There’s always talk and criticism surrounding Meghan Markle’s appearances in public. Some, have accused the Duchess of Sussex of leaking information to the press, staging some of her paparazzi photos, and planning public outings around the same time as events being put on by her in-laws. However, one photographer, who has snapped paparazzi photos of the former actress four times in the last two years, according to Newsweek, has spoken out about the speculation.
Jill Ishkanian, a photographer who has bylines in publications like The Sun and The Daily Mail, said Markle has never tipped her off about her appearances. In her exact words, she said the Duchess “absolutely does not” give the press advanced notice for staged appearances to her knowledge. She continued, telling Newsweek:
No one calls me; trust me. I have absolutely no support; I do everything by myself. It's a total pain in the b--- when you get their picture, to be totally honest.
Most recently, Jill Ishkanian took photos of Markle while she was out at a market in Montecito, and they were published in The Daily Mail. She explained that this moment was not staged, saying she had been out and about trying to get photos of Katy Perry’s father, and she happened to see the Suits actress.
She went on to recall another experience photographing the Duchess, saying the photos she got were not only unplanned photos, she also had to convince her editors that the images were actually of Meghan Markle. Ishkanian said she looked back at old photos to confirm that she had photographed the Royal Family member by cross-referencing the shoes she was wearing.
It’s been speculated that if Markle doesn’t plan photos she will strategically go out in public around the same time as other members of the Royal Family. For example, The Royal Observer explained that she went out for a hike in Santa Barbra Country the day after King Charles's coronation, which she did not attend.
Along with this speculation, there have been accusations about her staging press photos. For example, in the biography about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the authors wrote (via The Royal Observer):
Meghan, before she met Harry, had occasionally set up a paparazzi photo here and there or let info slip out to the press, she did everything in her power to protect the privacy of her relationship with the prince.
There has been a lot of talk about Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s relationship with the press. They’ve both been clear about their dislike of paparazzi and the constant attention they’ve received. Earlier this year they got in what their rep called a “near catastrophic” car chase with photographers. Some people said the situation was exaggerated, to which the rep said those claims were “abhorrent.”
The NYPD did say that there were “no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests” during this situation. A cabbie also explained that he wouldn’t call the situation a “chase,” but did say the couple looked “scared.”
Overall, it seems like Meghan Markle and Prince Harry continue to have a turbulent relationship with the press. However, when it comes to these claims about the Duchess staging photos, according to one photographer who has snapped images of her out and about, she’s never been notified in advance.
As more news about the royal couple comes out, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, you can go back and watch Meghan Markle in Suits as well as her docuseries with her husband, Harry & Meghan, with a Netflix subscription.
