India Hicks, the goddaughter of King Charles, recently deleted a video from her website after it sparked backlash. The clip, originally posted on her Substack page, featured actress Brooke Shields calling Meghan Markle “too precious” while discussing a 2024 SXSW panel.
In the video, Shields described interrupting Markle during a live event in Austin, Texas, on International Women’s Day. Markle had been sharing a story about how she wrote to a company at age 11 to protest a sexist dish soap commercial. Shields admitted she found Markle’s story overly serious and tried to lighten the mood by joking about her own childhood acting role in Pretty Baby, saying, “When I was 11, I was playing a prostitute.” She claimed the audience responded positively and became more relaxed.
However, many Meghan fans were upset by the comments. Hicks, 57, was targeted online with angry messages. Some called Shields and Hicks “racist Karens,” while others threatened to leave offensive comments on Shields’ social media.
To avoid further backlash, Hicks replaced the interview clip with a video about London’s top patisseries.
India Hicks is the daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten, who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II. Hicks was also a bridesmaid at King Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding in 1981.
The incident has drawn attention for how public figures speak about Meghan Markle and how those conversations are received by the public.
