Meghan Markle allegedly staged 2015 photos shot by paparazzi
Meghan Markle has been accused of colluding with a paparazzi photographer to set up these seemingly candid shots of herself.
Meghan Markle and her agent have been accused of colluding with a paparazzi photographer to set up shots of her entering a London restaurant.
The Duchess of Sussex was pictured going into Toto’s restaurant wearing a stylish white coat in Kensington during March 2015, the year before she met Prince Harry.
At the time, Meghan was a relatively unknown American actress playing paralegal Rachel Zane on cable TV drama Suits.
Sources told The Sun that the picture had been “prearranged” through her agent at talent firm Kruger Cowne – with a photographer heading to the venue specifically to snap her going inside.
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It comes as blockbuster biography Finding Freedom revealed how the Duchess used to “set up” the occasional paparazzi photo – despite her dad Thomas being criticised for doing the same thing.
An insider told The Sun: “Meghan knew the photographer was going to be at the Kensington restaurant to take her photos of her arrival.
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“It was all prearranged. She was very calm when she arrived and even gave the hint of a smile.
“For someone who wasn’t very well known in the UK at that point, she certainly didn’t question why a photographer would randomly turn up to take her picture.
“Funnily enough though, the pictures never sold at the time. The only time they started to sell was when news broke that she was with Prince Harry.”
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Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, Meghan’s former agent at Kruger Cowne, denied that the pictures had been organised through the firm.
She said: “It is absolutely not true. I’m not aware of any set-up pictures being done with Meghan.”
Asked about how the photographers knew who Meghan was and where she would be on the 2015 dates, she said: “I have no idea.”
In the biography Finding Freedom, which is due to hit shelves next month, the authors claim that Meghan’s co-operation with photographers ended when she met Prince Harry.
It said: “While Meghan, before she met Harry, had occasionally set up a paparazzi photo or let info slip out to the press, she did everything in her power to protect the privacy of her relationship (with the Prince) with the press.”
Her dad Thomas, 76, was shunned for setting up pictures with a photographer before the royal wedding in 2018.
The Sun also revealed how Meghan also became close to a renowned celebrity photographer when she was an actress in Toronto – while promoting herself “in any way she could”.
The Duchess of Sussex is said to have struck up a friendship with snapper George Pimentel.
Canadian photographer Pimentel, also friends with Meghan’s former BFF Jessica Mulroney, even travelled to England to get shots of the Duchess on her wedding day.
A source told The Sun: “He would take pictures of her and Jessica at events and on the red carpet. She would be nice to him and he photographed her at lots of different parties.”
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Pimentel repeatedly photographed Meghan, now 38, after she moved to Toronto from Los Angeles in 2011 for TV show Suits.
Speaking in 2018, he said: “Meghan tried to promote herself in any way she could from the start. (With Harry) she has struck gold and she knows it.
“Yes, they have fallen in love, but she has to take on a huge role and she lives for that.
“She is getting so used to having her photograph taken. I think she’s actually getting a bit sick of it, but that’s the life. Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it!”
Pimentel even travelled to Windsor Castle, where he got a shot of Meghan on her wedding day to Harry – claiming the royal couple recognised him in the crowd and waved.
Afterwards he said: “She totally looked at me and recognised me. And I’m not just saying that. She gave me a wave and she gave me a great smile.”
Paparazzi photographers in Toronto told The Sun Meghan was not famous enough before she met Harry to set-up pictures with them.
One said: “I almost photographed her once, but lost her. I wouldn’t have made a dime out of the pictures anyway.”
This story originally appeared on The Sun and is republished here with permission
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