Meghan Markle's Outfit at a California Screening Has Netizens Divided Over Her Shorts — Photos

Meghan Markle's latest appearance was meant to celebrate a new documentary and its young stars. Instead, photos from the event soon became the focus of a different conversation.

Meghan Markle traded a formal royal-style engagement for a relaxed outing on July 29, 2026, as she surprised Girl Scouts at a California screening of "Cookie Queens," a documentary backed by Archewell Productions.

As reported by People, the Duchess of Sussex joined filmmaker Alysa Nahmias and Girl Scouts featured in the documentary, greeting campers, posing for photos and selfies, and later appearing onstage during the outdoor event.

The documentary follows four ambitious Girl Scouts competing to become top-selling "Cookie Queens" while balancing friendship, family, and growing up.

According to the film's official website, "Cookie Queens" was directed by Alysa and produced by Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Nahmias, and Jennifer Sims in association with Archewell Productions, Good Gravy Films, Artemis Rising Foundation, Beautiful Stories, and AJNA Films.

Meghan's Casual Look Becomes a Talking Point

Photos from the event show Meghan in a relaxed summer ensemble. She wore a loose brown knit short-sleeved sweater tucked into high-waisted white shorts that fell to mid-thigh, pairing the look with black pointed-toe flats and understated jewelry, including delicate earrings and bracelets.

Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, while her natural-looking makeup complemented the casual setting.

Smiling throughout the event, she appeared comfortable as she greeted attendees and interacted with the Girl Scouts, reflecting the informal, family-friendly atmosphere of the screening.

Meghan Markle's Shorts Spark Divided Reactions Online

On X, one netizen wrote, "Those baggie shorts and the skinny legs is not a good combination. Don't understand why she likes to wear shorts at certain events when they are not even appropriate [sic]."

Another user commented, "I wonder why MM consistently wears clothes that are too big? If she would size down a size or two she could easily elevate her outfits." A third wrote, "They make all shorts look like a lampshade."

On Reddit, someone else shared a similar opinion, "The oversized top and oversized shorts aren't flattering. Also odd choice for someone who wants to be seen as a young mom. To me, it skews towards old lady on vacation."

Comments on another X post also criticized the outfit. One person remarked, "She's always in wrinkled clothes." Another joked, "Looks like she wearing Harry's boxer shorts 🩳."

Despite the divided online reaction to her outfit, Meghan's appearance remained centered on supporting "Cookie Queens" and celebrating the young Girl Scouts whose stories are featured in the documentary. The film is scheduled to open in theaters on August 7.

This is not the first time Meghan's appearances in support of the documentary have sparked online discussion.

Earlier this year, on Sunday, January 25, 2026, Meghan faced sharp backlash after appearing at the Sundance Film Festival, where she introduced the documentary she executive-produced alongside Harry.

She stepped onto the stage at a morning screening in Park City, Utah, to warm applause after being introduced as Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, and praised the documentary as "the cutest film" at the festival during her speech and spoke passionately about its themes.

"Thank you guys so much for being here bright and early. I know some of you probably had late nights last night, so extra thanks for the effort. Nothing that little cookies and coffee can't help," she began.

Meghan continued, "Look, my husband and I and our Archewell Productions, we are so proud and privileged to be able to support and uplift 'Cookie Queens.' This film, yes, is probably the cutest at the festival."

"But I'm also going to go out on the limb and say it is one of the most powerful and meaningful depictions of something that is an American tradition and rooted in nostalgia," she added.

"But it's now put through this lens from the incredible creative vision of Alyssa to show something modernised about the girlhood experience and all the layers of complexity that come with that," the Duchess shared.

Calling the young stars "fantastic and adorable," Meghan added that they were "layered, beautiful girls who are about to become very strong leaders and young women" before stating:

"This film is such a labour of love they have worked on for a couple years and with all of the hundreds of hours of trusted, fly-on-the-wall material that they were able to capture with these families that let them in and allowed them to show and share their lives and their loves.”

The event marked the second premiere of the film that weekend, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also attending the initial screening in Salt Lake City the day before.

However, while her appearance drew enthusiastic support from the audience in the room, reactions online — particularly among British commenters — were far less forgiving.

One person commented, "Using her title to promote a Girl Scout Cookie movie at Sundance, King Charles, are you paying attention??" Another shared, "What Megan is doing has gone beyond despicable! Both she and Harry should have their titles revoked-all of them and this includes their 2 children [sic]!"

Others accused Meghan of opportunism, with one remarking, "Only wants to be a Royal member when it's convenient. Time to remove the title. You can't have it both ways."

Criticism continued with one commenter questioning, "She doesn't get it does she [sic]," while another added, "She keeps doing this publicly over & over (demanding to be addressed with the title) hoping it will secure it publicly so Willam [sic] can't take it away."

There was also discussion around her continued use of the Duchess title. One person typed, "My understanding was that she's not considered royal so she's not allowed to use HRH. The Duchess title hasn't been taken away from her yet, so I guess she'll milk it as long as she can." Another netizen simply said, "She is clever and cunning..."

Following the screening, Meghan Markle also made a brief appearance on the red carpet, where she was asked whether Princess Lilibet, four, might one day join the Girl Scouts. "It's interesting, I think we'll consider to explore, continue to explore whatever feels right," she said vaguely.