Meghan Markle left Kate Middleton 'upset' with 'rant' at staff

Meghan Markle left Kate Middleton 'upset' with 'rant' at staff

07/06/2020

Meghan Markle was ‘very sensitive’ about being ‘number two’ to Kate Middleton and clashed with palace staff over not getting the ‘attention she deserved’, royal author claims

  • Meghan Markle, 38, is ‘sensitive’ about being ‘number two’ to Kate Middleton, 38
  • Tom Quinn said she argued with Kate’s staff about ‘getting deserved attention’ 
  • Explained royal ‘assumed because she was a Princess’, staff would do her deeds 

Meghan Markle was ‘very sensitive’ about being ‘number two’ to Kate Middleton, a royal author has claimed.

The Duchess of Sussex, 38, is currently living in LA at Tyler Perry’s $18 million mansion with Prince Harry, 35, and their son Archie, 13 months, having stepped back from royal duty at the end of March.

Now royal author Tom Quinn has claimed that during her time in The Firm, Meghan rowed with Kensington Palace staff over ‘getting the sort of attention she deserved.’ 

Speaking to the Daily Star Online, Tom said Meghan argued with Kate’s staff after they turned down her royal requests, revealing: ‘It was almost as if in that one encounter, it encapsulated for Meghan the problem that she had, that she’s a Princess and she’s number two.’ 

MailOnline has contacted Kensington Palace for comment. 

Meghan Markle, 38, is ‘very sensitive’ about ‘being number two’ to Kate Middleton, 38, according to royal author Tom Quinn

Tom, who has written a new book Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir From Queen Mary To Meghan Markle, claims the incident took place while Prince Harry and Meghan were living at Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.

The royal author said he had spoken to ‘someone who was there’ and was left ‘really uncomfortable’ after Meghan rowed with a member of Kate’s staff. 

He said the Duchess had asked the staff member to do something, but they told her: “I’m really sorry I can’t do that because I work for Kate”.

Tom claimed Meghan ‘really felt she had been put in her place’ and said that, as a ‘princess’, she had ‘assumed that when you ask staff to do something, they are going to do it.’   

According to Tom, the Duchess of Sussex rowed with Kensington Palace staff about ‘getting  the sort of attention she deserved’ (pictured, the Duke and Duchess at their final royal engagement at the Commonwealth Service in March) 

Tom claimed Meghan went on to row with the member of staff, leaving Kate ‘horrified’.

He said the Duchess had been so upset by the staff’s behaviour because she feels conscious about being treated with the same respect as Kate.

He added: ‘She’s very sensitive about not being treated with the same respect that she feels Kate is, so can react badly and doesn’t take it lying down.’

The royal author went on to say that the ‘alien environment’ where ‘people behave towards you’ on the status of who will be the monarch next was ‘alien’ to Meghan.     

Tom claims a palace insider told him that Meghan had ‘assumed that when you ask staff to do something, they are going to do it’ and felt ‘put in her place’ when Kate’s staff didn’t follow her request (pictured, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the Duchess of Cambridge at Trooping the Colour in 2018) 

The incident emerges after Tatler reported that the Duchess’ rowed over royal protocol at the wedding.

The magazine said the fight occurred at a rehearsal and was over whether Princess Charlotte and the other young bridesmaids should wear tights.

A source told Tatler: ‘Kate, following protocol, felt that they should. Meghan didn’t want them to. The photographs suggest that Meghan won.’

A friend told DailyMail.com: ‘First off, it was Meghan’s big day, not Kate’s and secondly Meghan was not about to make her god-kids, let alone the other little girls wear tights, it was too hot and sticky and there was just no need for it.

It comes weeks after Tatler reported that Kate and Meghan rowed over protocol at the royal wedding in May 2018 

‘Meghan said it really wasn’t an issue until Kate made it an issue.’ 

News of the incident comes after an explosive new book claimed Meghan has ‘very high standards’ and her ‘Hollywood gung-ho attitude’ put her at odds with royal aides.

Her ‘West Coast energy’ – which included 5am starts and ‘text message bombardments’ – drove staff to distraction, investigative journalists Dylan Howard and Andy Tillett claim in their upcoming book Royals At War.

The former American actress apparently failed to adapt to traditional royal protocol within the royal family, and has now ‘burned too many bridges’.

Meghan’s exacting standards resulted in a ‘remarkable’ staff turnover, according to the book, with five aides having quit or relocated following the mother-of-one’s wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. 

Prince William and Kate and Prince Harry and Meghan: A ‘royal rift’

May 2018

Rumours have long swirled of a row between the Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan Markle at the former actress’ wedding to Prince Harry two years ago, in May 2018.

Then last month, society bible Tatler claimed the spat centred on whether Princess Charlotte and the other young bridesmaids should wear tights.

In a profile of Kate, 38, titled Catherine the Great, it quotes one unnamed friend who claims she wanted to follow ‘protocol’, with the bridesmaids, including Charlotte, then three, wearing tights – but Meghan disagreed.

Pictures from the wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, appear to show the six bridesmaids with bare legs, while photographs from Prince William and Kate’s wedding in April 2011 show bridesmaids wearing tights.

However, Kensington Palace distanced itself from the lengthy article and said: ‘This story contains a swathe of inaccuracies and false misrepresentations which were not put to Kensington Palace prior to publication.’

November 2018

Royal reporter Katie Nicholl claimed sources close to the brothers said they had a falling out around Christmas 2017, when Harry reportedly told William he wasn’t making enough of an effort to include Meghan in The Firm.

‘Harry felt William wasn’t rolling out the red carpet for Meghan and told him so,’ her source claimed. ‘They had a bit of a fall-out, which was only resolved when Charles stepped in and asked William to make an effort.

‘That’s when the Cambridges invited the Sussexes to spend Christmas with them.’

February 2019

In a TLC documentary – Kate v. Meghan: Princesses at War, Katie Nicholl said Harry had taken offence to a comment William made about his relationship with Meghan.

‘William was quite concerned that the relationship had moved so quickly,’ she said. ‘And being close to Harry, probably the only person close enough to say to Harry, “This seems to be moving quickly, are you sure?”

‘I think what was meant as well-intended brotherly advice just riled Harry. Harry is hugely protective of Meghan. He saw that as criticism. He interpreted that as his brother not really being behind this marriage, this union, and I don’t think things have been quite right ever since.’

In the same documentary, royal correspondent Emily Andrews claimed Harry ‘went ballistic’ and accused William of ‘trying to wreck this relationship before it’s even started’.

March 2019

Royal filmmaker Nick Bullen told Fox News that there was never a feud between Kate and Meghan – instead, ‘William and Harry have had a rift’.

‘All brothers fall out. All families fall out. Their fall-out at the moment is becoming public,’ he said.

April 2019

Prince Harry attended an Easter service at St George’s Chapel – which happened to fall on the Queen’s birthday. He arrived alone alongside Peter Philips and his then wife Autumn.

While he was seen chatting to his cousin Zara Tindall and Kate, he didn’t appear to speak to William.

May 2019

Following the Easter service, Kate allegedly advised Harry to offer William ‘an olive branch’ to repair their fractured relationship and the ‘complete and utter breakdown of communication’ between them, The Mirror reported.

It was her suggestion that led the Sussexes to invite the Cambridges to Frogmore Cottage, where they had tea and chatted for half an hour.

June 2019

Meghan and Harry officially split from The Royal Foundation – the joint charity they shared with William and Kate.

An official statement read: ‘The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex has today announced the conclusions of a review into its structure, and how it will best support Their Royal Highnesses with future charitable activity.

‘Later this year, The Royal Foundation will become the principal charitable and philanthropic vehicle for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will establish their own new charitable foundation with transitional operating support from The Royal Foundation. In addition, both couples will continue to work together on projects in the future, including on The Foundation’s mental health program, Heads Together.’

July 2019

Prince William and Kate attended Archie’s Christening and posed for a group photo. However, a source told Us Weekly that the Cambridges ‘weren’t happy’ about the Sussexes’ decision to keep the celebration private.

They reportedly said: ‘William thinks his brother is going overboard keeping Archie out of the spotlight’ and ‘blames Meghan’.

But in the same month, it appeared that Meghan and Kate were today determined to put feud rumours to bed with a truce at the tennis.

The pair seemed to be getting on famously as they chatted and smiled in the Royal Box, after taking their seats to watch Meghan’s good friend Serena Williams at Wimbledon.

October 2019

In an ITV documentary, Prince Harry refused to deny there was a rift between him and his brother.

Speaking to Tom Bradby in Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Harry said: ‘Part of this role and part of this job, and this family, being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably, you know, stuff happens.

‘But look, we’re brothers, we’ll always be brothers. And we’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I’ll always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.’

He added: ‘We don’t see each other as much as we used to because we’re so busy, but you know, I love him dearly. The majority of this stuff [in the press] is created out of nothing, but you know, as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days.’

November 2019

The Sussexes announced they would be spending Christmas with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, rather than at Sandringham with the Queen. While the decision was said to have the monarch’s support, one source told Us Weekly that the ‘rift’ between William and Harry was ‘one of the main reasons behind their decision’.

Meanwhile a source told People: ‘William is the future king. There is going to be some competitiveness between him and Harry… That already puts a rock in the relationship.’

January 2020

Tom Bradby told Good Morning Britain that the brothers are hoping to rebuild their relationship. He said: ‘There are lots of people who would love there to be, including, I think, the brothers themselves, love them to be closer again. And with any luck, that will happen. But with families, we all know stuff happens, things are said.’

But later that month, Harry and Meghan announced they were quitting as senior members of the Royal Family, which ‘blindsided’ William, according to an Us Weekly source.

However, a royal source told The Sun that, following the official Sandringham summit, William and Harry ‘spent time together privately’ to ‘work on their relationship and discuss their future’.

‘It has been groundbreaking in terms of saving their bond as brothers and has been totally driven by them,’ the source added.

‘But Kate and Meghan, who was in Canada, did join in with some of the talks on more than one occasion – which is another sign of a real thaw in their relationship. Things are better.’

March 2020

The Commonwealth Day service – Meghan and Harry’s final official engagement – was ‘not exactly the warm reunion we were hoping for’, according to body language expert Judi James.

She said Harry’s ‘tension was palpable’ as William seemingly failed to greet his brother.

Towards the end of the month, when the coronavirus pandemic took hold, Dailymail.com reported that Meghan had confided in friends that her husband felt ‘helpless’ and was ‘concerned’ about the Queen and his father Prince Charles catching coronavirus.

The friend added: ‘Meghan told her inner circle of friends that Harry has been communicating with Prince William and the Queen on a pretty consistent basis.

‘She said this world crisis has actually brought them all closer together, especially Harry and his brother.

‘Harry has made it very clear to them that he will do whatever he can to help from Canada. Meghan said they are grateful, especially Harry, that they could spend time with his family before all this insanity began.’

 

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