A new book exploring the inner workings of royal aides has described Meghan Markle as a “fighter,” while also taking aim at senior members of the royal family.
In Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, author Tom Quinn speaks to former palace staff, with some suggesting that Meghan felt looked down upon by courtiers when she joined the royal family.
In an excerpt serialized by The Times, Quinn writes: “Some people can cope with this—Kate Middleton is perhaps the supreme example—but others try to fight back, which is what Meghan clearly did.” A former staff member added: “You’ve got to hand it to her. She really is a fighter.”
Meghan, an accomplished actress with her own philanthropic work, entered a centuries-old institution when she married Prince Harry in 2018.
In her engagement interview, she acknowledged that she didn’t grow up with an understanding of the monarchy and hadn’t researched Harry before dating him. “Everything that I’ve learned about him, I learned through him. As opposed to having grown up around different news stories, or tabloids, or whatever else,” she explained.
The book, set for release on February 18, claims Harry “had spent little time explaining exactly how strange and demanding his family really are” and suggests that Meghan “disliked the hierarchy” within the palace. She is described as a “moderniser by nature” who wanted to “get things done and change the status quo”—a stark contrast to the traditional way the royal household operates.
According to the book, Meghan struggled with palace protocol and found it difficult adjusting to having staff handle tasks for her. A former member of Kensington Palace’s communications team described her as “very straightforward and matter-of-fact.”
Another source claimed that some senior advisers “had it in for Meghan” but that she “stood up to them.” However, they added: “If you make waves in the royal family, the senior royals will always back the courtiers, because in many cases, the senior royals have been friends with the courtiers since childhood.”
Since stepping back as senior royals in 2020, Harry and Meghan have been open about the challenges they faced behind palace walls, including their strained relationships with King Charles, Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
