When Meghan Markle announced the death of her beloved rescue Beagle Guy on Tuesday, she was inundated by people passing on their condolences.
The Duchess of Sussex adopted Guy in 2015 after he was found abandoned deep in the woods in Kentucky without food or water. He was her buddy as she travelled the world.
In a heartbreaking post on Instagram, the 43-year-old uploaded a touching video montage of his life while also writing a tribute where she admitted crying ‘too many tears to count’.
But one aspect of the post has raised eyebrows after it appeared she used the moment to advertise her upcoming cookery show, which has featured Guy in the trailer.
She wrote: ‘Because many of you will now see Guy in this new series, I hope you’ll come to understand why I am so devastated by his loss. I think you may fall a little bit in love too.’
Discussing the development on Mail+’s YouTube show Palace Confidential, The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English said: ‘I thought it was quite noteworthy that she used it as a plug for the show, which, I’ll be honest, made me feel personally a little bit uncomfortable.
‘I am just not sure if that was a wise thing to do.’
Rebecca also compared Meghan’s tribute to Guy on social media to a similar post Princess Katherine and Prince William chose to make when their dog Lupo died.
The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English claimed Meghan used the tribute post for her dead dog to ‘plug’ her upcoming Netflix cookery show
Meghan Markle, 43, raised eyebrows on Tuesday when she seemed to promote her upcoming cookery show while announcing the death of her beloved Beagle Guy (pictured together in 2015)
The Palace Confidential show was hosted by Joe Elvin (right) and featured insight from The Mail on Sunday’s Royal Correspondent Natasha Livingstone (left), The Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden (centre left) and Royal Editor Rebecca English (centre right)
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She said: ‘The message that accompanied the video was very gushing. I understand all of those sentiments but it was a lot of talk about how she wanted to “get in the shower with the hope that the water would wash away the heaviness of her tears”.
‘It made me think of when Katherine and William lost Lupo and they did put a message on social media about it, but it was like “It is with a heavy heart we announce we have lost Lupo who was a big part of our family”, you know, then end.
‘And I think people understood that, but maybe that is a very British way of doing things.’
The Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden said: ‘I think it was clearly going to be awkward. If the programme starts next week and the dog features in the programme but he is actually dead…
‘She felt she had to tell people before about what had happened.’
Rebecca replied: ‘Maybe. Or you could add at the end of the show, “In loving memory of Guy” as you often see things like that.’
The comments were made on the first 2025 episode of Palace Confidential, which is hosted by Joe Elvin and features fresh insights and discussion on the biggest royal news of the week.
Elsewhere in the show, chat turned to what viewers can expect from Meghan’s cookery show, ‘With Love, Meghan’, which will be dropped on January 15.
In the lead up to the announcement, Meghan returned to Instagram.
Meghan posted a heartfelt written tribute to go along with her one-minute and thirty-second video
Although they might not be sitting down to watch Meghan’s cookery show, Richard claims the Palace hopes it will be a success for Meghan
The Duchess’ glossy upcoming cookery show ‘With Love, Meghan’ will feature Guy
In one scene of the trailer for With Love, Meghan, Guy is seen peacefully on the floor laying in bed
But there was an apparent blunder in the promotional post, with The Mail on Sunday’s Royal Correspondent Natasha Livingstone telling the Palace Confidential panel how Meghan’s barefooted video of her casually writing 2025 in the sand in a ‘seemingly spontaneous way’ was not all it seemed.
She said: ‘Some eagle-eyed viewers noticed that on the route for her to do this there were earlier drafts in the sand that hadn’t worked out very well, suggesting that it wasn’t quite the random spontaneous happy act’.
Richard Eden believes that Buckingham Palace hopes the show will prove a success for Meghan.
He told the panel: ‘The Palace wishes Meghan well because they don’t want her to have to continue to exploit those royal connections again.
‘A relatively innocuous cookery show very much suits the Royal Family.’
A lot will be riding on this show. Richard points out that the Sussexes’ contract with Netflix is due to end this year, so they might need a hit if they want their media career to continue.
He told the panel: ‘The thing about this programme is that Meghan is not a cook, she is not a chef.
‘She has done recipes on her old blog the Tig before, but essentially whether this programme is any good or not will depend on if people enjoy watching her and enjoying being in her company – whether they like her essentially.
Eagle-eyed fans spotted that Meghan had previously filmed the video, as they noticed another attempt to write 2025 in the sand (left)
‘So, it will be a really interesting test.’
The panel also discussed Prince William’s heartfelt birthday message to Catherine to celebrate her 43rd birthday.
Rebecca said it was ‘really unusual’ for such a personal message, as they are usually reserved for landmark birthdays, but it reflects the brutal past 12 months.
Commentators have reported it as perhaps the most emotive message William has ever shared about his wife.
It read: ‘To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable.
‘George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you. W.’
The show also discussed the news, first revealed by Caroline Graham in The Mail on Sunday, that Thomas Markle would be leaving Mexico and moving, most likely to South East Asia, so he can be ‘treated with kindness’.
Meghan’s dad has been effectively estranged from his daughter since her wedding, which he was unable to attend. Mr Markle has never met Meghan’s children or any member of the Royal Family.
In an unusually personal message on Thursday, William praised his wife’s strength and added that he, George, Charlotte and Louis were ‘so proud of her’
Richard told the panel: ‘What a contrast to this idyllic life that Meghan is portraying on screen, where everyone is happy, with the cookery, with the Instagram, loving messages to her dog. What about for her father?
‘It is a terribly sad situation.’
Elsewhere in the show, the royal experts also discussed Zara Tindall almost being kicked by a horse in Australia.
The royal, 43, was on the other side of the world for the Magic Millions Races – an event for which she is an ambassador.
The near-miss unfolded during a photoshoot on the Gold Coast, where the royal posed in front of three horses which all had jockeys sat on them.
But Richard she ‘didn’t look too ruffled’ by the scare and ‘sort of shrugged it off’ as she has been around horses her whole life.
It came after her mother Princess Anne was knocked unconscious last year by what was thought to have been a horse kick.
Thomas Markle has said he will be leaving Mexico and moving, most likely to South East Asia, so he can be ‘treated with kindness’
Elsewhere in the show, the royal experts also discussed Zara Tindall almost being kicked by a horse while in Australia
Zara was knocked to the side and visibly shaken up as the jockey in charge of the steed in question tried to regain control of the animal
There was also chat in the episode about the King’s personal Christmas speech
The panel also discussed the royal Christmas at Sandringham, especially the reason Princess Beatrice unexpectedly changed her plans to attend.
There was also chat about the King’s personal Christmas speech, and the ongoing row about Prince Andrew’s continued residence at Royal Lodge.
Towards the end of the show the panel analysed a thought-provoking piece by author AN Wilson which talked about the monarchy’s need to modernise while also staying traditional.
To hear all the insights from the team of unrivalled royal experts, watch the full 38 minute-long show on YouTube now.
