Meghan Markle wanted to be as
big as Beyoncé overseas upon marrying Prince Harry, a new book claims.
“I think Meghan thought she
was going to be the Beyoncé of the UK,” a former palace insider told royal
author Valentine Low for “Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown” (via
the Times of London).
“Being part of the royal
family would give her that kudos,” the insider continued. “Whereas what she
discovered was that there were so many rules that were so ridiculous that she
couldn’t even do the things that she could do as a private individual, which is
tough.”
After tying the knot in
May 2018, Harry and Markle announced on Jan. 8, 2020, their intention to “step
back” from their duties as senior royals. Five days later, the prince’s family
members, including Queen Elizabeth II, met to discuss the unprecedented
decision in what was dubbed the “Sandringham Summit.”
“It just required the
decision-makers to sit around a table and say, ‘OK, what are we going to do
about this? What do you need to feel better? And what can we give?’” a palace
insider told Low.
However, Low wrote that the
Queen, who died at age 96 earlier this month, “took the view that
unless the couple were prepared to abide by the restrictions that applied to
working members of the royal family, they could not be allowed to carry out
official duties.”
Following the summit, the
monarch announced on Jan. 13, 2020, that while she “would have preferred”
that Harry and Markle “remain full-time working members of the royal family,”
the couple would move forward with their plan to “create a new life.”
