The Palace Didn't Know Meghan's Friends Were Talking to the Press
Mia Walsh Earlier this week, five of Meghan Markle's closest friends gave an exclusive interview to People magazine. And according to a new report, the Palace weren't given much notice regarding the article's content.
As well as defending Meghan from the barrage of online abuse she's received since joining the royal family, People's article also revealed that the Duchess of Sussex reportedly wrote a letter to her father after the royal wedding. According to Meghan's friends, Thomas Markle never reached out to his daughter, despite multiple claims to the contrary, after missing the royal wedding. One friend even claimed, "He knows how to get in touch with her. Her telephone number hasn’t changed." Instead of trying to make amends with Meghan, it's claimed that Thomas Markle requested a photoshoot with her.
And now, according to royal correspondent Rebecca English writing for the Mail Online, it's being alleged that the Palace didn't know that Meghan's close friends planned to speak to People, and were only informed about the interview at the last minute. Rather than being a story sanctioned by the royal family's press office, the interview was reportedly given without prior permission.
Per English, "The Mail understands the palace was informed by magazine staff only minutes before publication about the article's exceptional detail—including a verbatim account of a letter written by Meghan, 37, to her estranged father."
While it's thought that Meghan might have privately approved the interview, protocol dictates that all stories are officially run by the press office first. But Meghan's friends revealed to People that they had chosen to stand up for the duchess as they feared for her safety, especially now that she is expecting her first child.
Meghan's friends insisted on remaining anonymous for the interview.
For more royals and can't-miss fashion and beauty news, sign up for the Harper's BAZAAR Newsletter.
Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.
