If you love The Daily Beast’s royal coverage, then we hope you’ll enjoy The Royalist, an all-new members-only series for Beast Inside. Become a member to get it in your inbox on Sunday.
Meghan Markle’s friends want you to know she is not a diva.
In fact, she cooks for herself and Harry “every night,” writes thank-you notes for gifts big and small—and even leaves slippers and a robe out in a candlelit bedroom for friends who come to stay with her in her “cozy” London cottage.
ADVERTISEMENT
Since news of a rumored feud with Kate Middleton broke last year, Meghan Markle has had to endure what has sometimes seemed a ceaseless stream of negative publicity. Even simple gestures, such as writing messages of support for marginalized sex workers on banana skins, have been used by her critics as evidence to argue that she is patronizing and self-centered.
Meghan has had little choice but to sit back and say nothing.
Now, however, a handful of her close friends have spoken out to People magazine. Their aim, according to one source described as “an old friend and former co-star,” is to “stand up against the global bullying we are seeing and speak the truth about our friend.”
The group of women, whose names were not given, said they were concerned about the “emotional trauma” the constant criticism could be having on Meghan and her unborn baby.
They also reveal some delicious details about life chez Sussex: “We’ve all been to their cottage,” says one. “It’s small and she’s made it cozy, but the perception of their lifestyle and the reality are two different things. Meg cooks for herself and Harry every single day.”
A friend from L.A. who visited the cottage says, “We had a couple of days together recently. Her husband was out of town on work. In the room she made up for me, there was a candle lit by the bed, slippers, and a robe. We were the only two in the house. It was our time. She made the most lovely meals. She made tea every day. It was raining and muddy outside, so the dogs got all dirty, and she’s wiping them off with towels. How much she loves her animals, how much she loves her friends, how much she loves feeding you, taking care of you—none of that has changed.”
Another friend adds: “When you see her at walkabouts, when she crouches down to talk to the kids and genuinely has real conversations with people, that’s Meg.
“That’s how she crouches down with our kids at home. That’s how she plays with them. That’s how she engages with people and how she always has.”
Attentive readers will note that the friends did not seek, however, to play down reports of a strained relationship between Meghan and Harry and Kate and William; in fact, according to the piece as published on People’s website, the topic is not covered at all.
Funny that.
