A Royal insider who wrote Princess Diana’s diary has said that Meghan Markle “hated” touring Australia with her husband Prince Harry in 2018 and found the visit “pointless”.
Tina Brown, the editor of Vanity Fair is closely acquainted with many members of the Royal Family and Palace staff. She was Princess Diana’s diarist and has recently released a new royal biography entitled The Palace Papers which reveal some scathing inside details about Meghan Markle’s feelings about her time in Oz.
According to a Palace staffer, Meghan was wholly unimpressed with the Australian tour which the couple embarked upon the autumn following their marriage in May 2018, rendering it a pointless exercise.
The Sussex’s arrival Down Under sparked global media attention, especially as the trip came so soon after their ground-breaking wedding ceremony earlier that year. Thousands of members of the Australian public gathered to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple as they toured through Sydney, Melbourne, Dubbo and Queensland on a tour which was supposed to show solidarity and strengthen relationships between Britain and Australia, which is a British Commonwealth nation – a usual procedure for royal family members and a staple part of Royal duties.
But, according to insiders, Meghan did not appreciate having to spend time on duties she deemed “pointless”:
“So, Meghan must have been thrilled with it all … right? No. She apparently hated every second of it,” wrote Brown.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive in Dubbo, in rural New South Wales, on the second day of their visit to Australia. The royal couple were greeted by school children, but it was 5-year-old Luke Vincent who stole the limelight. pic.twitter.com/Oh2lJTcDNY
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 17, 2018
"*" indicates required fields
“She didn’t understand why things were set up in that way. Instead of being excited when thousands of people showed up at the Opera House, it was very much like, ‘What’s the purpose? I don’t understand this.”
Brown says the staffer went on to say that the former actress did not understand or appreciate the “representational role” Royal family members were expected to play on behalf of Britain and that she really just wanted to push “causes she wanted to spotlight”.
During the tour, it was reported in the Times that Meghan had called people “silly” for turning up to meet her and her new husband:
“What are they all doing here?” she asked her team. “It’s silly”.
Hollywood starlet Meghan has never been one to shy away from events which she does deem to be worth her while, though.
In 2020, the pair controversially attended a party in London with Disney bosses. Harry was videoed schmoozing with Disney bigwigs at the Lion King premier, and could even be heard telling franchise boss Bob Iger that Meghan was “really interested” in doing voice over work.
Harry had chosen to attend the premier rather than join his fellow Royal Marine veterans who were hosting a charity fund-raising event the other side of London, sparking major criticism from the media and public.
Seemingly the 2018 Australian tour was the start of a downward spiral for Meghan’s position and respect among palace staff and family members.
Upon their return to the UK, rumors began of arguments brewing between Harry and his older brother William and a spat between Meghan and Kate Middleton.
Meghan and Harry announced they were stepping down from royal duties in 2020, and have since behaved like aspiring Hollywood celebrities.