Meghan Markle became the subject of online criticism after Serena Williams' Wimbledon comeback ended in a first-round defeat, with some royal family supporters reviving old claims about the Duchess of Sussex's previous appearance at the tournament.
The criticism surfaced as speculation continues over whether Meghan could travel to the UK with Prince Harry and their children in the future. Some social media users shared videos from her 2019 Wimbledon visit, using them to mock the Duchess following Williams' loss.
One user wrote, "Serena Williams taking one for the team? She loses her Wimbledon comeback match the second rumors hit that Meghan Markle might show up to 'support' her," alongside a clip of Meghan attending the tournament in 2019.
The same post repeated a long-standing allegation that Meghan requested dozens of seats around her be left empty for security reasons, claiming television cameras avoided showing the area while photographers captured the wider scene.
Others joined the discussion, with one user asking, "Why would Wimbledon agree to this nonsense? Catherine must have been horrified." Another commented, "No way will she turn up anywhere. She won't be allowed to leave the airport. Wimbledon will not let her behave like that again anyway."
However, claims that the seats were left vacant at Meghan Markle's personal request have been disputed, and observers have said there is no confirmed evidence that she demanded such an arrangement during her 2019 visit.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams showed glimpses of her trademark form in her highly anticipated return to competitive tennis after four years away from the sport. The 44-year-old fought hard before losing 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 to Australia's Maya Joint in the opening round at Wimbledon.
Williams had hoped to become the oldest woman to win a singles match at the All England Club since Martina Navratilova accomplished the feat at the age of 47 in 2004. Instead, Joint produced a composed performance to bring the seven-time Wimbledon champion's comeback to an early end.
