The ever-shrewd Princess Royal had a premonition that the Duchess of Sussex wouldn’t last long in The Firm.
In a new revelation that royal expert Neil Sean shared publicly for the first time last week, Princess Anne, 74, apparently warned Meghan Markle that she needed to treat royal life like a “job” – and not a celebrity status.
“[Princess Anne] pointed out … it was a job, you turn up on time, you do your research and do the duty. It’s all about the project at hand,” Neil explained during a YouTube appearance.
But much to Anne’s dismay, it seems her words were ignored. Many insiders explain that former actress Meghan, 43, could never amalgamate British duty with her Hollywood habits.
It’s no wonder then, that Anne accurately predicted Meghan would have “a short shelf life”, according to Neil.
A royal insider tells New Idea Anne “genuinely wished she was wrong about Meghan”, who began dating Prince Harry in 2016 before marrying in 2018.
By 2020, the couple had fled London and moved to North America, leaving a trail of fury behind them.
“Sadly, Anne was absolutely spot-on about Meghan and can’t help but feel a sense of ‘I told you so,’” says the insider.
It’s understood Meghan insisted on “ignoring” Anne’s sage guidance, and “never really warmed” to the royal veteran.
“Meghan was incapable of taking any advice without being offended,” our source explains. “She got on the defensive and took everything [Anne] said personally, which was absolute nonsense.”
The insider adds Anne “wanted Meghan to succeed” – particularly for 40-year-old Harry’s sake.
“But it was becoming clear that [Meghan] had other agendas on her mind than devotion to the Crown,” says our source.
As has been the case with most stoushes between the Sussexes and the royals, it appears recollections may vary. A source close to Meghan in California insists that Anne’s advice came across as “conceited and very outdated” – which is why she opted to ignore it.
The insider believes the duchess was later “outraged that Anne would say she had a ‘short shelf life’.”
“That’s so insulting, but in her mind just a continuation of the bullying she’s convinced she faced at the hands of Harry’s family,” says the insider.
It’s no surprise the relationship between Anne and Meghan is thought to have deteriorated following the Sussexes’ decision to step down as working royals – and worsened as they launched a public barrage of missives at the palace.
But considering where the chips have fallen for the Sussexes, the source close to Meghan admits that heeding the Princess Royal’s advice early on may have yielded a very different outcome.
“Meghan would never admit she made a mistake, but she did underestimate the Princess Royal,” adds our well-placed source.
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