Royal staff watched the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell interview in horror as the couple claimed that Meghan Markle was left unsupported.
According to Daily Mail, sources revealed that the Duchess of Sussex was given the Queen’s most senior staff as her ‘mentors’ after she and Prince Harry became engaged.
The former actress was also allowed to hand-pick her 15-strong team of talented and loyal aides.
One staff said: “It is very disingenuous to make such a sweeping generalization. There was a brilliant team of very experienced and loyal aides to help them. Sadly, she and Harry were willing to listen to no one. And that is the honest truth.”
The news outlet also reported that the Queen personally persuaded Samantha Cohen, her former deputy private secretary, to work for Meghan and Harry.
One of Cohen’s roles was to help Meghan out through the wedding and get her ready for royal life at Kensington Palace – from royal etiquette to diplomatic protocol.
A source said: “The Queen gave her Sam, her most trusted, her safest set of hands.”
But Meghan told Oprah that she had not received any support or guidance on how to act as a royal and that she was forced to search in Google.
“Unlike what you see in the movies, there’s no class on how to… how to speak, how to cross your legs, how to be royal,” Meghan expressed. “There was none of that training that might exist for other members of the family. That was not something that was offered to me.”
She continued: “Even down to, like, the National Anthem.point 153 | No one thought to say, ‘Oh, you’re American.point 194 | You’re not gonna know that’.point 222 |
That’s me, late at night, googling… I don’t wanna embarrass them.point 65 | I need to learn these 30 hymns for church.point 99 | All of this is televised.point 120 | We were doing the training behind the scenes ’cause I just wanted to make them proud.point 192 | ”point 195 | 1
Prince Harry backed up her claims and said one of the reasons they have decided to step down as senior royals was a “lack of support and lack of understanding.”
However, sources have told the Mail that their claims “is not one anyone recognizes.”
One said: “No one wants to get into a tit-for-tat but it is important to stress that this idea the duchess wasn’t helped with protocol, that no one taught her to curtsey, she had to google the National Anthem herself, isn’t true.”
In addition to being given the services of Cohen, the Duchess of Sussex was also put on speed dial to the equerry of the Queen, Lieutenant Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah of the Household Cavalry.
Equerries are senior officers who help organize the Queen’s official functions.
Meghan was also able to lean on Lady Susan Hussey, one of the Queen’s most senior ladies-in-waiting. Like other ladies-in-waiting, Lady Susan also accompanies the Queen on engagements and organizes her diary.
“Like Sam Cohen, there couldn’t have been a safer sounding board for the duchess to use. Lady Susan is very approachable, as are all the ladies-in-waiting, and would have wanted to help in any way they could,” a source said.
“In fact it was said that all of the ladies-in-waiting came over to Kensington Palace to have tea with Harry and Meghan’s team… as a getting-to-know-you session.”
One insider added: “The intimation from the interview was that Harry, and particularly Meghan, were on their own. Of course no one could ever understand what it must be like being plunged into that world so quickly.
“But that’s why this team was assembled. Contrary to what has been suggested, Buckingham Palace has learnt from the mistakes of the past and were determined to help them in any way they could. They wanted to make Harry and Meghan a success.
“Unfortunately they didn’t want to listen.
“Harry was intrinsically distrustful of the institution and Meghan just really didn’t want to know.”
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