a chance; we're more loved up than ever.
It's blissed out utopia wrapped up in the usual Californian gloss with calligraphy captions and a shout out to the faithful for supporting their 'love story'.
Yes, such cutesy collages may be more associated with tweens celebrating their besties than a 44-year-old mum of two, but we all know by now that Meghan does things a little differently.
And no more so than the inclusion of a photo showing her bare belly while heavily pregnant with Archie, which has emerged as a key talking point and for good reason.
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Meghan Markle's £15k 'push present' from Prince Harry
MEGHAN Markle has a staggering jewellery collection - but have you ever noticed the £15,000 'push present' piece that Prince Harry gave to her?
Following the birth of their son Archie, who is now four, the Duke of Sussex reportedly bought Meghan a sapphire pinky ring.
According to Grazia: 'Meghan Markle has several [pinky rings] in her collection, including a blue sapphire heart by Jessica McCormack, believed to be a 'push present' after Archie was born.'
We saw Meghan wear the exquisite pinky ring as she attended Wimbledon in July 2019.
The heart-shaped item is from Jessica McCormack's Signature collection and is said to be 'set with a 0.94 carat heart cut sapphire handcrafted in blackened 18k white gold and 18k yellow gold'.
However, it's not the only item rumoured to be Meghan's 'push present' from Harry.
Some fans thought Meghan's 'third wedding ring' is a special gift to celebrate Archie's birth.
Alongside Meghan's gold banded three-stone engagement ring, which includes two diamonds from Princess Diana 's collection, and her plain gold wedding band, the Duchess often wears another gold ring.
Push presents have 'become a tradition in the royal family' over the years, according to royal etiquette expert Myka Meier.
Prince William is reported to have given Kate Middleton a £1,000 white gold eternity ring after the birth of their first son, George, which she wears on her wedding finger.
Royal bumps are usually shrouded in elegant maternity wear with the bundle of joy dutifully presented on steps of St Mary's hospital in Paddington.
The former Suits star and LA native's belly airing is straight from the La La Land handbook. It draws more subversive comparisons to actress Demi Moore's iconic 1991 Vanity Fair cover when she was seven-months and photographed nude by esteemed snapper Annie Leibovitz.
'Moon bump' claims
For Meghan, this display of candour - inconceivable for Princess Kate - was perhaps designed to quash those unfounded but persistent rumours that she used surrogates for her pregnancies.
Yes, you heard that right. Wild theories have long been rife among the time-rich, IQ-poor conspirators who believe Meghan wore a 'moon bump' - a prosthetic belly all along - an elaborate and risky ruse given it was under the glare of global media spotlight.
According to these ridiculous rumours her 'advanced' age of 37 and thin ankles were big clues because they didn't swell to the usual ham-like proportions of pregnant women, and she was able to squat with her knees together.
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These slack sleuths also point to the shunning of the usual post-birth photocall on the hospital steps for one arranged a couple of days later at Windsor Castle.
Not that the new image of naked bump has done much to convince the naysayers- 'too shiny and high up' apparently.
Will this stirring of crackpot ideas be that unexpected for her? Probably not. Contrary to the image she likes to project, Meghan isn't that spontaneous, she's simply too canny, careful and controlling.
Whatever her true intention has been in posting the shot it has once again got everyone talking about her and that usually appears to be the desired result.
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