MEGHAN IN THE MIDDLE

The duchess has come in for criticism for her friends’ public comments. There’s much speculation that she either gave them permission to speak or cooperated with the magazine in a bid to improve her image.

Either way the article went ahead without consultation with the Buckingham Palace press office – and this was a mistake, palace insiders say.

Dickie Arbiter, a former palace press secretary, worries the fallout could make things worse for Meghan.

“Assuming – and as these sources are anonymous we don’t know for sure – that this was done with her agreement, it’s opened a Pandora’s Box,” he says. “The issue with her father is an open wound and I’m not entirely sure it’s the best idea to aggravate that.”

‘It’s opened a Pandora’s box. The issue with her father is an open wound’

A former courtier agrees. The duchess has unleashed a can of worms, he says.

“If a member of the royal family has a wrong they want to be righted, there are paid officials to do that,” he says.

Josh Duboff of Vanity Fair says it “makes sense that Meghan would want to share her side of the story.

“Though one wishes she herself could just sit down with Oprah for an interview and hash it all out.” S SOURCES: PEOPLE, DAILY MAIL, THE MIRROR, VANITY FAIR, CNN, THE TELEGRAPH