Prince William Allegedly Did Not Welcome Meghan Markle With Open Arms, It 'Did Not Sit Well' With Prince Harry, Royal Biographer Claims
Prince William may have been one of the reasons why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal life.
Royal biographer Andrew Morton rereleased his book, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, on Tuesday, October 19. The biography has since been retitled Meghan and the Unmasking of the Monarchy. The new version features additional chapters and interviews with some of the Duchess of Sussex's family and friends.
"I was surprised by the parallel between [Princess] Diana and Meghan, especially in those first two months inside the royal family," Morton told Fox News. "Meghan said she felt low and isolated — Diana felt the same. For Diana, she felt [the palace] was a place of cold energy — a far cry from what felt on the outside. It was astonishing to me."
According to Morton, Prince William had an "influence" on Harry and Meghan's decision to step back as senior royals.
The author alleged that the Duke of Cambridge did not immediately welcome the Suits actress with open arms because he was wary of her Hollywood background and what that would mean for the royals.
Morton told the outlet that the 39-year-old is a "cautious guy." "He spent eight years with Kate [Middleton] and they broke up briefly at one point before they married," he explained.
"For Harry, it was instant when it came to Meghan," Morton continued. "But William felt it was just too quick. And he didn’t know much about her family. I remember in those early years, anything that was being reported about Meghan’s family was coming from her brother and sister speaking out to the press."
As for the reported spat about flower girl dresses between Markle and Middleton in the lead-up to her 2018 wedding to Harry, Morton explained that the women were still getting to know each other at the time. "Kate was experiencing a tough pregnancy [with Prince Louis] and didn’t have much energy to bond with her," Morton said.
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The biographer said the 40-year-old was upset that the royal press office did not defend her when "the tabloids began pitting them against each other. A press officer told her they cannot deny or confirm every single story that’s being written about the royal family. It would never end."
"I’ve spoken to people who know Kate, I’ve seen her in action and she’s not a confrontational person," Morton explained. "She’s someone who wants to get on with things. Both women did not want to fall into the trap of being seen as dueling duchesses by the press. They were cordial to each other and friendly in public. But Meghan did not feel supported."
Morton said that palace insiders tried to help Meghan early on in royal life. "Diana spoke about the men in gray who were hostile to her because they were supporters of Prince Charles. And they had problems pretty early on in their marriage. But Meghan and Harry were a double act. There wasn’t a cigarette paper between them. They were talented together," Morton said.
"And Meghan was seen out and about. Friends of mine used to ring me up and say, 'I just saw Meghan at such and such.' She did have a life outside of palace walls and in those early days, she was very popular," he added.
Harry and Meghan have since relocated to California. According to Morton, the royal couple has an "idyllic life" there. "There isn’t an executive in Hollywood that would say no to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex… It’s quite the transformation for them," he said.
