Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Rebecca Russell

Meghan Markle 'sprinted' into royal role and refused to 'learn the ropes', says expert

During her time as a working senior royal, The Duchess of Sussex worked with a number of charities and launched some important projects. Her interests included mental health, women's rights, animal welfare and bringing communities together - such as the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy with the release of a cookbook called ' Together: Our Community Cookbook'.

Given Meghan's interest in the importance of charity work, many experts were surprised she didn't stay in the royal fold for longer than she did. One author claims part of the reason was down to Meghan's limited understanding of how royal life works and her unwillingness to alter her approach.

One royal author has claimed Meghan wouldn't change her approach when it came to royal duties (PA)

In Tom Bower's explosive book 'Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors', it is suggested that Meghan's refusal to "learn the ropes" of royal life contributed to them stepping back.

The author wrote that Royal Family had grown increasingly frustrated with Markle's approach to royal duties.

Unlike other members of the family, who kept their opinions to themselves and treated official duties with caution, it was felt that Markle was determined to "hit the ground running".

Bower explained: "Kate had become irritated by her neighbour. Unlike her own cautious approach to 'learn the ropes' before engaging in royal duties, Meghan was running — but what was her destination?

"And who was she running with? Did she realize that the Royal Family ran together under the monarch, not as competitive individuals?"

The author claims Meghan didn't understand how royal duties worked (PA)
The Princess of Wales favoured the cautious approach to royal duties (Getty Images)

Love the royals? Sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter to get all the latest news on the Queen, Charles, Kate, Wills, Meghan, Harry and the rest of The Firm. Click here to sign up .

The Countess of Wessex slow and steady approach is something that royal commentator and author Andrew Morton spoke about during his appearance on The Mirror's Pod Save The King podcast.

He explained: "I realised after watching the Catherine for all these years that it takes a long, long time to really understand what it is like to be royal.

"Catherine Middleton has spent ten, twelve years coming to terms with it. So did Sophie Rhys-Jones ( Royal Family ) and she's got a much lower profile - or did. It just takes a long time to absorb yourself into it.

" Meghan was quite a shy person, so making speeches and being in public was something of an ordeal but I think she's overcome that. She reminds me so much of Diana. She struggled for a few years to come to terms with what it is like to be a princess."

The biographer continued: "The great tragedy, I think, is that Meghan and Harry didn't give it long enough to see whether they could give it a go. They were on the out almost before the wedding music had finished.

" Meghan's is a natural... she had the great possibility of using her talent and her position to make a genuine change to the world. I don't think she's going to make such a change living in Montecito."

Tensions could be spied between the two couples when they launched the mental health hotline 'Shout' (PA)

Tina Brown personable approach and excellent public speaking skills were seen when the two couples - who were originally known as 'the Fab Four' - came together on stage for their first joint engagement to launch mental health hotline 'Shout'.

However, it quickly became apparent that Meghan and Kate differed when it came to the way they handled official appearances. While Meghan dipped into her experience as an actor and her history of speaking at charitable events, Kate was noticeably less confident.

Journalist Harry spoke about the appearance in her book 'The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor, the Truth and the Turmoil' and wrote: " Kate looked on with awe and his brother and Kate stood by with expressionless irritation. When it was Kate’s moment to speak, she was strikingly less articulate, as well as brief."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.