Meghan Markle was branded ‘childish’ today after it emerged her security team tried to stop tennis fans taking pictures of her at Wimbledon – including one mystified VIP who had no idea the royal was there.
Sally Jones, 64, was seated in the same row as the Duchess of Sussex who was there to see her close friend Serena Williams on Thursday.
Mrs Jones and people near the royal were apparently ordered not to take photographs because she was there ‘in a private capacity’ – even though there were 12,000 in Court 1 and more than a million people watching on TV.
The shocked PR consultant claims the bodyguard looked ’embarrassed’ at the request – and she told him she was actually taking a picture of Serena and hadn’t spotted Meghan until he pointed her out.
She said: ‘It saddens me that they are weakening their impact through this behaviour. It makes them look silly. It’s childish and takes us for fools’.
A Wimbledon spectator photographs the Duchess of Sussex at Wimbledon – but her security team apparently warned one woman not to do it calling it a ‘private’ event

Meghan Markle, 37, pictured with friends Genevieve Hillis and Lindsay Roth, made a surprise appearance at Wimbledon on Thursday to cheer on her friend Serena Williams
Mrs Jones said the move was ‘another example of silly control freakery’, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were engulfed in a row over hiding the names of their son Archie’s baptism and keeping the public away from the Windsor ceremony on Saturday.
The 64-year-old spectator, who was previously a sports presenter for the BBC and ITV, said she was tapped on the shoulder by royal protection officer, who said: ‘Would you not take photographs of the Duchess. She’s here in a private capacity.’
She told the Telegraph: ‘I told him it was bonkers and that even if I had been trying to snap the Duchess, I’d have got a blurry picture of her right ear.
‘Apart from anything else, there were hundreds of people clicking away. I said to him, ‘Have you thought about having a word with any of those television cameras?’ He looked a little uncomfortable.’
She added: ‘The whole thing seemed incredibly arbitrary. It was clear that I couldn’t have been less of a threat. I was an ordinary, middle-England spectator, there to watch the tennis’.
A royal source told the newspaper: ‘It’s not unusual for people accompanying members of the Royal family at private, or public, events to ask members of the public not to take photographs. It is to enable members of the Royal family to engage with people and events’.

The christening photograph shows the Duke and Duchess with their son, Archie and (left to right) the Duchess of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales, Doria Ragland, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Windsor Castle on Saturday

An official christening photograph released by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shows the royal couple with son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor at Windsor Castle on Saturday
Meghan, who has been cruelly dubbed a ‘pushy princess’ by some, was spotted on the iconic Court One on Thursday, cheering on her close friend Serena.
But it would appear that one seat was not enough for the 37-year-old as four rows – and as many as 40 seats – surrounding her were kept empty by her security detail while VIPS were left queuing outside.
Flanked by her two closest friends, Genevieve Hillis Lindsay Roth, Meghan turned up in blue jeans to take her place in the exclusive members’ section where there is normally a strict dress code banning denim.
However, the All England Club refused to comment on the dress code for that section and merely insisted she was ‘perfectly well dressed’.
Her personal assistant and a palace press officer sat behind her as well as a number of security guards.
The Duchess, who wore a hat and a white jacket, was spotted laughing and clapping as she watched her Williams secure her place in the third round of the Championships.
But while most of the section was kept empty, a long queue of special guests, believed to include a number of members, was developing outside as they tried to get on between match breaks to see the seven-time Wimbledon winner.
In contrast, Kate Middleton, who is an honorary member and patron of the prestigious club, turned up wearing a bespoke white dress on Tuesday and was happy to sit among the crowds on Court 14.
On Saturday the Duke and Duchess of Sussex refused any public access to Archie’s christening and banned television cameras from recording guests arriving.
The Queen will also not release a copy of her great-grandson Archie’s baptism certificate after they asked to keep the names of the godparents private.
Confirmation that the certificate – which is made public in other Church of England baptisms – will not be made available tightens Harry and Meghan’s grip on the information blackout.
The notoriously private couple took advantage of the fact that the ceremony will be held in the Queen’s Private Chapel at Windsor Castle.
The tiny venue, which is separate from St George’s Chapel where the Duke and Duchess married last year, is a Royal Peculiar.
Under archaic rules this means it belongs to the monarch, who is head of the church, and does not come under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘It is a private chapel, administered and operated by the team at St George’s Chapel and records are held in the Royal Register.
‘It does sit under the Royal Peculiar and authority of the Chapels rests with the Queen.
‘The baptism will be registered on the royal register and held privately, as other royal baptism have been.’
Baptism certificates include the names of the child’s godparents and Archie’s parents stated this week they would never name the people asked to fulfil that role.
But the decision to remain private caused controversy as it involves the seventh in line to the throne being welcomed into the Church of England by its second most senior figure, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby.
Royal experts believe there is no precedent for the names of senior royals’ godparents being kept secret.
The media had full access to the christenings of all of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children’s christenings.
The decision not to release Archie’s certificate drew criticism yesterday.
Anti-monarchy campaigners Republic said: ‘The same law should apply to everybody. This is one of the many, many examples where that’s not the case for the royal family.
‘It is similar to wills, which are kept hidden when they die, even though everyone else has to publish them.’
Archie’s godparents are likely to include friends of Meghan, including Benita Litt, an old friend from Los Angeles, along with Lindsay Roth and Genevieve Hillis, who she met at Northwestern University in the US and accompanied the Duchess to Wimbledon on Thursday.
But the Duchess’ oldest confidant, Jessica Mulroney, a stylist to the stars who bonded with the former actress on the set of the TV show Suits, remained the odds-on favourite for a godmother role
As speculation and rumour continued, another fancied contender for a godmother role is fashion designer Misha Nonoo, who is credited with introducing Harry to his future wife via a blind date.
Harry’s choices are expected to include childhood friend Jake Warren, son of the Queen’s bloodstock manager, and childhood mentor and confidante Mark Dyer.
Financier Charlie Van Straubenzee is a strong favourite, having once been known as Harry’s ‘wingman’, while international business developer Nicholas van Cutsem was also thought to be in contention. Formerly a major with the Household Cavalry Life Guards, Nicolas saw his daughter, Florence, walk down the aisle as a bridesmaid at Harry and Meghan’s wedding.