Long before she became a working member of the British royal family, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, had an established career that she painstakingly worked hard for. Because of this, Queen Elizabeth apparently didn't have to worry about Prince Harry's wife when it came to this particular area unlike Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, who joined the royal family as Prince William's wife without a career and an identity.
According to the author of "The Making of a Royal Romance," Katie Nicholl, Queen Elizabeth had initial concerns about Duchess Kate because she didn't have substantial work experience or a full-time job after college. Thus, for a time after marrying Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge did little for the crown and was inducted quite slowly into her royal duties.
"Privately [the Queen] had grave concerns," Nicholl wrote in her book. "She believed that Kate needed to have a job and identity in her own right before an engagement was announced."
In contrast, Duchess Meghan was doing movies and TV shows in America, as well as living independently for over a decade, before giving these all up for Prince Harry in 2017. Royal observers believe that this has helped the Duchess of Sussex become well-prepared to handle the duties and responsibilities of a royal.
Hence, it was easy for Duchess Meghan to be eased into the work that the royal family does, where much of it required facing the public. She was put to the task right away because Queen Elizabeth might have been confident that she could carry on her royal duties quite well, owing to her experience as a public personality.
This stark contrast between Duchess Meghan and Duchess Kate has royal fans saying that the wife of the direct heir to the throne was lazy. Apparently, even Queen Elizabeth had harsh words about Duchess Kate's background that hurt Prince William's wife at one point.
The royal family also reportedly nicknamed her Duchess of Do-little because she has not been doing a lot of charity work expected of a future queen. She's not even on the top 10 most
Over the years, however, Queen Elizabeth warmed up to Duchess Kate when she proved she can be a hard-worker and a patron of the Queen's charities and causes. She and the Queen have also bonded over their love for the outdoors and hunting sports, which would be her own edge over Duchess Meghan.
