Beloved author Meg Cabot has been forced to issue an apology after posting a Nazi GIF to social media.
The Princess Diaries author made the technical error while sharing a tribute to her late mother with a poignant scene from The Sound of Music.
Cabot shared a clip from the 1965 musical, which saw Captain Von Trapp tear a Nazi flag in half, as it was one of her mother’s favorite moments in the film.
However, a glitch resulted in some of her followers only seeing a picture of the Nazi flag on Cabot’s post – with some fans thinking the author was endorsing fascism.
‘Apparently, the GIF didn’t work for some people, who then assumed I simply posted a picture of a Nazi flag in honor of my mother,’ she wrote in a Facebook post following the incident.
‘I’m very sorry to anyone who was hurt or confused by this, especially since my mother’s father (my grandfather) was shot during WWII, fighting Nazis,’ she continued.
She then referenced her famous series of books, which was later turned into films starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews.
‘I hope everyone knows that I’m not a fan of fascism, only democracy and constitutional monarchies run by princesses,’ the author concluded her post.
The Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot made a technical error while sharing a tribute to her late mother by sharing a poignant scene from The Sound of Music
While Cabot was horrified by the technical issue, her fans couldn’t help but laugh at the mistake.
‘I know this was probably mortifying for you but let me tell you how hard I laughed reading this,’ one woman commented on the post.
‘Anybody who has spent 0.2 seconds reading any of your work knows what you support. We’re thinking of y’all,’ shared another.
Someone else wrote: ‘Anyone with a brain would know this. We know you’re awesome. Sending care your way.’
Cabot revealed her mother died in a post shared to Instagram on January 15.
She explained her mom, Barbara, known as Jinx, passed away on November 27, as she shared three photos.
These included a snap of her mom on a golf cart ride, an old portrait of her as a young woman, and one of her paintings, showing two birds sitting on a flowering branch.
‘Losing my mom on Thanksgiving Day was tough, but the loving attention she received from her [caregivers] helped so much, as has the support from so many of you,’ Cabot wrote in the caption.
Cabot shared a clip from the 1965 musical, which saw Captain Von Trapp tear a Nazi flag in half, as it was one of her mother’s favorite moments in the film, but it froze looking
The popular series was turned into a film in 2001 starring Anne Hathaway (center). Hathaway pictured with Heather Matarazzo and Mandy Moore
‘Thank you. “Jinx” will be missed, but never forgotten.’
According to her website, Cabot’s Princess Diaries series has been published in more than 38 countries.
In 2001, the books were adapted into a film of the same name, starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews.
The film follows Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway), whose grandmother Clarice Renaldi (Andrews) reappears in her life to tell her she’s the Princess of Genovia.
In the sequel, Princess Diaries 2, Mia must find a husband in order to ascend to the throne.
