Meghan Markle Was 'Surprised' by Kate Middleton and Prince William's 'Lavish' Lifestyle
Meghan Markle struggled with the hierarchy within the royal family, and a new book claims the Duchess of Sussex was surprised by the drastic differences between Prince Harry and Prince William's lifestyles.
In a new biography, Robert Jobson claimed the former actress was shocked by the Wales' royal home after seeing Nottingham Cottage — a property Harry was "embarrassed" to show her.
"I am not saying Meghan was jealous, but she was surprised how lavishly Harry's brother was living compared to where they were living," Jobson wrote in Catherine, the Princess of Wales. "It was perhaps the beginning of all the tensions between the couples."
"Meghan understood, of course, that William was in the direct line of succession, but she felt that Harry, as a royal prince, deserved more than he had," he added.
Aside from the differences in resources, Meghan struggled to adjust to the cultural differences once she married Harry.
“I was a hugger and have always been a hugger. I didn’t realize that that was really jarring for a lot of Brits,” Meghan said in reference to her first time meeting William and Kate. “I guess I started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside.”
“There is a forward-facing way of being, and then you close the door and you are like, ‘Oh, great. We can relax now.’ But that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me,” she admitted.
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OK! previously reported Princess Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, believes the ties between the Sussexes and the Waleses are irretrievably broken after "Megxit."
“There is no room for any reconciliation now, they just don't trust him. He's worn away all the trust that they had in him," Burrell said on behalf of Slingo. "They can't invite him back into the fold because they know that when he gets back to America, he'll tell Meghan everything and then the rest of the world will know exactly what's happening."
After moving to the U.S., the Sussexes released several tell-all projects that negatively depicted the Windsors. Since the release of Harry & Meghan and Spare, things between the Sussexes and the royals have seemingly worsened.
"I think it’s very sad, as he's done it to himself. William doesn't trust him and we will not see him let back into his environment. Whilst they don't trust him, they can't invite him back," he added. "I just think it's a sad situation, but how do you resolve it? There's always somebody in a family to upset the family unit and somebody that you don't trust that you don't want to allow back in and Harry, is that person. It’s very sad. If his mother was alive, it just would not be happening."
Currently, the Sussexes are building careers in Hollywood, but Burrell doesn't think the pair can thrive professionally without their HRH status.
“Meghan and Harry have divorced themselves from the brand, which is the royal family," the reality star noted. "They've downgraded themselves."
"They are disassociating themselves with them because it ruins their brand," he continued. "To be associated with Meghan and Harry isn't the best thing, and would rather be associated with William and Kate, who stand for truth, who stand for duty, who stand for loyalty to the country."