When Meghan Markle married into the British royal family, she was embraced by both the members of the Firm and the wide public. What’s most, many saw her presence as a modernizing force. She and Prince Harry received a status of an influential couple who were involved in numerous charitable endeavors.
However, according to Meghan herself, her time in Britain was challenging. She faced intense media scrutiny and criticism, particularly from certain sections of the British press and there were also reports of tensions within the royal family, although the specifics of these were not always made public, or at least not until she and Harry decided to step down from their royal duties.
Their decision was met with mixed reactions, and it was reported at the time that it was then-prince Charles who was the angriest on his son and daughter-in-law for their decision to leave Britain behind.
During the time she lived in Britain, Meghan was said to have bonded with all the members of the British royalty but wasn’t particularly close to any of them.
She and Camilla, for one, had a lot in common. They both married into royalty and Camilla made sure she helped Meghan adjust to the royal life and her new role.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Camilla invited Meghan to a private lunch and told her how she coped with the media at the time she married Charles. Camilla told her that she should focus on the positive sides of her role within the royal family and “ride out the storm if negative press would occur.”
Despite the friendship offered by the members of the Firm, Meghan hadn’t always felt welcomed because of some reason. “Not many people have asked if I’m OK,” she said in an ITV documentary.
“Meg was really grateful to Camilla who was very supportive and invited her out for private lunches, particularly around the time of her marriage,” a friend of Meghan Markle’s told the Daily Mail. “She listened to her and understood that it’s really difficult joining the Royal Family from an otherwise ‘normal’ life.”
The friend added, “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.”
Despite this support from Camilla’s side, Meghan once did something that upset her.
Namely, in 2020, Camilla was set to participate in the 10th Anniversary of the Women of the World festival, an event she and her team were planning for over a year. Camilla was scheduled to deliver a speech and made sure everyone understood how important this was to her. Meghan had assured Camilla not to overshadow her at the event.
However, Meghan ended up drawing more attention, causing frustration for Camilla.
“Camilla’s work is very important to her and her decision to highlight the scourge of domestic violence at the 10th anniversary of Women of the World was a carefully thought-out plan,” a royal insider said. “Of course it was known Harry and Meghan would be doing engagements this week, some privately, but everyone was in agreement that Camilla’s speech should take precedence. Unfortunately some people had other ideas.”
Allegedly, Meghan stole the spotlight by publishing a photo of herself at the event the same day. As per the Daily Mail, the Palace had urged royal correspondents to focus on Camilla and not Meghan, but that didn’t happen.
