Meghan Markle thought that she would be the Beyoncé of the UK when she married Prince Harry, a bombshell new book has claimed, suggesting that the Sussexes felt ‘cornered and misunderstood’ by the Palace.
The explosive extracts of the forthcoming book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Valentine Low, were published by The Times today.
The new book claims the Duchess of Sussex struggled with the rules of being a working royal, and had hoped to be the ‘Beyoncé of the UK’ – mixing celebrity with royalty.
It also reported that the Queen put her foot down and told Prince Harry and Meghan that they were either in or out, following their bombshell announcement that they were stepping down from their working royal positions.
Mr Low said that the royals met at a so-called ‘Sandringham summit’ five days after the Duke and Duchess announced their Megxit plans on January 8, 2020.
During initial deliberations, the Queen wanted all four royal households to work together quickly in order to find a solution.
A new book claims the Duchess of Sussex struggled with the rules of being a working royal, and had hoped to be the ‘Beyoncé of the UK’ – mixing celebrity with royalty
Meghan Markle thought that she would be the Beyoncé of the UK when she married Prince Harry, a bombshell new book has claimed. Pictured, the Sussexes meeting Beyonce and Jay-Z (R) on July 14, 2019
It also reported that the Queen put her foot down and told Prince Harry and Meghan that they were either in or out as working royals
Prince Harry organised a private meeting with the Queen, but this was cancelled, with Harry told that she was not available
In the days that followed, meetings were held at Clarence House, then Prince Charles’ home, including secretaries from the four households, before discussions moved to Buckingham Palace.
Simon Case, Prince William’s private secretary, was also involved, ‘talking to both sides’, the newspaper reported.
These included five possible scenarios including giving the Duke and Duchess a month each year for their own activities, or taking on only a small number of engagements and spending most of their time doing other things.
As part of these options, blanket rules on not making decisions for financial or material gain – either for themselves or friends – would apply.
A former former palace insider said: ‘I think Meghan thought she was going to be the Beyoncé of the UK. Being part of the royal family would give her that kudos. Whereas what she discovered was that there were so many rules that were so ridiculous that she couldn’t even do the things that she could do as a private individual, which is tough.’
But another called it an impossible task, with the two worlds of royalty and celebrity unable to comprehend each other.
They said that the Duchess would be unable to fit the model of a working royal, with the palace unable to accept ‘who she wanted to be’.
As part of these options for Harry and Meghan, blanket rules on not making decisions for financial or material gain – either for themselves or friends – would apply
Many insiders have alleged they were bullied while working for the Sussexes. One said: ‘There were a lot of broken people. Young women were broken by their behaviour’
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