Kate Middleton makes first public appearance since cancer diagnosis
Fox News’ Stephanie Bennett reports on Catherine, the Princess of Wales, attending Trooping the Colour.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's friend, polo player Nacho Figueras, has come under fire from the public for posting about the Duchess of Sussex's products as Kate Middleton returned to the public eye.
On Friday night, Figueras shared a picture of a pot of jam from Markle’s budding lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, on his Instagram stories, along with a photo of a jar of dog biscuits, according to People magazine.
While posted on Friday evening in the U.S., where Figueras appears to be based on location tags on recent posts, with the time difference, they showed up in feeds for U.K. followers in the early hours of Saturday before the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
Middleton had announced on Friday that she would be in attendance for the ceremony, the public celebration honoring King Charles III’s birthday, as she continues her cancer treatment.
KATE MIDDLETON IS 'THE ULTIMATE TROOPER' FOR APPEARING AT ROYAL CEREMONY AMID CANCER BATTLE: EXPERT
Nacho Figueras, far left, posted images of Meghan Markle's American Riviera Orchard products on his Instagram stories not long before Kate Middleton made her return to the spotlight at Trooping the Colour. (Getty Images)
Middleton posted on Friday with an update on her health and her plans to join the event, writing, "I’m looking forward to attending The King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet."
Middleton made her first formal public appearance since Christmas last year at Trooping the Colour on Saturday. (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
The timing of Middleton’s announcement followed by Figueras' post caused outrage among fans, though it is unknown if it was intentional or not.
"We won’t forget what you did Nacho @nachofigueras Attempting to upstage Catherine POW whilst she’s battling cancer is the lowest of the low & demonstrates a lack of class & integrity," wrote one fan on X.
"That was a very nasty symbolic message you sent at 2am in the morning to Catherine [Princess of Wales], on behalf of the malignant narcissist. Not good optics for someone who claims to be a caring charitable man. Not good optics at all," said another.
Nacho Figuares, wife Delfina Figueras, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive for the Sentebale Polo held at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club on July 26, 2018, in Windsor, England. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
KATE MIDDLETON, KING CHARLES ATTEND TROOPING THE COLOUR AMID CANCER BATTLES
"Why did you let her use you to attack a woman fighting cancer?" someone wrote on an Instagram post from Figueras showing a photo of himself and his wife, Delfina Blaquier, in an elevator.
Others were kinder to Figueras, pointing out a photo of Markle’s products wasn’t as distracting as some claimed.
"Explain how posting a picture of jam and biscuits is an attempt to upstage Kate? I will repeatedly ask you until you do," a person shared to X.
Another noted the timing could simply have been coincidental, posting, "Does anyone think that Nacho Figueras rings up [Kensington Palace] to ask, 'Is Kate coming out today?' before he posts to his social media? Seriously? Should anyone in the entire world have to check their schedules and calendars just in case the Wales family members might possibly do something?"
Meghan Markle revealed her new venture, American Rivera Orchard, on the brand's new Instagram grid earlier this year. (American Riviera Orchard Instagram)
Representatives for Figueras did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The since expired IG stories are not the first time Figueras has supported Markle’s brand.
In April, Figueras shared a photo of himself with Prince Harry and Markle at a recent polo match, followed by a photo of a knife spreading raspberry jam on a piece of toast, and a photo of himself taking a bite near one of the jars, with a label noting it was number 10 of 50.
"Did I tell you I love your jam?" he wrote in the caption.
Figueras and his wife attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
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Figueras, Prince Harry and Markle have been friends for years, and Figueras and his wife attended the couple’s wedding in 2018.
The Duke of Sussex and the Argentinian polo player have been pals since around 2007 and have played together at events over the years.
Prince Harry and Figueras have been friends for nearly 20 years, and regularly play polo together. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)
On April 13, Figueras posted about one of their most recent matches at the Grand Champions Polo Club to support Sentebale, a charity Prince Harry co-founded in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to support "work with young people to create solutions for health, wealth inequity, and climate resilience," per the organization’s IG page.
"I’m so proud to have shared this experience with my very good friend, Prince Harry. We came together to support Sentebale, a charity close to our hearts that does remarkable work for children in Lesotho and Botswana. It’s always an honor to ride alongside Prince Harry, whose commitment to making a difference is truly inspiring," Figueras wrote in the caption of a photo playing together.
Figueras shared this photo and others on Instagram, writing he was, "so proud to have shared this experience with my very good friend, Prince Harry," following the annual Senetable charity polo match. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Sentebale)
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He also spoke with Hello! about his friendship with the royal, saying, "We stay in touch a lot, which is amazing to be able to, you know, have a friendship that feels like although sometimes we're not together-together, we are always together.
"At least in my case, [I] feel and think about him a lot. So, it's always a good thing to be able to share that with someone."
Figueras also told the outlet about Harry’s upcoming polo series with Netflix, part of which was reportedly being filmed at the event.
Figueras told Hello! that he and the Duke of Sussex "stay in touch a lot." (Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Sentebale)
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"We've been working on this for a long time. It was always Harry's dream and passion to share the world, what it takes to be a really competitive polo player and show polo at the highest level," Figueras said, adding, "I cannot think of many people that can be better than him to be the kickoff of this storytelling."
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