Rebel Wilson Gets a Little Shady Recalling the Time She Met Meghan Markle

Rebel Wilson wasn’t the biggest fan of Meghan Markle when they first met, she explained on a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live. The actress said that she had met Markle and Prince Harry in Santa Barbara through a mutual friend. While Wilson felt that Markle was a little guarded with her, she acknowledged that it might have been the context of their meeting more than anything else.

Wilson said that she was with her mother, Sue Bownds, when they met the Duke and Duchess of Sussex through a polo player that they both knew. She said that Prince Harry was “lovely,” but added: “Meghan was not as cool. She wasn’t as naturally warm.” However, she noted that her mother was asking “slightly rude” questions such as “where are your kids?” She felt that Markle might have been a little defensive since her mother was being “intrusive.”

“And I’m like, ‘Mom, don’t ask her that,” Wilson said. “Maybe that’s why she was like, ‘Who are these annoying convicts from Australia?’” It’s easy to infer that Wilson and her family probably have a different conception of the royal family than most Americans have coming from Sydney, Australia. At the same time, Markle and Prince Harry moved to the U.S. to avoid the British tabloid press, so it’s possible that Bownds’ questions and delivery struck a nerve with her and subconsciously put her guard up.

Wilson went on that Prince Harry “could not have been nicer.” As these remarks made the rounds on social media, many commenters criticized Wilson for her portrayal of the story. They felt that Markle’s response was perfectly fair if even Wilson believed her mother was being “slightly rude.” Some speculated that there was a subconscious racial element to the interaction, observing that it is not always fair to presume you will get grace and “warmth” from other people in chance encounters.

“Black women are expected to perform so much emotional labor for so many random ass people. Like, who the hell is Rebel Wilson? What does Meghan owe her?” one person wrote. Another added: “White women have this thing where they will outright disrespect you. But if you respond to it negatively, they will gaslight you and play the victim. Rebel Wilson proved it with this interaction and retelling.”

Wilson has not responded to the backlash to her royal anecdote on social media, and it’s hard to tell if it will die down or catch on and become a larger issue. Markle and Prince Harry have not commented publicly on the story either.