Meghan Markle accused of staging photo at In-N-Out Burger stop

Meghan Markle was spotted at an In-N-Out Burger joint in California on Sunday, Sept. 10 while Prince Harry remained in Germany for the 2023 Invictus Games. She was pictured all smiles as she picked up food to go at the drive-thru.

A photo of the Duchess of Sussex shared online showed her make-up free, hair tied in a ponytail, and with dark shades on. She was at the driver's seat with a female passenger beside her. She was captured smiling as she looked through the window.

Both Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been vocal about their love for the renowned burger joint since they relocated to their Montecito mansion in Santa Barbara from the U.K. in 2020.

She told Variety in an interview: "There's one at the halfway point between L.A. and our neck of the woods. It's really fun to go through the drive-thru and surprise them. They know our order."

The Duke of Sussex also dished out details about their typical orders during an exclusive chat with People earlier this year. He called In-N-Out "the best" and shared that he normally orders just for himself "two double-doubles, animal style, fries and a Coke"! He added that his wife takes cheeseburger and fries with a side of jalapeños while he just sticks with ketchup and a special sauce from In-N-Out.

Meghan Markle dropped by the fast food joint while her husband was away in Düsseldorf, Germany for the 2023 Invictus Games. He will be in attendance through the entirety of the games which kicked off with an opening ceremony on Sept. 9 and will end on Sept. 16. A spokesperson for the couple said the former "Suits" actress will join her husband "shortly after the games begin" but did not give an exact date.

Reports of the duchess' In-N-Out Burger stop were quickly flooded with accusations that she staged the photo. One commented over at X, formerly Twitter: "Are we supposed to like her more because she goes to In-N-Out Burger? It's a [sic] obviously a set up shot w/a long range lens given the clarity. How much do you want to bet that a member of her team got out & got that picture & got back in the car to leave?"

Another chimed in: "I won't even click on this. How frickin' silly is having a pap shot at the fast food drive through?" A third wrote: "This is a staged picture. The photo is taken from inside the restaurant."

Meanwhile, there were those who defended Meghan Markle saying that she could not possibly have staged the photo. One pointed out that the snap looked like it was taken from behind the counter writing, "That's a shot from behind the counter . More likely an employee recognized her, grabbed their phone , yelled her name & took a picture".

Another explained how drive-thru orders at an In-N-Out Burger joint is done with an employee taking orders from customers on the queue. That employee could reportedly have alerted others inside that the duchess was there.

A third laughed at all the accusations saying: "So what 🤣. How is this news? Omg! Meghan out driving & ordering food ! Slow news day in the UK."

This is the third time in a row that the Duchess of Sussex was accused of staging paparazzi photos while out in California by herself. She was snapped wearing a NuCalm disc in August while Prince Harry was in Tokyo for work, and was accused of promoting the wellness brand. But the brand has since denied any partnership with the royal.

She was also accused of staging photos when she dropped by a farmer's market in Montecito earlier in July. But Jill Ishkanian, the photographer who took pictures of Meghan Markle buying flowers, denied that it was a set up. She explained that it was a random encounter with the duchess and she grabbed the opportunity to take her photos.