S Poddar
It has been reported that Princess Anne foresaw Meghan Markle’s difficulties in adjusting to royal life well before the former actress and her husband, Prince Harry, announced plans to step away from official duties. According to a leading royal commentator, Neil Sean, Princess Anne thought Meghan wasn’t going to last in the fold. Sean explains that Anne’s sharp insight could have emanated from her personal experience within the British monarchy and her understanding of what is expected of any new addition to the royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then relocated to California in 2020, citing a desire to raise their children away from the intense scrutiny they felt confronted them in the UK. Since they left the family, Harry and Meghan have hardly kept out of the headlines, speaking publicly about their time within the Royal Family through interviews and US media appearances. The move-at the time-blew open debates as people congratulated the couple’s desire for independence, while others heavily criticized them for airing private issues in public.
Royals close to the Palace have said Princess Anne had given Meghan some vital advice when she first joined royal life, telling her to consider the position as a job and not a route to celebrity. Anne, noted for her dedication and no-nonsense attitude, had told Meghan to wrap her attention around the job that came with being a royal rather than the glitz and glamour. Sean points out that Anne was only trying to bring Meghan around the understanding of gravitas and responsibility accompanying royal engagements. He said that Anne wasn’t after fame or attention but that she was keen on Meghan understanding that with the monarchy, it is all about service.
Neil Sean says Princess Anne’s advice was practical and to the point. He describes Anne, much like her father the late Duke of Edinburgh, as one who epitomizes discipline and hard work. The report quotes her as having told Meghan that being part of the Royal Family was not all about being at the center or enjoying being a royal. Anne made it known that being a royal was a job-one which one had to be punctual, prepared, and committed to performing. This many present would have regarded as sensible advice, but Meghan is said to have been ‘taken aback’ by the encounter and struggled to form a rapport with the Princess Royal.
An insider quoted by Sean says Meghan was confused by Anne’s advice and stressing of duty. It is said to have quoted this: “Meghan Markle failed to warm to Princess Anne, and Princess Anne always knew that Meghan would have a very short shelf-life in the world of the British monarchy.” In other words, this statement is insinuating that since the very beginning of it all, Anne might have sensed that Meghan’s personality and ambitions were at odds with what is expected from the members of the Royal Family.
This insight by Princess Anne, according to Neil Sean, is in cadence with the way she has lived her life as a royal. She had always been one of the hardest-working members of the royal family, often carrying out engagements with very little fuss. Sean says Anne took Meghan’s entrance into the family as an opportunity to remind her that it was about the responsibility of being a royal, not about being a star. Anne probably gave such advice because to her, the only way one can flourish within the Royal Family is to have one’s feet on the ground and minds fixed on the job at hand, rather than the people’s perception.
The advice to cultivate the others’ perception was nothing to Meghan and Harry, whose life within the Royal Family was short-lived. Meghan joined the Firm in 2018 after their highly publicized wedding. In 2020, Meghan and Harry stepped down from their official royal senior duties. Her departure, together with Harry, constituted a significant break with the royals’ tradition and continuous debates over the monarchy’s future, the couple’s relationship to the rest of the Royal Family, and their further position in the public eye.
Sean said, “Princess Anne knew the pressures of being royals and was rather realistic and pragmatic to handle them.” Meghan’s adjustment to royal life, as was expected, was shown to the world, but what Anne had to say earlier really indicated the awareness of the royal household about Meghan’s impending adjustment problems.
As such, Princess Anne’s foresight into Meghan Markle’s struggles with adapting to the minutiae of royalty reflects deep knowledge about what it takes to thrive within the monarchy. Her advice, informed by a lifetime of service, came from a place of experience and duty. Although Meghan’s time in the Royal Family was very short-lived, there is no question that her interactions with Anne left an indelible mark, not only on Meghan herself but also on royal observers still today who ponder what might have been done differently.
