Meghan Markle has been accused of 'cosplaying' Princess Diana after critics revisited a photograph of the Duchess of Sussex jumping into a swimming pool during her 45th birthday celebrations.
Meghan shared the black-and-white images on Instagram on 4 August 2026, showing herself leaping into a pool while holding a cluster of balloons, with a second photograph capturing her in the water.
She marked her birthday with the simple message: 'Thank you for the birthday love!🎈'. The photographs were taken during an earlier celebration in California, according to People.
Critics Accuse Meghan of 'Cosplaying' Diana
The images quickly prompted comparisons with the iconic photographs of Diana jumping into the sea during her 1997 holiday in St Tropez.
The comparison resurfaced this week after a Reddit post revisited Meghan's birthday photographs and alleged that the Duchess had deliberately recreated the late Princess of Wales's imagery.
The post, shared in the r/SaintMeghanMarkle community on Sunday, 20 September, described Meghan's photograph as a 'clear attempt to copy' Diana and questioned whether the Duchess studies photographs of her late mother-in-law before recreating similar scenes.
One commenter responded bluntly: 'she's cosplaying'.
The remark received hundreds of upvotes, while other users joined the discussion and claimed that Meghan's pose appeared to echo photographs of Diana in the water.
Some commenters also speculated about Meghan's intentions, with several suggesting that the photograph was designed to evoke her late mother-in-law.
Those claims, however, remain the opinions of Reddit users. There is no public evidence that Meghan intended the photograph as a recreation of Diana's image.
The Diana Comparison Emerged in August
The Reddit discussion comes after the same comparison was made shortly after Meghan published the photographs.
IBT UK reported on 5 August that social-media users had drawn parallels between Meghan's birthday photograph and a well-known image of Diana jumping into the water. Some critics described the resemblance as deliberate, while others rejected the suggestion that Meghan was copying the late princess.
The images do share some obvious visual similarities. Both women are photographed in swimwear while airborne above the water, with their arms raised as they jump.
Diana's photograph was taken during her 1997 St Tropez holiday, shortly before her death. Photographer Michel Dufour captured images of the princess enjoying the trip with Dodi Al Fayed.
Of course it was, as ever. 😩😫🥱 pic.twitter.com/UYuhfyP6Ur
— Observer88 (@JR42845598) August 11, 2026
Another famous photograph of Diana in a swimsuit was taken in Sardinia in 1991 by photographer Massimo Sestini and became one of his best-known images.
Meghan and Diana Comparisons Have Continued
The latest accusations also come after Meghan was compared with Diana over other summer photographs.
In July, Meghan shared a series of images from the Sussex family's summer travels, including a photograph of herself relaxing beside a swimming pool. The family had visited the UK and Portugal, with the UK trip including time at the Spencer family's Althorp estate, Diana's childhood home.
Around the same period, Meghan was also criticised online over a photograph of herself wearing a black swimsuit, with some social-media users comparing the look with images of Diana.
The recurring comparisons have therefore become a subject of discussion among some royal watchers online, particularly whenever Meghan shares photographs featuring poses, outfits or settings that resemble well-known images of Diana.
But the resemblance does not establish that Meghan deliberately copied her late mother-in-law.
Meghan has not publicly said that her birthday photograph was inspired by Diana, nor has she addressed the latest accusations that she was attempting to recreate one of the late princess's famous photographs.
For now, the 'cosplaying' claim remains an interpretation by social media critics, not an established fact about Meghan's intentions.
