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Meghan Markle had one major mission as a royal family member that required her to follow in the footsteps of Princess Diana. The late Princess of Wales built a reputation as the People’s Princess during her short time on earth. Her philanthropic adventures saw her globetrotting to devastated communities, spreading love and kindness, and leaving a slew of disapproving royals in her wake. Several reports have claimed that the Princess’ charitable deeds, while lauded by the public, bred jealousy among other royals, especially King Charles (then-Prince Charles) who feared she was outshining him. We all know how her story ends.
Years after Princess Diana’s death, her two sons, Prince William, and Prince Harry have threaded a path guided by their mom’s undying legacy. However, Harry’s wife. Meghan Markle reportedly aims for far more than upholding Princess Diana’s legacy, as evidenced in her royal history. Tom Queen’s latest book, Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, which drops on February 18, discusses the duchess’ quest to become like her late mother-in-law and complete what she stated, a mission the palace frowned upon.
Meghan Markle’s Diana Mission Threatened the Royal Family Structure
A former member of Meghan Markle’s team, interviewed for the book revealed how much the Suits alum “disliked the hierarchy,” and the “pointless” rules aimed only at protecting the interests and status of each senior royal.
The source highlighted the sensitive nature of these senior royals, which further irked Meghan who thought that “they behaved like babies.” Hence, the Duchess of Sussex, described as a “modernizer by nature” had the game plan to change the status quo within the royal family. Tom Quinn wrote,
“She was someone who wanted to get things done and change the status quo. She was actually very good at persuading some of the staff, even the junior staff, to be on her side.”
Meghan Markle’s grand plan to modernize the royal family’s dealings in her own way made Buckingham Palace extremely worried, claimed a former courtier. According to the courtier, who previously worked for Queen Elizabeth II, the duchess’ plans for her life as a working royal did not align with the general strategy agreed upon, and “doing her own thing” could potentially make her outshine the likes of King Charles (then-Prince Charles), Princess Anne and Queen Elizabeth. The former staff explained,
“Quite rightly, the Queen always had to be the center and focus of everything the royal family did and I don’t think Meghan understood why that would mean her doing things she didn’t want to do. She didn’t understand that when you join the royal family, you don’t do as you please, you do as you’re told.”
Meghan Always Wanted to Become a Part-Time Royal
Another former royal staffer, who worked for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle suggested the duchess’ apparent rebellion was in line with her mission to be more like Princess Diana by finishing what the late Princess started. The bigger game plan may have been to become the most loved member of the royal family. The former staff divulged
“She really did have a messiah complex. I don’t mean that in a critical way because all her big idea were about doing good, She once said, ‘What Diana started, I want to finish.’ And we took that to mean she wanted to become a sort of globetrotin champion of the poor and the marginalized.”
The source acknowledged that while Meghan Markle has managed to achieve her “Diana mission” to some extent, she really would have wanted to do so as a princess, with the royal family’s backing. Her only clause would have been having the leverage to do so on a part-time basis. The former staff explained that the Palace and senior staff tried to get Harry to call his wife to order, but the Prince remained hesitant, charmed by the prospects of doing things differently, and the sense of freedom it promised.
