‘She’s ghosted quite a lot of people’: Meghan Markle’s former friends speaks out as duchess’ habit of ‘alienating’ people comes to light

I can’t even begin to imagine the scrutiny that life as a (former) member of the royal family would entail, and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle is perhaps the most scrutinized Windsor in royal history, second only to Princess Diana.  

The Suits actress and former princess has consistently made headlines ever since her romance with Prince Harry came to light, helped along by their shock withdrawal from royal duties, a bombshell interview with Oprah and their relocation to Los Angeles to rub shoulders with the Hollywood glitterati. 

Now, Markle is the subject of yet another tumultuous run through the press cycle, this time in the wake of her appearance at the LA Children’s Hospital Gala earlier this month. The Duchess attended the star-studded event on October 5, joining a guests list that also included the likes of Kaley Couco, Demi Lovato, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jimmy Kimmel. 

Markle stunned in a red dress on the gala’s red carpet, but her attire wasn’t a topic of conversation for her fellow attendee and former friend, Lizzie Cundy. The British socialite spoke with The Daily Mail after the event and had some harsh words to say about Markle, whom she first met back in 2013. 

“There wasn’t a great deal of warmth from people when [Markle] arrived,” Cundy claimed. “She wasn’t there long [and] she seemed to be there for the photographs.” Hey, if I looked as good as her, I’d also be posing for as many cameras as possible, but Cundy’s gripe seemed to stretch beyond her former friend’s good looks. 

“Meghan needs LA more than LA needs her,” she said of Markle’s social circle in her new hometown. “LA people feel they’ve been played by her.” Cundy went on to relay how she and Markle were once close friends before the Duchess “ignored and ghosted” her when she met Harry, a move she said was typical of Markle. 

“She ghosted me once the engagement hit,” Cundy claimed. “She’s ghosted quite a lot of people, obviously, including her family, so I’m not the worst person she’s ghosted.” Making matters worse for Markle, these claims of ghosting were corroborated by royal author Ingrid Seward, who slammed the Duchess for her supposed pattern of “alienating” anyone who “upsets” her.

“Meghan has managed to alienate a lot of her former friends,” Seward told The Sun. “She actually sort of just cuts them dead.” The author went on to claim that Markle’s tendency to ice out friends is “very distressing for people,” and said that if “​​they upset her, that’s what she does and it’s very difficult to deal with somebody like that.”

“The point is that people are starting to actually speak out about being unhappy with the way that Meghan is,” Seward said. Thankfully, Markle still has one friend on her side in the form of Kelly McKee Zajfen, who also attended the hospital gala and sang the Duchess’ praises in a social media post. 

“I was also beyond grateful to share in this beautiful evening with one of my closest friends,” Zajfen wrote alongside an image of the pair on the red carpet. “Meg, your commitment to supporting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the community is truly inspiring. I’m so grateful to have you by my side.”

With so many negative headlines hurled Markle’s way, it helps to have a sister like Kelly by your side.