Queen Camilla’s secret advice for Meghan Markle about being the ‘bad guy’

Navigating life within the royal family for newcomers doesn’t come without its challenges. Royal brides like Princess Kate and Duchess Meghan had to have behind-the-scenes training regarding what it takes to be a royal. Along with the pressures of royal engagements, the experience of increased press attention is something they both had to get used to. It turns out that Queen Camilla once gave Meghan Markle advice about any negative press, but it didn’t land as intended…

Prince Harry revealed all in his explosive memoir, Spare, recounting a time of extensive press scrutiny for Meghan where she sought advice from Harry’s stepmother. He penned: “Meg, meanwhile, reached out to Camilla, who tried to counsel her by saying this was just what the press always did to newcomers, that it would all pass in due time, that Camilla had been the bad guy once. The implication being what? Now it was Meg’s turn? As if it were apples to apples.”

Queen Camilla’s praise for Meghan Markle

When Harry and Meghan got engaged, Queen Camilla had nothing but kind words to say about the US actress. She told the press: “It’s brilliant and as I said, America’s loss is our gain. We are all absolutely delighted. As you can see, they are so happy. Sometimes, you know, in a climate where we are surrounded by a lot of bad news, it’s a real joy to have a bit of good news for once. As I said before, we are delighted.”

Meghan Markle’s culture clash with Princess Kate 

© Pool/Samir Hussein

In the early days of Meghan Markle being introduced to the royal family, it turns out she inadvertently created friction with Princess Kate. Prince Harry recalls the “awkward” interaction in his book – all over a lip gloss. He wrote: “All this came on the heels of an awkward moment backstage. Meg asked to borrow Kate’s lip gloss. An American thing. Meg forgot hers, worried she needed some, and turned to Kate for help. Kate, taken aback, went into her handbag and reluctantly pulled out a small tube. Meg squeezed some onto her finger and applied it to her lips. 

“Kate grimaced. Small clash of styles, maybe? Something we should’ve been able to laugh about soon after. But it left a little mark. And then the press sensed something was up and tried to turn it into something bigger. Here we go, I thought sorrowfully.”