A commoner marrying into royalty must navigate a world of tradition and high expectations, but also face unique challenges and intense public scrutiny.
This is something Queen Camilla, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle know well. However, unlike Camilla and Kate, Meghan appeared to have crumbled under the pressure from the media, which was one of the reasons why she and Harry decided to step down from their royal duties and leave Britain behind.
But could things have turned out differently if Meghan had followed Camilla’s advice before marrying the young prince? The truth is, we can never know. What we know, however, is that despite Meghan’s claims that “Not many people have asked if I’m OK,” she did got a helping hand from Camilla who invited her to lunches and gave her valuable advice on how to cope with the pressure of becoming a royal.
Speaking to the Daily Mail at the time, a friend of the Duchess said, “Meg was really grateful to Camilla who was very supportive and invited her out for private lunches, particularly around the time of her marriage.
“She listened to her and understood that it’s really difficult joining the Royal Family from an otherwise ‘normal’ life.
“Much like Meghan, Camilla had experienced a lot of negative press and hostility from courtiers due to her relationship with Charles when he was still married to Diana.
“She was very sensitive to Meghan and provided her with support, advising her to ride out the storm and that it would all pass – but ultimately Meghan didn’t listen.”
Meghan wasn’t spared from the British media. She was under constant scrutiny and her husband stood up for her, asking from his father to fight the British tabloid papers.
“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,” Harry wrote in Spare.
“The implication being what? Now it was Meg’s turn? As if it were apples to apples.”
Despite Meghan’s good relationship with Camilla at the time, Harry wrote that his father’s wife suggested that he be appointed as governor of a distant location, a suggestion that was met with a negative response.
“Camilla also suggested to Meg that I become Governor General of Bermuda, which would solve all our problems by removing us from the red-hot center of the maelstrom,” Harry wrote in his memoir.
“Right, right, I thought, and one added bonus of that plan would be to get us out of the picture.”
Since Megxit, the Sussexes haven’t met with Camilla a lot. In fact, Meghan only met her at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
If there would be any future meetings between the two uncertain, especially now that Harry and Meghan have angered the royals yet again with their visits to Nigeria and Colombia, which resembled official royal visits.
During the Colombia trip, Meghan wore stunning outfits, but it was one detail that stood out as especially intriguing because it revealed that she has drawn significant inspiration from Queen Camilla.
“She was wearing white and could be taking inspiration from Queen Camilla, who often opts for white during engagements,” body language expert Darren Stanton said.
“The color white attracts positive energy and calmness, but also makes a statement. Meghan has proved she feels self-assured, competent and able to assert herself.”
Was the choice of white sort of a tribute to Camilla? Who knows, but it is clear that the two ladies love this color.
Meghan wore white at the Afro Women and Power Panel in Colombia and felt “at ease,” Stanton argued.
“When we saw Meghan speaking on the panel, she came across as calm and collected while being completely authentic. It’s probably been the most honest and open display we’ve seen from Meghan for a long time. All the way through, she’s congruent with her body language and facial expressions. We’ve been exposed to a very confident side to Meghan, as she displayed no signs of hesitation or feeling tension,” the body language expert continued.
Stanton concluded: “Meghan feels at home on this stage. She’s speaking so openly. When we analyze her tone of voice, it’s steady, consistent, and low. It doesn’t change too much, telling us she’s comfortable and at ease.”
What are your thoughts on this?