The Duchess of Sussex will be a strict mum to son Archie but also “keep this kid real”, her pals claim.
Actress Janina Gavankar and make-up artist Daniel Martin, both at Meghan and Prince Harry ’s wedding last May 19, have told how they think the pair will be great parents.
And they shared their joy over little Archie, who is “going to represent what the world is now”.
But the comments sparked fresh concerns over Meghan’s love of publicity and spin.
The Duchess was said to have given permission for her pals to speak in her defence following a number of personal attacks in the media.
But a royal insider said the programme breached protocol.
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Janina, 38, said of Meghan being a mum: “I think Meghan is going to be strict and not in some intense way. But she is an incredibly practical person. She’s going to run a tight ship. [She’ll be] very hands-on, the way she would have been if she hadn’t married into the Royal Family.”
Daniel, who posted snaps from Meghan’s New York baby shower, said: “I feel like Meghan and H are going to keep this kid real.”
Janina and Daniel spoke in US documentary Meghan and Harry Plus One on Friday. It aired on CBS after Archie’s birth certificate was released, revealing Meghan’s job title is Princess of the United Kingdom.
And Janina hailed Archie’s birth as another milestone, saying: “There is still a lot of us who grew up with dolls that did not look like us. So to have the Royal Family bring a child of colour into the world, it’s pretty awesome.”
Daniel added: “Their child is going to represent what the world is now.”
He also said seeing Harry entertain kids after his wedding made him realise “he was going to be the coolest dad”. Recalling Meghan’s wedding, Daniel hinted at the bride’s heartbreak at dad Thomas not being there to give her away, leading to Prince Charles stepping in.
Describing the moment she walked down the aisle alone, he said: “I saw how strong she was and how poised. Then she walked and he intercepted her. It was like, ‘We’ve got you, you are one of us right now.’ For me, it was like, ‘OK, she is home’.”
And he defended Meghan over her New York baby shower. The Duchess was criticised for holding the bash, said to have cost £500,000, in the US and flying back by private jet.
But Daniel said: “It’s so funny because she’s still Meghan to me. All of us here just wanted her home and to celebrate her new baby.”
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And on criticism for allegedly being too demanding with royal staff and rumours of a rift with the Duchess of Cambridge, he said: “In the years I’ve known her, she’s never had a diva fit. She doesn’t deserve all of this negative press.”
The show is the latest in a string of controversies. Issues started days before the wedding, when dad Thomas staged a paparazzi shoot. Last November, it was claimed Meghan asked for air freshening atomisers to be sprayed in the St George’s Chapel on her big day – which was considered excessive and insulting.
Whispers of the Duchess’s “difficult” nature began circulating and in March it emerged four of her staff had left in two months. Reports surfaced that palace staff had given her the nicknames Me Gain and Duchess Difficult.
An insider said: “She can be difficult. She has high standards and is used to working in a Hollywood environment.
“There’s a different degree of respect in the royal household.”
