Meghan Markle Deftly Uses Lilibet's Growing Height To Get Attention For Her Netflix Show

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet is growing up so fast! Having turned 4 years old this summer, Lilibet, or simply Lili, looked surprisingly all grown-up in a charming new video Meghan posted to her Instagram Story on August 26. In the clip, Lili is seen planting a kiss on a large framed photo Harry had given his wife as a surprise present — so tall that she could reach the top of the frame without even trying. The portrait featured the Duchess of Sussex and the family's late beagle, Guy, whose tragic death she announced earlier this year. "Morning surprise from my husband," Meghan captioned the video, which was set to the 1964 hit "My Guy" by Mary Wells. Sweet, right?!

Considering the timing of the post, though, we can't help but wonder whether the post was intended as a soft plug. You see, August 26 was International Dog Day and also the Season 2 premiere of Meghan's cooking series "With Love, Meghan" on Netflix. Not to mention, she hadn't shared anything about her kids in a hot minute, making it a guaranteed way to stir up some buzz. Phew.

In fact, this isn't the first time Meghan has given a glimpse of her daughter to promote one of her projects. Back in February, she also included Lilibet in a promotional image for the relaunch of her lifestyle brand As Ever. The snap captured the Duchess running in a vast garden alongside her rarely seen daughter. Let's just say fans weren't too happy with the marketing tactic. "Using her kids for promotion. Sounds about right for her," one X user wrote. Another reacted, "She's using her kid to recapture her relevance. Gross." 

Sure enough, within two hours of Meghan Markle posting a clip of Lilibet on her Instagram Story, she quickly followed up by promoting her lifestyle series "With Love, Meghan" as Season 2 officially dropped on Netflix. Sharing a snippet from Episode 1 featuring her friend and Spanish chef José Andrés, Meghan urged fans not to miss the season debut. "José: 'Are you okay?' My inside voice: 'Doing better than the lobster,'" she wrote in the caption. "New season of 'With Love, Meghan' now streaming on @netflix."

That being said, not everything Meghan shares is about publicity. In June, she gave a rare glimpse of Lilibet's face to celebrate her daughter as Lili turned 4 years old. Alongside a black-and-white photo of her hugging Lili, Meghan wished her little one a happy birthday. "Happy birthday to our beautiful girl! Four years ago today she came into our lives — and each day is brighter and better because of it," she gushed. She also uploaded photos of Lilibet bonding with her dad, Prince Harry. "Daddy's little girl and favorite adventurer," Meghan penned. "Happy birthday Lili!"

Appearing on Emily Chang's "The Circuit" on August 26, Meghan finally addressed the hate that has followed her since joining the royal family. "I just want people to know that I'm a real person," Meghan emphasized. "When you look at the clickbait culture and how much is written about someone, it's like, 'No, my friends have to read those things.'" She also expressed her worry about the impact this could have on her children, Lili and Archie. "My kids will see those magazines and we all know moms gossip. And so I have to make a choice to move through the world as myself in spite of all the noise that's created," she added.