With King Charles’ cancer diagnosis fanning whispers of Prince William ascending the throne sooner rather than later, it is more important than ever for the future king to be more acute in his observations. But when it comes to Meghan Markle, it seems like the Prince of Wales was way off his mark.
Those of you who are eager followers of the life and lies of royals can probably recount this in your sleep now: William was strongly against Prince Harry rushing into marrying Meghan without giving her the time needed to understand royal life, and to help her truly understand what she would be giving up in adapting to her role as the Duchess of Sussex. Not one to stew in his displeasure, William here let his younger brother know what he thought in clear terms: if she was not given the time to learn what being a royal would entail, Hollywood’s Meghan Markle might not adjust to the life, despite leaving Tinseltown behind and sacrificing her career for the monarch.
In royal correspondent Valentine Low’s recollection of Harry and Meghan’s Australia tour as newlyweds in his book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, the Suits star’s past as a Hollywood actress didn’t just prevent her from adapting to life as a royal, but also defined how she perceived her reception with the public. As far as general recollection goes, Meghan was very well-received by the public during this tour that lasted 16 days, with many going as far as to say she was taking after Princess Diana and was blessed with her kind heart.
But as per Low — and allegedly a few “members of staff” — though Meghan “enjoyed the attention” and was appreciated for her “refreshingly informal approach to royal visits,” she didn’t understand the value of the adoration, found it all annoying, and couldn’t help but measure it all in terms of money.
“Behind the scenes, however, it was a different story. Although she enjoyed the attention, Meghan failed to understand the point of all those walkabouts, shaking hands with countless strangers. According to several members of staff, she was heard to say on at least one occasion: ‘I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this’.”
The book also mentions a “royal insider” who claims that upon laying eyes on the fans eagerly awaiting her presence outside the Sydney Opera House, Meghan called their enthusiasm “silly.”
Hmm. In the years since Meghan married Harry and then stepped down as a senior royal with him, there have been many reported and strongly rumored examples of why Prince William was supposedly right in his assessment. But on the other hand, we have the couple’s international tours that are royal enough to tick off King Charles and Willy, as well as the Sussexes’ willingness to work separately to cover more ground as they add more appearances to their calendar — effectively working as royals, at least as far as their supporters are concerned.
Then of course, we have the ultimate deal-breaker — Meghan’s bitter memories of the mentally and emotionally depleting time she spent in the presence of the royal family, both because of the outside scrutiny, and that which hounded her within the walls of the palace, too, and how her request for help was cruelly denied. Are we sure it was Meghan who couldn’t “adjust” to royalty, or was royalty finding it impossible to make space for the former Hollywood star?