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It’s been a difficult few weeks for Meghan Markle, and it appeared the pressure was getting on top of her this week when she told Pharrell Williams, in an ill-judged, on-camera comment at the red-carpet reception for The Lion King, “They don’t make it easy.”
While there has been some debate about the “who” it was that she had in mind (the press she claims not to read? Her in-laws? Racists? Society at large?) there is little doubt that the past few weeks have been among the most challenging of Meghan’s royal life.
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Since she and Harry decided to keep the christening of their child Archie Harrison private and only release two carefully curated images on Instagram, she has been on the receiving end of sustained attacks from many sides.
Some of the criticism is reasonable. Her maladroit handling of the crowd at Wimbledon—she had her security team ask at least two people to stop taking photos of her when they were not—was not a sensible PR move.
That it was followed by what has been widely (although, as The Daily Beast has argued, incorrectly) interpreted as moaning about her position to Pharrell, has given her critics new ammunition with which to attack her.
But Meghan is absolutely right about one thing: No one is making the transition to royal life easy for her.
As well as having to cope with media criticism and social-media attacks, there is also another front: an ongoing and concerted campaign against Meghan being waged by society gossips.
You don’t have to go to many British dinner parties right now to hear an astonishing flow of invective against Meghan, some of it sourced to long-established insiders at court.
There are the generalized theories—that she is not to be trusted, that she is too flashy and celebrity-minded, that her California therapy-speak is not meshing with the still-reserved ways of the monarchy, that she has some master game plan that does not involve the greater glory of the British royal family, that divorce is just years away... And then there is the arguably more damaging leaking of specific stories.
The latest stories to reach The Daily Beast, which are hotly denied by Meghan’s supporters, seek to expand the damaging narrative that Meghan is disliked within the wider family for being rude to staff.
Of course, when you compare her actual behavior, or even the worst and wildest allegations, with the actual public matters of record of other royals, such as, say, Prince Andrew (abusing policemen who have asked him for ID, suspiciously lucrative property dealings, being mates with Jeffrey Epstein), Prince Charles (exploiting his kids to bolster his own reputation, cheating on his wife) or Princess Anne (let’s not get started), Meghan emerges, as you might expect, as nothing less than largely respectful.
This week, Meghan and Harry were named on a list curated by Time magazine of the “25 Most Influential People on the Internet,” which said their “forward-thinking, cause-oriented approach to social media fits neatly with other ways they are establishing their identity beyond the crown.”
The nomination coincided with the publication of documents that now formally establish their own foundation, separate from William and Kate.
The new charity’s full name is, “Sussex Royal the Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
“Sussex Royal” is of course the name of their Instagram page, so the name of their new charity is confirmation of Time’s observation that the couple are a young and dynamic philanthropy powerhouse, who definitely have goals way beyond what any other royal has ever had before.
This determination to have an identity beyond their official role, otherwise known as not knowing one’s place, is the real reason for the relentless attacks on Meghan.
Prince Harry is said by sources to be greatly disturbed by the tide of anti-Meghan sentiment coursing through public discourse.
After what happened to his mother, any assumption that he will continue to put up with it could prove to be a dangerous miscalculation.
Harry, of course, famously broke the royal code of silence when he launched a passionate defense of his then-girlfriend’s right to privacy after their relationship first became public, and she was being subjected to astonishing levels of racist abuse. He is believed to have supported Meghan’s insistence on her right to make her own case by allowing friends to speak to the American media.
A group of five friends are widely believed to have been authorized by Meghan and Harry to sit down with People magazine to represent Meghan in the media; they said they were speaking out in protest at the “global bullying” of their friend.
Another friend, the makeup artist Daniel Martin, recently made an appearance on a CBS royal baby special in which he defended Meghan in similar terms. The palace said that Meghan did not greenlight the interview; few believe that to be the whole story.
Both incidents were taken as clear signs that Harry and Meghan would not sit back and suffer the hostility directed toward Meghan in silence.
It is notable that the U.K. media is leading this hatred of Meghan, backed up by anonymous briefings from within palace walls.
Will they ever stop? Probably not. It’s good for clicks and the royals don’t sue, after all.
As one senior newspaper executive told The Daily Beast with considerable relish: “She is the gift that keeps on giving.”
But as reporters twist the knife, they should be careful not to kill this golden goose.
Harry and Meghan, sources say, could very easily relocate to America.
They are already said to be setting up an office there, and while no move is imminent, it’s hard to see Meghan and Harry choosing to live forever in an environment where they are relentlessly attacked, and then attacked all over again if they try to make any reply.
