Meghan Markle believed she would be the “Beyoncé of the UK” when she married Prince Harry, but hated the demands of royal life and later controversially quit her role as Duchess of Sussex, a new book has alleged. The Times recently published extracts from Valentine Low’s upcoming book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown. The book quotes insiders who claim the duchess thought she would become Britain’s Beyoncé after marrying Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson Prince Harry, but felt disillusioned by the strict rules and protocols as a working member of the royal family and increasingly “cornered and misunderstood” by The Firm.
Additionally, the book claimed the queen forced the Sussexes to choose “either in or out” at Sandringham summit, where the royals decided their future. Low alleged that the so-called “Sandringham summit” occurred five days after the duke and duchess announced their plans to step down on Jan. 8, 2020. Queen Elizabeth wanted all four royal households to work together quickly to devise a solution during initial discussions.
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Meetings followed at Clarence House, then Prince Charles’ home, involving secretaries from the four households, before talks proceeded at Buckingham Palace. A private secretary for Prince William, Simon Case, was also involved in the negotiations, talking to both sides, reported The Times. As possible options, the duke and duchess might have had a month each year for their own activities, or they might take on only a few engagements and spend most of their time elsewhere. These options include blanket rules against making decisions for financial or material gain – either for themselves or their friends.
Low cited a former palace insider as claiming, “I think Meghan thought she was going to be the Beyoncé of the UK. Being part of the royal family would give her that kudos. Whereas what she discovered was that there were so many rules that were so ridiculous that she couldn’t even do the things that she could do as a private individual, which is tough.” However, Low quoted others as calling it impossible, saying that Markle would not be able to fit the model of a working royal, with the palace refusing to accept “who she wanted to be.”
