Meghan Markle’s challenging time as a working royal may have originated from a "culture clash" with palace aides, according to Simon Vigar, one of Britain’s longest-serving royal correspondents. In his new book, The Four Wives of Windsor, Vigar details how Markle’s 2018 royal tour of Australia revealed early cracks in her relationship with palace staff.

During the tour, Meghan was scheduled to visit Suva Market in Fiji to promote women’s economic empowerment. She was reported to be around 12 weeks pregnant at the time. The event drew massive crowds, but palace press officers struggled to manage the narrative, with one Kensington Palace team member reportedly moved to tears over how the situation "had all gone pear-shaped."

Valentine Low, then royal correspondent for The Times of London, reported in 2021 that Jason Knauf, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s communications secretary, had submitted a bullying complaint concerning Meghan in 2018.

Kensington Palace declined to comment on the book, and a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Fox News Digital, "This is not something we would comment on."

Vigar noted that palace operations were "micromanaged in a far more controlled environment," suggesting that the tensions Meghan experienced were partly due to differing expectations and working styles within the royal household.

Sources

Notable Quotes

  • "Meghan Markle’s rocky tenure as a working royal may have stemmed from a 'culture clash' with palace aides," Simon Vigar.
  • "The crowds were massive. But ... the palace press officers were trying to spin three different stories after that. One person was in tears from the Kensington Palace team because of how it had all gone pear-shaped, as we say in the U.K.", according to Vigar.
  • "Everything was micromanaged in a far more controlled environment."