Fact Check: Viral Photo Falsely Links Meghan, Duchess of Sussex to Jeffrey Epstein Associate

A viral image shared by RT falsely identifies a friend of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend. Snopes confirms the photo is miscaptioned.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 25, 2026, 5:10 AM EST

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Snopes

Dissecting the Viral Misidentification

In February 2026, social media platforms and international media outlets, including RT, shared an archived photograph of Meghan Markle during a summer holiday. The posts utilized red arrows to point to a woman second from the left, identifying her as Karyna Shuliak, while pointing to Meghan second from the right. The narrative accompanying the image suggested a direct personal link between the Duchess and the Epstein inner circle just weeks before she began dating Prince Harry.

However, a review of the original metadata and social media records reveals the claim is false. The photograph was originally posted to Instagram on August 10, 2016, by Carlotta De Luca. In the original caption and subsequent tags, the woman in question was identified as @flaviathechicpicnic, the handle for Flavia Cirrincione. Cirrincione was a lifestyle blogger at the time, and additional photos from the same trip show her accompanied by her partner, further distancing her identity from Shuliak.

The Role of State Media and Digital Amplification

The immediate context of this rumor involves the strategic amplification of misinformation by RT. The network’s post not only misidentified the individuals in the photo but also revived a 2021 theory suggesting that the Duchess possessed insider knowledge regarding the activities of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. By merging a miscaptioned image with older, speculative legal quotes, the outlet created a narrative of proximity to the Epstein scandal that lacks factual support.

This development matters because it illustrates how authentic, older media can be repurposed into "fake news" to damage reputations during high-tension news cycles. The 2026 release of millions of Department of Justice files regarding the Epstein investigation has created a fertile environment for such misinformation, as the public remains hyper-vigilant regarding any names appearing in the orbit of the late financier.