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Meghan Markle ‘hated being second-rate princess’ to Kate Middleton: palace staffer

New details have come to light about Meghan’s struggles within the Royal Family, with a Palace staffer claiming her status was an issue.

Meghan Markle (right) didn’t like playing second fiddle to Kate Middleton. Picture: Getty Images; Netflix
Meghan Markle (right) didn’t like playing second fiddle to Kate Middleton. Picture: Getty Images; Netflix

Meghan Markle didn’t like the strict rules of the ruling class — and hated playing second fiddle to Kate Middleton, a Kensington Palace staffer claims in a new book.

The aide has contributed to biographer Tom Quinn’s new tell-all, Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, which became available today.

The staffer details how Meghan, 41, reportedly struggled to adjust to royal life when she married Prince Harry in 2018.

An excerpt of the book published in the Mirror says the Duchess of Sussex was “dazzled by the worldwide fame that being a princess would bring.”

However, she didn’t like being compared to Kate, 41.

“She hated the constraints and the rules; she hated being a second-rate princess — second to Katherine Middleton, I mean,” the book says.

“Most of all she hated the fact that she had to do what she was told and go where she was told in the endless and to a large extend pointless royal round,” the excerpt continues.

Meghan also reportedly felt that she was being handled in a “slightly condescending way” by the Firm due to the fact that she wasn’t a blood royal, despite Kate being treated in the same manner.

Meghan reportedly struggled with the Palace pecking order. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Meghan reportedly struggled with the Palace pecking order. Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

The Duchess of Cambridge, however, “does not have Meghan’s messianic tendencies” and was able to deal with the royal establishment better than the former actress, the aide alleges.

They continue: “The thing to remember is that there is no limit to Meghan’s ambition, and like most fiercely ambitious people, she never thinks, ‘Have I got this wrong? Am I overreacting?’

“But it remains true that she is a lovely person so long as she is never crossed. For a weak boy unsure of himself like Harry, she is perfect because her absolute certainty makes him feel safe,” says the staffer.

The ex-Fab Four in late 2018. Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage
The ex-Fab Four in late 2018. Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage

The staffer describes Meghan as a “very nice, smiley, super-positive person,” but theorises she struggled with not being able to control her own life anymore after joining the royals.

The staff member also explains that Markle had a hard time being a part of the long-running institution where she had no influence. She was also reportedly upset that her residence would be at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace when she thought she’d be living in Windsor Castle.

Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, made a decision to take a step back as senior members of the royal family in January 2020. They subsequently moved to California in March of that year.

Harry, 38, and the mother of two could be making the trek back to the United Kingdom come May 6, when King Charles is officially crowned as monarch during his coronation.

While invitations have yet to be sent out, the couple is set to be on the guest list.

Buckingham Palace insiders told the Daily Mail last December: “Harry is his son and His Majesty will always love him. While things are difficult at the moment, the door will always be left ajar.”

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Meghan Markle ‘hated being second-rate princess’ to Kate Middleton: palace staffer

Original URL: https://www.thechronicle.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/meghan-markle-hated-being-secondrate-princess-to-kate-middleton-palace-staffer/news-story/233a4d88711fee77ed3fe33cd449f4b7