Meghan’s new roles
The duchess is out to impress
Looking sensational in a striking Princess Diana-inspired outfit, the embattled Duchess of Sussex continued her charm offensive last week. With a hand resting protectively on her baby bump, a beaming Meghan worked the crowd in Merseyside, northwest England, chatting warmly with well-wishers and even revealing previously unknown details about her pregnancy.
The highly publicised outing, where she and Prince Harry met with a number of community organisations, came just days after the duchess, newly announced as a royal patron for four charities, visited a London foundation to help dress unemployed women ahead of job interviews.
Two days after her walkabout in Merseyside, Meghan, 37, was out yet again, visiting an animal shelter, before joining her husband, 34, to attend a Cirque du Soleil show.
According to multiple sources, it’s all part of an emergency palace plan to counter the storm of negative press that has engulfed the newest royal since she and Harry married last May, with the former Suits star accused of diva behaviour and embarrassed by a highly public family feud. Yet despite the palace’s best efforts, rumours and speculation continue to swirl.
“They just don’t seem able to stop the tide of whispers about Meghan,” a well-placed royal source reveals. “Every week there’s a new revelation or allegation. The palace prides itself on the discretion of staff, but leaks are at an all-time high and they seem powerless to stop it.”
However, it was a poised and confident Meghan who greeted fans last week – and commentators couldn’t help but note her red Sentaler coat and purple Aritizia dress were a clear nod to her late motherin-law Diana, who was known as the “People’s Princess” for her inimitable ability to connect with the public.
Indeed, our source says the duchess is more determined than ever to go out and win back the public’s affection, adding that she’s decided that letting her guard down is the best way.
“Meghan can’t abide the pomp and formality that comes with being a royal. She wants people to get to know the real her. She has vowed she’ll be herself and show her warmth, and Harry is fully on board. He’s incredibly proud of her.”
Another palace insider adds, “She’s definitely bothered by all the reports and speculation. Some things are just hard to stay away from.”
Fans in Merseyside were shocked when Meghan broke royal tradition by revealing that her baby is due in “the end of April or May” and that they’d opted to keep its gender a surprise. “We’re ready. We’re so excited,” she gushed. An onlooker later commented, “I was very surprised by how open she was, but she came straight out with it.”
Yet Meghan’s open approach isn’t winning support from all quarters. Just last week, it was revealed that her bodyguard, who accompanied the royals to New Zealand last year, has handed in her resignation after just six months – the third senior staff member to desert the Sussexes.
The duchess’ personal assistant Melissa Touabti walked away from Kensington Palace last year and private secretary Samantha Cohen is also leaving after more than 17 years of working for the royals. “This doesn’t look good for Meghan and she knows it,” our insider tells. “It makes it seem like no-one will work for her. She does her best to come across as down-to-earth, but this isn’t helping her image.”
It has also been reported Meghan’s desire to be seen as “one of the people” presents challenges to her team. “She has struggled at times to follow the advice of the experts,” tells the source.
Meanwhile, the duchess is also copping criticism over her lavish spending habits after it emerged she and Harry are splashing out $5.6 million on renovating their new home in Windsor.
Amid rumours of a rift with her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan and Harry are moving out of Kensington Palace and relocating to Frogmore Cottage, and they’ve reportedly hired swanky nightclub Soho House’s interior designer Vicky Charles to give the historic property a “cuttingedge cool” vibe. She’s said to be a favourite of Amal Clooney and Victoria Beckham.
A team of builders has been working to convert the cottage’s five flats into one family home, complete with state-of-the-art amenities, including a $100,000 greenenergy unit and a motherand-baby yoga studio with a special sprung floor.
“Meghan is really interested in interior design and has a vision for Frogmore
Cottage that has to be perfectly executed,” explains our insider. “Staff are working day and night to get it ready for Meghan and the baby to move in. It’s already cost millions and they are far from done.”
But their new palatial pad in Windsor isn’t the couple’s only residence – they also have a $4.1 million rental home in the Cotswolds. And on top of these costs, it’s been reported that the duchess last year splashed $1.3 million on clothes, including her wedding dress, a total six times more than what Kate, 37, spent.
Meghan has also raised eyebrows with her rather un-royal birth plan. We’re told she’s been taking hypnobirthing lessons and is even considering delivering her baby at home.
“Right from the start, Meghan has been all about doing things her way,” our insider says. “And far from frustrating Harry, he encourages it. He loves that she’s so independent and knows what she wants.
“All the drama has caused a lot of tension at the palace, and people are worried that Meghan is getting between Harry and his family. But he’s crazy about her and won’t hear a bad word about her. It’s as if he’s blinded by love.”
Meanwhile, adding to the drama, reports emerged last week that the brunette beauty’s estranged dad Thomas Markle is planning a trip to the UK to try to speak to his daughter, while her half-brother Thomas Markle Jr has been arrested for drinkdriving just two years after he was charged with pulling a gun on his fiancée.
“Her family is a continuing nightmare for Meghan,” tells our source. “She can’t help but feel nervous every day about what story might appear next. It’s very embarrassing for her.”
But the prince and his wife are desperately hoping that the birth of Baby Sussex will give them a break from the negativity.
“Harry can’t get his head around why critics are giving her such a hard time when she’s gone out of her way to fit in and fulfil her royal duties,” reports our insider, adding that he’s making sure she knows he has her back.
“I know that at the end of the day, she chooses me and I choose her,” Harry has said. “Whatever we have to tackle, together or individually, it will always be us together as a team.”