Oh, Meghan if only you had learnt from Kate
AfTER Kate Middleton broke up with Prince William at one stage during their courtship, she was phoned by a journalist. ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ she said. ‘I’ve never commented to the Press before and I don’t think it would be wise to start now.’ Wise words, indeed.
The couple swiftly reunited, married and are now the happy parents of three gorgeous children.
Despite much sneering and snobbishness that was directed at Kate when she first started dating a prince, she never rose to the bait. She never complained about references to her non-royal background or her mother’s former career as an air stewardess.
for my sins, I, too, foolishly made some barbed remarks — nicknaming her Waity Katey and saying that standing around doing nothing but being admired by onlookers was her forte.
Kate has since proved she’s made of very stern stuff. Over the years, she has sensibly and studiously sought advice on how to be a royal — from William, his family and courtiers. That patient tutelage has paid off.
These are lessons that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, must learn fast.
Clearly she is headstrong. Even before marrying Harry, she told the world she’d cut short their honeymoon to ‘hit the ground running’ as a feminist and compassionate campaigner.
It’s no surprise, therefore, that this week, in what reeked of a cynical PR exercise, some of her closest confidantes provided a glowing tribute to her for a U.S. magazine.
Either Meghan colluded in the lengthy article, which contained intimate details of her personal life and claimed she was the victim of international bullying, or her ‘besties’ did her a great disservice.
I fear the honeymoon period is over for Meghan. Rather than ‘ hit the ground running’, she risks falling flat on her face. If only she had spent more time learning from her sister-in-law, she might have understood that successfully marrying into the Queen’s family is a marathon not a sprint.
After reports of a rift between them, Kate could be forgiven if she read this week’s headlines such as ‘Meghan may be playing with fire’ and had a wry smile. Perhaps the birth of Meghan’s baby will bring the two women closer. If it does, William and Harry would surely be happy.
But just as you can’t choose your family, you can’t choose your sister-inlaw. My advice to Meghan would be: learn from Kate and don’t compete with her; follow her example and don’t shun her. Above all, relax and take joy in the fact you married your Prince and are about to become a mother.