To work for Meghan Markle, members of her royal staff had to be “caught up” in her determined mission as she’s not the type of person to “allow for a contrary view,” a prominent royal biographer told a new episode of news week‘S The Royal Report podcast.
Meghan, who married Prince Harry in 2018, initially shared her associates with those of Prince William and Kate Middleton before the couples parted ways in 2019.
Tom Quinn, author of Gilded youtha new book chronicling the childhood of members of the royal family and the impact it has on later life, told royal chief correspondent Jack Royston that work for Meghan “seems impossible unless you really believe in the product” she’s selling .
According to Quinn, one factor contributing to the bad relationships between Meghan, Kate, Prince William and Harry could be their decision to split households, with employees taking personal insults against their employers personally from one side.
“I’ve thought at times in many ways that William and Kate and Harry and Meghan are other people busy […] I’m not sure it’s a good idea because I think it means they’re always firing salvos at each other, which they probably wouldn’t have done in the past,” he said.
“Two hundred years ago you wouldn’t have had a communications team, so the whole thing was more private. When you fell out, you didn’t have a team of people firing missiles at each other, so I think that’s the problem. I think people inevitably feel a great deal of loyalty to one side or the other.
The Sussexes are home to the latest Netflix documentaries and Harry’s memoirs spare parta lingering thread of dissatisfaction has been the couple’s allegations that associates of William and Kate were working against them.
However, Quinn adds that Meghan and Harry’s employees were equally devoted to their employers.
“I spoke to someone who worked for Meghan and Harry and he said you couldn’t help but get involved with Meghan’s […] almost messianic faith in their mission. So you got caught up in that and you were really offended when the other side wasn’t friendly,” he explained.
Royston quipped, “You mean they were basically on their side and hit for their team and also insulted them personally?”
“Exactly, I mean I’ve worked for people where if they’re very strong willed, very confident and charismatic – I think Meghan is very charismatic – you can’t help but become a follower,” Quinn replied.
“You become a believer. Because when someone fully believes in their role and mission in life, it’s very difficult. Either you go or you will get caught up in this too.
Then, in Meghan’s case, he added: “If you worked for her, I imagine it would be impossible if you didn’t really believe in the product […] I think you would have to be involved or you wouldn’t be able to work for them. I don’t think she’s the kind of person who would (at least not happily) allow a contrary view.”
Meghan’s relationships with staff came into focus in 2021 when just days before the King’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey aired, a British broadsheet newspaper revealed members of the royal household had accused the Duchess of bullying.
In the story, a 2018 email from former communications secretary at Kensington Palace, Jason Knauf, was leaked outlining his concerns about Meghan’s treatment of his team.
“I am very concerned that the Duchess has been able to harass two PAs from the household over the past year,” he wrote internally to Prince William’s private secretary. “The treatment of X [name removed] was totally unacceptable.”
“The Duchess seems determined to always have someone in her sights. She bullies Y [name removed] and try to undermine their trust,” he continued [name removed].”
Buckingham Palace responded to the story by saying it takes the allegations seriously and will investigate them.
A spokesman on behalf of Meghan commented it was part of a “calculated smear campaign”.
In 2022, Buckingham Palace announced the review was complete but the results would not be made public.
In his memoir, Harry wrote that the allegations were “so shocking, so egregious, that even after Meg and I demolished her lie with a twenty-five-page, evidence-filled report to Human Resources, I would have trouble just shrugging.” to shrug that off.”
Gilded Youth: An Intimate Story of Growing Up in the Royal Family by Tom Quinn is published in the UK by Biteback Publishing and is available now.
James Crawford Smith is latestpagenewss royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and keep reading his stories latestpagenewss The Royals’ Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@latestpagenews.com. We’d love to hear from you.
