In the early stages of Meghan Markle's introduction to royal life, her enthusiastic approach to her new role reportedly caused some unease within the Palace, according to royal author Tina Brown. The former actress, who married Prince Harry in a fairytale Windsor wedding, had expressed her eagerness to "hit the ground running" with royal charities. However, Brown suggests in her book "The Palace Papers" that this comment filled the Palace, a traditionally cautious institution, with a sense of dread.
Before their wedding, Markle accompanied Prince Harry on several royal engagements. One of the most significant was a joint outing with the Prince and Princess of Wales for the Royal Foundation's first forum event. The foundation, established by Prince William, Kate, and Harry, welcomed Meghan as a speaker at the event in February 2018. There, she confidently discussed her future plans for working with the charity.
Brown, a former editor of Vanity Fair and a friend of Princess Diana, suggested in an interview with the Telegraph that Meghan's ambitious approach may have been premature. "I think Meghan felt she could get in there and change it all," she said. "Frankly, she could have done a great deal to change things had she stuck around, but the thing that's most baffling is such impatience."
Less than two years after the forum event, Meghan and Harry announced their decision to step back from royal duties and establish a new life in the US. Brown noted that Meghan gave royal duty 20 months, while Diana gave it 16 years.
The couple's recent career moves have been the subject of speculation, particularly after their deal to produce podcasts for Spotify was reportedly cancelled. Despite the large audience for their Netflix series "Harry & Meghan," in which they criticized the Royal Family, little new content has been released on the platform.
Royal experts on True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat have suggested that the Spotify deal's cancellation may indicate concerns about the couple's ability to transition into new areas. Vanity Fair's royal editor Katie Nicholl said, "Harry and Meghan have churned out a narrative that I think has become quite tiresome for most people now."
The Mirror's royal editor Russell Myers added that questions are likely being asked in the media world about the couple's star power. "The issue for Meghan and Harry is, are people interested in what they have to say?" he said. "That's not just the general public that's the executives working for these big [media] firms as well... Are they the hot ticket anymore?"
