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Last week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seen in public for the first time in a month. After a summer of public scandal and acrimony with her father, Hannah Flint reports on what’s next for Meghan…
WHEN MEGHAN MARKLE arrived at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London last week, to see the hit musical Hamilton, silence descended on the audience.
It was the first time the Duchess of Sussex had been seen in public for more than a month, following weeks of negative headlines driven by her father Thomas Markle. Meghan had kept a low profile, privately weathering a crisis thought to be the worst to hit the royal family since Princess Diana’s death.
Thomas – a retired, Emmy-awardwinning lighting director – had criticised the duchess on an almost weekly basis and even revealed that he’d lied to Prince Harry before hanging up on him during an argument. Meghan’s half-sister Samantha Grant has also spoken out against her, with the situation reaching fever pitch when Thomas compared the royals to Scientologists.
But if the so-called ‘Markle debacle’ has placed a strain on Meghan, she’s been careful not to let it show.
Meghan looked relaxed and happy as she took her seat alongside Harry and the show’s writer, Lin-manuel Miranda. Her outfit – a black tuxedo minidress by Canadian label Judith & Charles – prompted commentators to rename her the Duchess of SASS-EX. This, coupled with the royals’ bold move to make their post-summer debut at a musical that sees America declare independence from Great Britain (cue lots of neck straining towards Prince Harry) sent the message to the world, ‘It’s business as usual – on our terms!’
So, where had Meghan been? Last month, she is believed to have gone to Balmoral for a summer holiday with the Queen, thought to be a chance for her to get away from the scandal and switch off. She is also reported to have spent time with Prince Charles at the Castle of Mey in Scotland. ( The Queen and Charles are said to be ‘quite forgiving’ about Meghan’s father, with one source telling Grazia, ‘No one blames her or thinks it’s her fault.’) Earlier this month, the couple also secretly travelled to Lake Como for a holiday with George and Amal Clooney, who both attended their wedding.
Then, Meghan is believed to have jetted to Toronto, where she used to live, to spend three days with her best friend, Jessica Mulroney. Kensington Palace had apparently instructed airline staff not to take her picture or approach her. While in the city, it’s believed her friend and unofficial stylist Jessica advised her to wear the headline-grabbing tuxedo dress. Meghan is also thought to be planning an imminent, unofficial trip to see her mother, Doria Ragland, in the US. There are no plans to visit her father while she is there.
‘It’s easier than you might think for a royal to just disappear,’ says royal commentator Robert Jobson. ‘Princess Diana and her bodyguard used to book tickets or hotels under the alias of Mr and Mrs Hargreaves to avoid attention and it certainly isn’t hard to put on a disguise. And remember when Harry and Meghan met: they quietly travelled to Botswana to get to know each other without anyone realising.’
The couple’s ‘date night’ to the theatre seemed to be a clear message: that the Duchess is ready to put the drama behind her and get back to business. Still, is her father really willing to go away?
‘ Thomas is susceptible to giving interviews, and the media can get to him by charming him and taking him for a nice dinner,’ said a well-placed source.
‘Lately, he has been insisting that he won’t be giving any more interviews and that he’s desperate to move homes and escape the attention. But there’s another side to him that is heavily influenced by Samantha, who will encourage him to call up journalists or [the US gossip website] TMZ. That’s also when the wild rumours start, like that he’s planning to show up at Kensington Palace unannounced. He’s an unpredictable character with two sides to him: there’s no telling what he’ll do next.’
‘It will flare up again, I have no doubt,’ says Robert. ‘ The only thing Meghan can do is put it behind her by throwing herself into her work. But I would have thought that’s when her father will start talking again, and saying how scared and worried she is, that the royal family is using his daughter and not looking after her.
‘ You can’t stop this guy from speaking out, and Harry and Meghan need a plan because Thomas has the potential to do this at every important moment. What if they have a baby? If they don’t make contact, he’ll be the wronged grandfather one day, not just the wronged dad.’
In September, the Sussexes are lined up to do a series of small public engagements, and will also be seen at Princess Eugenie’s October wedding at Windsor Castle. Following that they will go on Meghan’s first royal tour, to Australia and New Zealand. This month, her first interview as a member of the family will also air in a documentary about the Queen.
‘It won’t be difficult for her to prove herself,’ says Robert. ‘She’s a rookie royal and she’s only just learning the ropes. But the tour will take a lot out of her, and she’ll just be hoping that the issue of her father doesn’t come up yet again. It’s back-to-back official trips, early starts and late finishes. That all sounds glamorous, but it’s a real slog.’
However, the tour may finally give the couple a chance to take control of the narrative. Traditionally, Harry has held an off-the-record reception for press at the start of an official overseas tour. Our sources believe that he will do the same this time – and will, by the nature of this summer’s events, have to address the subject of Meghan’s outspoken father. (It’s not known if the duchess will also address the press.)
‘It’s a cordial meeting for the main players of the press and is supposed to be informal and off-the-record,’ said a source. ‘But someone, somewhere, will ask about Meghan’s father. That may well be the chance for them to tell her side of the story and shift the perception of the situation.’
A second source added, ‘ Thomas is still desperately hoping that Meghan will make contact, but she is set on proving that the can be trusted and finally getting to do some of the good work that attracted her to the role of duchess in the first place.
‘Her first 100 days as Harry’s wife were overshadowed by scandal. She will do all she can to make sure that her next 100 days will go very differently.’