According to an insider, Meghan Markle was taken under the wing of Camilla, 73, before her marriage to Prince Harry and told how to cope with the public scrutiny which comes with being part of the firm. During a private lunch with Meghan, Camilla reportedly drew on her own experiences of being at the centre of a backlash, following the start of her relationship with Prince Charles as his marriage to Princess Diana broke down in the 1990s.
The source says Camilla told Meghan to “ride out the storm” and then everything would be fine.
A friend of Meghan told the Mail on Sunday: “Meg was really grateful to Camilla who was very supportive and invited her out for private lunches, particularly around the time of her marriage.
“She listened to her and understood that it’s really difficult joining the Royal Family from an otherwise ‘normal’ life.
“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.”
Before Meghan and Harry officially left the firm in March, the Duchess of Sussex had complained she did not receive much support.
In a bombshell ITV documentary, Meghan famously said: “Not many people have asked if I’m ok.”
According to a palace aide, Camilla offered similar advice to Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, prior to her marriage to Prince William in 2011.
They said: “The Duchess of Cornwall does understand what it’s like to come from a normal life and then land in the completely extraordinary world that the Royal family exist in.
“As a consequence, she tries very hard to make people welcome and help them find their feet, and has done so for many years.
“Her consciously offering to mentor and guide is something that she really does try and do.
“That applies to many people, not just the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex.”
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At the start of Meghan and Harry’s relationship, the book also claims Kate did little to help the American actress to settle into royal life.
The royal biography adds Meghan had expected Kate to “give her the lie of the land on everything an outsider to the firm needed to know but that was not how things turned out”.
It also details of an alleged rift between the brothers and claims Prince William feared Harry was “blindsided by lust” when he first met Meghan Markle in 2016.
