Meghan Markle Mocked After Fans Spot a Problem With Her Latest As Ever Cooking Photo

Meghan Markle’s latest As Ever post was supposed to set the mood for the holiday season. Instead, viewers quickly focused on one detail in the kitchen: the stove appeared to be switched off.

The Duchess of Sussex, 45, was photographed stirring a pot on a gas range while wearing a black sweater and a black-and-white gingham apron. But social media users pointed out that the stove knobs appeared to be in the off position, with no visible flame beneath the pot.

The image was shared by As Ever on October 5 as the lifestyle brand teased more holiday-related announcements.

“The season of giving is almost here, and we have a few surprises in store,” the caption read.

Fans Zero In on the Stove

What might otherwise have been an ordinary promotional image quickly became the subject of online scrutiny.

Meghan is shown standing over a stainless-steel range, stirring what appears to be an empty pot. Her right hand holds a long spoon, while her other hand appears to rest near the cookware.

The most noticeable detail for critics was the stove itself. Several users claimed the burner was not turned on and pointed to the position of the knobs as evidence.

One X user mocked the scene by writing that some people cook with gas or electricity, while Meghan “cooks with the stove off.”

Another commenter took a more detailed approach, arguing that if the intention was to make the photograph look like Meghan was actively cooking on a gas range, the burner should have been turned on and a flame should have been visible beneath the pan.

The criticism was aimed at the authenticity of the image rather than the food itself, since the photograph does not identify what Meghan was preparing.

The Kitchen Raises Another Question

The setting also caught attention because it does not appear to be the familiar kitchen associated with Meghan’s Montecito home.

That led some social media users to speculate about whether the photograph was taken in the couple’s newer U.K. surroundings. The location, however, was not identified in the post, so the speculation remains just that.

Harry and Meghan returned to the U.K. with their children in late August after spending six years in California. The family arrived in Britain on August 26 and was expected to spend an extended period there, while their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, began school in the U.K.

There is therefore a recent change in the family’s living arrangements, but the As Ever photograph itself does not establish where it was taken.

Meghan Pictured in a Familiar Lifestyle-Brand Role

The cooking scene fits with the image Meghan has cultivated through As Ever and her previous lifestyle projects.

She appeared in her Netflix series With Love, Meghan demonstrating cooking, hosting and crafting ideas, and As Ever has continued to use food and entertaining imagery in its social-media promotions. Just days before the cooking photograph appeared, the brand also shared Meghan’s hosting advice, including a recommendation to prepare as much as possible before guests arrive.

The latest post was also timed around As Ever’s holiday push. The brand recently introduced an advent calendar created with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartés, featuring 24 chocolates inspired in part by Meghan’s Montecito lifestyle.

That context helps explain why Meghan was photographed in an apron and at the stove. The post was clearly designed to reinforce the brand’s seasonal cooking and entertaining theme.

Critics Bring Up an Earlier Cooking Moment

For some commenters, the stove controversy also revived memories of another much-discussed Meghan cooking image involving a pair of jar tongs.

One user referenced that earlier photograph alongside the new image, joking about the similarities between the two moments.

The comparison became part of the online reaction, with critics using the latest picture to question whether the cooking scenes were intended primarily as lifestyle imagery rather than documentation of an actual meal being prepared.

There is no indication in the post itself of what was inside the pot, whether the photograph was taken immediately before or after cooking, or why the stove was not visibly operating. The online criticism is therefore based on what viewers could see in the published image.

A Holiday Teaser Becomes a Social Media Talking Point

The reaction illustrates how closely Meghan’s lifestyle content continues to be scrutinized online.

Instead of concentrating on the holiday message behind the post, commenters focused on the mechanics of the cooking scene: the apparently empty pot, the position of the stove controls and the absence of a visible flame.

As Ever has not publicly explained the stove detail in the photograph. The brand’s message remained focused on the upcoming holiday season and its promise of “a few surprises in store.”

For Meghan, a simple promotional image intended to showcase cooking and the festive spirit of As Ever ended up generating a very different conversation, with critics turning an apparently minor kitchen detail into the central feature of the post.