Meghan Markle's secret rage at Vanity Fair over Prince Harry relationship announcement

A new book has revealed Meghan Markle was infuriated by Vanity Fair's revelation of her relationship with Prince Harry. Photo / Getty Images

Meghan Markle was thrilled to be appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine - until she saw the words the publication had printed alongside the close-up of her face: "She's just wild about Harry".

According to a new book, the then-actress flew into a fit of rage over the magazine's decision to focus on her new relationship with Prince Harry instead of her activism and philanthropy.

Meghan Markle appeared on the September cover of Vanity Fair in 2017. Photo / Vanity Fair

In "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors," British journalist Tom Bower details how Markle erupted over the depiction of her in the magazine's September 2017 issue.

According to excerpts from Bower's new book, published by The Times of London over the weekend, Markle was under strict instruction from Harry's public relations team to avoid discussing her relationship with the prince - along with other sensitive topics such as Trump and race issues.

Bower writes that the Duchess-in-waiting had assured Harry the feature would be about celebrating the 100th episode of her show, Suits.

And Markle's US public relations company, Sunshine Sachs, had "demanded that the magazine satisfy Meghan's requirement that she be presented as a philanthropist and activist, without considering one problem: Vanity Fair's scrupulous researchers could find no evidence of her global philanthropy and activism," writes Bower.

But there was one problem: Vanity Fair's contributing editor, Sam Kashner, had never heard of Markle or her popular Netflix show. And when he asked her about her relationship with Harry, she replied, "We're a couple. We're in love."

Harry and Meghan's first appearance as a couple was at the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017. Photo / Getty Images

According to the article, Markle also said: "I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time."

Bower writes that the interview became the beginning of an intense focus on the pair and marked the start of Markle's new trajectory.

"The interview triggered sensational reactions: Meghan had used her relationship with Harry to promote herself. The Hollywoodisation of the royal family had sealed Meghan's fate as Harry's fiancee."