Meghan Markle has just suffered her biggest blow yet

The Duchess has had a tough few months but overnight, a British institution launched a savage attack designed to hit her where it hurts.

For a brief, golden period after her marriage, Meghan Markle could do no wrong.

Then the backlash began and for the past six months, the Duchess of Sussex has endured increasingly negative media attention.

For the most part, she and palace have ignored this bad press, no doubt disregarding it as “tabloid gossip” not worthy of a response.

Overnight, all that changed, when upper class society magazine Tatler published a bombshell report about the Duchess of Sussex’s first year as Windsor wife. And boy oh boy — it is quite the damning read.

Among the scandalous morsels offered up: That Palace staff have dubbed her ‘Me-Gain,’ that she bought a sorbet station for her royal office and Prince Charles described last year’s wedding preparations as a “nightmare”.

It also claimed after she hooked up with Harry she became much more “difficult”, she wanted to wear a sleeveless wedding dress — but the Queen put the kybosh on that — and Charles did not want Harry to marry her.

She also reportedly ignored Harry’s mates’ wives when she met them, encouraged Hazza to skip one his oldest friend’s weddings to go to the launch of Soho House Amsterdam and made Kate Middleton cry during Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress fitting because she was so “brusque”. And that’s just some of what the story details.

(To be fair, the piece does also explore, very fairly, the incredible challenges of Meghan’s position and is highly complimentary of the energy and passion she has bought to it. The author also points out she has helped Harry and Charles become much closer, which is very sweet.)

However, there is no getting around that this story is a significant blow for Meghan. In fact, while her tenure as an HRH has been plagued by nearly continuous negative reports, this newest report is a much more significant strike to her image and reputation.

Meghan has suffered a blow so devastating it might just derail her entirely. Picture: Trevor Adams/Matrixpictures.co.uk

For one thing, it quotes (albeit anonymous) toffs who know her or are closely associated with Kensington Palace.

This is not just some scurrilous below-stairs gossip that someone decided to sell for $100 to a hack desperate for a front-page scoop.

This story comes with the full weight and credibility of an incredibly well regarded title. Therefore, it will be pretty much impossible for the Palace media mandarins to dismiss this one as simply dubious tabloid gossip.

And that brings us to the second, very concerning, issue for Meghan: This magazine is widely and devoutly read by the aristocratic and noble classes in the UK.

While all these Ruperts and Aramintas and Earls might not be poring over the more popular Sunday newspapers where previous damning stories have been published, it is a safe bet that anyone who matters in British high society will devour this story, mouth agape, nearly spilling their G&T all over their favourite flatulent labrador.

Tatler has been a staple on aristocratic and upper-class coffee tables since 1709. (It is most likely the in-flight magazine on Her Maj’s chopper. My personal favourite story of all-time was called, “Help, I inherited a castle”. So relatable!)

Meghan and Harry can no longer ignore the negative media attention she is attracting. Picture: Trevor Adams/Matrixpictures.co.uk

The people who matter to her husband and his family, their social circle and closest peers, and whose opinions and thoughts are valued by the Windsor clan, will all be keenly aware of this latest story and the particularly poor light it portrays her in.

Meghan is not going to be able to spin or downplay or even ignore this story, as has been her M.O. since she first unrolled her yoga mat in Kensington Palace.

Now might be a good time for her to go into labour … There is no cheerier story than the arrival of a royal baby and no quicker way to make people forget about ‘Me-Gain’ than by producing a new HRH.

Daniela Elser is a royal expert and freelance writer. Continue the conversation @DanielaElser