Meghan Markle’s celebratory video for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series victory drew sharp reactions over the weekend, with critics calling the clip “cringe” and “staged,” and with attention quickly turning to Prince Harry’s subdued demeanour in the footage. The immediate explanation emerged not from a palace source or a statement from the couple, but from the Instagram Stories of Markle’s close friend Kelly McKee Zajfen, who posted in the aftermath of Game 7 that Harry had been pulling for the Toronto Blue Jays. “Best game ever! Sorry H, your team didn’t win but mine diiiiiiid. @Dodgers I LOVE YOU!!!!” she wrote, offering a straightforward reason for why the duke looked markedly less animated than his wife at the moment the Dodgers sealed a 5–4 series-clinching win on 1 November.
The short black-and-white clip, filmed in the couple’s home theatre according to entertainment outlets that reposted the material, shows Markle shrieking, hugging, and then darting back into frame with Zajfen as the final out is recorded. Harry, seated with his feet up, smiles but remains largely still, and the contrast triggered a flood of social-media commentary that spanned from affectionate teasing about “house-divided” sports loyalties to pointed claims that the moment felt overproduced. The Times of India aggregated Zajfen’s explanation for Harry’s posture, while celebrity desks and lifestyle sites replayed the clip, noting that he had reportedly been rooting for the Blue Jays despite wearing a Dodgers cap at an earlier game.
Online reaction hardened quickly. Page Six itemised accusations from viewers that the camera’s placement and the black-and-white aesthetic made the celebration look “staged,” a view echoed across Yahoo’s entertainment feed and Australian outlets that labelled the scene “fake,” “irritating,” or “performative.” Commenters argued that the perfectly framed angle undercut the spontaneity Markle appeared to be aiming for, while others focused more benignly on the couple’s split allegiances for the night. Coverage that sifted through reposts of Zajfen’s Story pointed back to the same line—“Sorry H, your team didn’t win”—as the basic answer for Harry’s minimal celebration.
The video itself surfaced less than 24 hours after a separate World Series moment involving the couple sparked headlines. At Game 4 in Los Angeles, they were put on the stadium’s giant screen and, according to multiple reports, greeted with audible boos from sections of the crowd. The New York Post said the couple “were booed” when they appeared on the jumbotron during an in-game segment; The Sun’s sports desk went further, asserting they were shown on the “kiss cam” and declined to play along as some 56,000 fans urged a kiss. Yahoo’s aggregation captured the same theme: that there was a negative rumble in the ballpark when cameras cut to them. The Dodgers, perennial playoff draws in a star-studded city, routinely place actors, musicians and athletes on screen; the Royals’ presence, seated in premium positions behind home plate, was always likely to register with a crowd attuned to celebrity cameos.