‘First impulse was to laugh’: Former restaurant worker recalls Meghan aide’s rude demand

The former maitre d’ of a posh restaurant has recounted a rude interaction with Meghan and one of her staffers before she married Harry.

A new book claims Meghan Markle stood and watched as an aide demanded a private area for her at a posh restaurant, before she became the Duchess of Sussex.

The aide then name-dropped Prince Harry, saying Meghan needed a table because it was “for someone who is dating a prince”, the book alleges, according to The Sun.

Former maitre d’ Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, who worked at the restaurant for two-and-a-half years, writes: “I said, ‘I still don’t have a private table for you.’”

Meghan, then known primarily for her acting role in the TV show Suits, arrived 20 minutes early for her booking with her handler, who allegedly became aggressive with staff.

“Are you aware my guest is dating Prince Harry and about to be a duchess? Don’t you have a private area for us to wait?” the aide allegedly said.

“My first impulse was to laugh,” Mr Cecchi-Azzolina writes in his upcoming memoir.

“I couldn’t give two s***s about Prince Harry’s date, and by the attention the escort was drawing from the crowd at the bar, nor did anyone else.”

He claims Meghan was “aloof” and “didn’t say a word”.

“We get the most powerful people in the world that come here. No one really cares about you,” he says he told the handler.

He claims other celebrities, including Vogue editor Anna Wintour and supermodel Naomi Campbell, regularly showed up unannounced and often sent food back.

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Meghan and Harry.

Earlier this week, US comedian and actress Whoopi Goldberg slammed Meghan for recent comments she made about her time working on the game show Deal or No Deal, saying the Duchess made “other women feel bad”.

On the latest episode of her podcast, Meghan reflected on her time with the show, saying she was made to feel like a pretty object instead of a person.

During a subsequent episode of The View, on which Goldberg is a co-host, Goldberg had a strong opinion.

“OK. I just want to say that on that show, you had a suitcase, and they wanted to know, is this the deal you want, or is this not the deal you want,” she began.

“I don’t know that the people who are sitting there are thinking about you like that. They’re thinking: ‘I want the money.’”

In the latest episode of her Spotify podcast, Meghan Markle revealed exactly why she pulled the pin on the popular game show. Picture: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal

Goldberg went on to mention Vanna White, who has spent 40 years presenting on another game show, Wheel of Fortune.

“The objectification might be coming from you and how you felt about how these women were being portrayed,” said Goldberg.

“That’s what you have to change, because we’re performers. When you’re a performer, you take the gig ... sometimes you’re in a bozo suit, sometimes you’ve got a big nose. And this is just the way it is.”

This story first appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission.