Meghan Markle’s latest magazine appearance was meant to feel bold and stripped back. Instead, it set off a wave of criticism online.

The 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex appeared as the cover star of Harper’s Bazaar US for the December 2025/January 2026 Art Issue, revealed on November 20. The shoot presented her with no visible makeup, a minimalist black-and-white palette, and close-up portraits meant to highlight her natural features.

But within minutes of the cover’s release, social media lit up—and not kindly.
Several users mocked her bare-faced look, questioned the creative direction, and even suggested the magazine intentionally made her appear unflattering. One person wrote, “Someone at the magazine definitely hates her,” while another commented, “She really thinks she’s the ‘it girl,’ but these photos say otherwise.”

The criticism centered mostly on the extreme close-ups and Meghan’s expression, with some viewers claiming the angles accentuated her features in an uncomfortable way. A number of commenters even joked that she looked like she was “about to sneeze.”

Behind the images, the issue included an in-depth interview with writer Kaitlyn Greenidge, covering Meghan’s life with Prince Harry, the growth of her lifestyle brand As Ever, and the public challenges she has faced since her engagement in 2017.
Meghan spoke candidly about how being thrust into global scrutiny forced her to create stronger “boundaries.”
“You find different ways to protect yourself… You learn not to do it again,” she said, reflecting on past missteps and controversies.

But a small detail in the article triggered yet another online conversation.
Greenidge described being introduced to Meghan inside a private New York home, where a staff member announced her as “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,” even though they were the only two people in the room.
The moment struck some readers as theatrical. One Meghan supporter, normally defensive of her, admitted, “This is such a strange thing to do in your own home.”

Go behind the scenes of our winter 2025 cover shoot with #DuchessMeghan and head to the link in comments to read the full cover story, where she opens up about motherhood, marriage, and living in the moment. pic.twitter.com/J9cdEmxWLb

— Harper’s BAZAAR (@harpersbazaarus) November 19, 2025

Others argued it contradicted Meghan’s longstanding claim that she wanted distance from royal titles.
“I thought she didn’t want to be a Duchess?” one user asked.
But technically, both Harry and Meghan still retain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles. They lost the right to use HRH, but they remain non-working royals—just like Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie—who keep their inherited ranks without taking on official duties.

Not everyone joined the backlash. Some fans insisted Meghan looked beautiful and blamed the publication for poor styling choices. “They really did her dirty,” one supporter wrote. “You have to try hard to take a bad picture of her, yet they somehow managed a whole editorial of them.”

The debate shows no signs of slowing down.
What was supposed to be a stripped-down, artistic portrait has instead become one of Meghan’s most polarizing magazine covers yet.