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Meghan Markle struggled with Royal Family traditions after marrying Prince Harry, feeling restricted and overshadowed by Kate, as detailed in Tom Quinn’s book Gilded Youth.
Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018. (Photo Credits: x)
Coming from the glitz of Hollywood, Meghan Markle suddenly found herself immersed in the traditions and pomp of the British monarchy after getting engaged to Prince Harry.
Royal biographer Tom Quinn claimed that she initially believed the couple would reside in Windsor Castle and was stunned to learn they’d instead been allocated Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace.
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‘I don’t think in the whole history there was ever a greater divide between what someone expected when they became a member of the Royal Family and what they discovered it was really like,’ he wrote in his 2023 book, Gilded Youth.
Based on the comments of a Palace staffer, Quinn wrote that Meghan ‘suddenly found herself in an institution she found she couldn’t influence and that assigns roles to people and that do not change’.
‘She was dazzled by the worldwide fame that being a princess would bring, but she was shocked by the Palace protocol and by the fact that she was not and never could be first in the pecking order,’ he added, the Daily Mail reported.
According to the royal author, just as Harry saw himself as the “spare” to William, Meghan resented feeling like a “second-rate princess” compared to Kate.
“Above all, she despised having to follow orders and attend an endless, often seemingly pointless schedule of royal duties,” the author wrote. “Despite being a global superstar, she was constantly instructed on what she could or couldn’t do, and what she was allowed or forbidden to say — and she hated every bit of it.”
This comes as, in what appeared to be a thinly veiled swipe at the Royal Family, Meghan said she ‘couldn’t be as vocal’ while a working royal and wore clothes that were ‘not very me’ while promoting the second series of her Netflix show.
Over smashed burgers and pints of beer with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang, Meghan was asked whether there’s an “inherent tension” between trying to appear relatable and holding the title of Duchess.
Meghan, 44, replied that she is “simply being herself” before seemingly taking a swipe at her former life within the royal family.
‘It was different several years ago when I couldn’t be as vocal and I had to wear nude pantyhose all the time!’ the Duchess said, adding it ‘felt a little bit inauthentic’.
Meghan has previously spoken about the sacrifices she made to join the royal fold — including shutting down her lifestyle blog, The Tig, in April 2017, just months before announcing her engagement to Harry. She attributed the decision to the sweeping changes that came with entering the monarchy.
Quinn’s book claims the traditions of the Royal Family were a shock to Meghan, who had always been accustomed to steering her own path. It also suggests she quickly sensed a degree of condescension from palace insiders and aristocratic advisers because she wasn’t a blood royal.
While Kate endured similar treatment, Quinn writes, she managed it with patience and charm, winning people over rather than, as he puts it, trying to pressure them into being nice to her.
According to Quinn, Meghan allegedly tried not only to carve out her own independent career as a working royal but also tried to ‘outshine’ every other member of the family – including the late Queen.
United Kingdom (UK)
September 15, 2025, 17:17 IST
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