Why did fans boo Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their World Series appearance?

The limelight was firmly on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Tuesday evening at Los Angeles Dodgers v Toronto Blue Jays World Series Game 4. Dressed in the same Dodgers caps and seated front-and-centre, the pair were geared up for a quiet date night in LA but were instead the recipients of the sort of public attention that few expect when attending a game.

A number of the viewers did not seem too happy about the couple being shown on the jumbo screen and in the stands, resulting in the crowd booing at them.

Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were booed at the World Series

Prince Harry and Meghan's presence was a viral moment not just because they are who they are, but because they were sitting where they sat and because of how the crowd responded. The couple were sitting in what most referred to as VIP first-row seats at Dodger Stadium, directly behind the pitch clock and in front of icons such as Magic Johnson and Sandy Koufax.

Fans were quick to vent their annoyance at the royals being awarded seats traditionally held by local sporting legends, raising cries of tradition, priority and worth of fandom. Some blogs posted assertions that when their faces flashed on the Jumbotron the crowd loudly booed.

Critics argued that opting to spotlight the couple appeared staged, especially in a case where loyal Dodgers fans and club legends were relegated to the periphery. Other brethren on Reddit questioned whether the boos were real or mythologized.

In a nutshell, the post went viral because it was more than just a picture of celebrities in a box it had broader tensions surrounding fandom, celebrity access, and who gets the best seats at a massive sporting event.

The real game did not go the Dodgers' way as they lost 6-2, evening up the series. Prince Harry and Meghan, looking relaxed in their clean white tops and dark jackets with matching blue hats, stayed cool. Yet to some the perception lingered that the royals were creating photo-op, and are not genuine fans.

Others noted that the repeating video of Meghan arriving at the stadium, being waived to by spectators and featured on social media by Major League Baseball accounts, increased the suspicion of a staged appearance rather than an off-the-cuff visit.

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Local media noted that the seating arrangement, as well as what was visually highlighted with the couple during coverage, fueled irritation in some portion of the spectators who felt tradition and achievement were being eclipsed.

What began as a seemingly casual night out for Prince Harry and Meghan turned into a public shaming. Their trip to the World Series might have been imagined as a fanfare of celebrity and sport, but for some Dodgers fans it was an instance of disconnection: between achievement and privilege, between being true fans and creating a spectacle. The boos were symptomatic of larger questions about celebrity privilege in spaces traditionally reserved for local heroism. Only time will tell if the couple's upcoming public appearances sidestep similar blowback.

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