Before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, Meghan had big plans for how she wanted to operate as a working royal. And according to royal author Tom Quinn, those plans caused serious concern behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace.
In his book Yes Ma’am, as reported by Mirror, Quinn claims that Meghan’s approach to her royal duties didn’t quite line up with how things are normally done in the monarchy. “Buckingham Palace became really worried when they became aware that Meghan had plans for her life as a working royal that were not going to be part of a general strategy agreed with the staff – she just wanted to do her own thing,” he wrote.
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To most people, having personal goals sounds normal. But in the world of the British royal family, it’s not so simple. Everything is about protocol, unity and protecting the image of the institution. Meghan’s independence, while refreshing to some, reportedly rattled the system.
“Which is fair enough if you’re not a member of a tightly controlled institution,” Quinn added. “But it was never going to be acceptable that Meghan should outshine Princess Anne, Prince Charles [as he then was] and Elizabeth the Queen.”
That’s right. There were actual concerns that Meghan could take too much of the spotlight, even from the Queen herself.
Quinn also shared insights from someone who knew the late Queen Elizabeth personally. A former courtier told him, “Elizabeth always had to be the centre and focus of everything the Royal Family did and I don’t think Meghan understood why that had to make her do things she didn’t want to do.”
The same source went on to say that Meghan may not have fully grasped how rigid royal life really is. “She didn’t understand that when you join the Royal Family, you don’t do as you please, you do as you’re told. In a sense, you become a servant of the family,” the courtier explained.
According to Quinn, Meghan also had a hard time with the formality and ranking system that defines royal life. “Many of the rules do seem pretty pointless and exist only so that the relative status of each senior royal is protected,” he wrote.
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He didn’t stop there. Quinn also said Meghan found the behavior of some royals to be surprisingly immature. “And the senior royals are such a sensitive bunch — if one gets a gold pen or a new car, they all want one. Meghan thought they behaved like babies,” he claimed.
So while the public saw the polished appearances and formal events, there was a very different story unfolding behind palace walls. Meghan’s efforts to forge her own path as a modern royal reportedly caused tension and concern within the institution.
In the end, that tension may have played a big part in her and Harry’s choice to step away from the royal family and start fresh on their own terms.