Why Meghan Markle's Sorority Past Suggested She Was Destined to 'Clash' With British Royals

Meghan Markle played a key role in her sorority years before marrying Prince Harry, a move experts say foreshadowed her "clash" with the British royal family.

"The sorority anecdotes show someone who wanted to organize, steer, and contribute, which are qualities that show up again in Meghan's approach to royal projects," royal commentator Amanda Matta told a news outlet in an interview published on Friday, September 26.

The Suits actress, 44, attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and joined Kappa Kappa Gamma, which was known for their sisterhood of “Midwestern blondes” who were “intelligent hot messes.” Meghan served as the recruitment chair, where “she was in charge of bringing new people into the sorority and making them feel welcome,” per Vanity Fair.

Although Meghan’s leadership traits set her apart from her classmates while at Northwestern University, they wouldn’t serve the same purpose when she married into the British royal family in 2018. "I can see how the determination that helped her stand out in college would later clash with the royal institution, which doesn’t reward individuality,” Matta told the outlet.

The royal commentator pointed out that being "too persuasive" and "too assertive" are "qualities that we praise in American settings but are often criticized in the royal context."

"In Meghan’s case, they appear time and time again as negative qualities, whether about her as a boss or a duchess managing a staff," she continued.

Meghan and Harry, 41, became estranged from the royal family after stepping down from their duties and relocating to California in 2020. The move reportedly followed a rift that began in 2018 behind closed palace doors when a royal reporter claimed Prince William wasn’t welcoming to Harry’s new wife.

The drama only continued to escalate after the 2023 release of Harry’s memoir, Spare, which shed even more light on the feud with his older brother, which allegedly included a physical conflict.

In the autobiography, Harry accused his older brother, 43, of physically assaulting him during an argument involving Meghan in 2019. Harry explained they got into the tiff after William called his spouse “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive.”

“He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor,” the Duke of Sussex wrote about the altercation. “I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”

In the years since, the brothers have reunited only a handful of times.