An explosive new book has shared fresh claims about what went on behind Palace walls while the ex-“Fab Four” were living there. Photo / Getty Images
An explosive new book has shared fresh claims about what went on behind Palace walls while the ex-“Fab Four” were living there. Photo / Getty Images
Royal staff have revealed how unfounded rumours were sparked that Meghan Markle was “flirting” with Prince William during their time living within Kensington Palace, after her displays of affection raised eyebrows.
The Duchess of Sussex has since admitted she had a “hug everyone” approach when she burst on to the scene as Prince Harry’s girlfriend – something the more “formal” staff and royal family members struggled to adjust to, reportedly causing some tension.
Aides who worked with Prince Harry, Meghan, Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, between 2016 and 2020 have opened up about what went on behind palace walls in the new book, Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants.
The Duchess of Sussex has admitted she had a “hug everyone” approach when she burst on to the scene as Prince Harry’s girlfriend. Photo / Getty Images
In an excerpt shared by the UK’s Times, author Tom Quinn wrote Meghan’s tactile approach to greeting her brother-in-law caused staff to wrongly misinterpret her behaviour as “flirting”, and that William was left “uncomfortable” by the gossip.
Onlookers had speculated “Meghan was flirting with William, which she was obviously not, but the tense atmosphere caused by all the touchy-feeliness (and the resultant gossip) deepened the rift between the brothers”, Quinn claimed.
While the couple have infamously fallen out in recent years, Quinn recounted staffers’ stories from the early days when a fast friendship initially developed between Meghan and her new family, who thought she was a “breath of fresh air”.
One even detailed witnessing an unexpectedly fun moment between William and Meghan in which the pair were spotted “doing a jokey parody of the [1950s], jiving together”.
Meghan’s “touchy-feeliness” reportedly sparked unfounded rumours of "flirting" with William. Photo / Getty Images
However, Meghan’s approach to physical affection was clearly one that left many uncomfortable, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have since publicly revealed themselves.
In their 2022 Netflix series Harry & Meghan, Meghan admitted she had not realised the royal family’s “formality” would continue behind closed doors – something she discovered during her first meeting with William and Kate.
“Even when Will and Kate came over and I was meeting her for the first time, I remember I was in ripped jeans, I was barefoot. Like I was a hugger, I have always been a hugger. I didn’t realise that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” she says in the series.
“I started to understand that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside, that there is a forward-facing way of being and then you close the door and think, ‘okay, we can relax now’.
“But that formality carries over on both sides and that was surprising to me.”
The Sussexes and the Waleses pictured in the days following the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022. Photo / Getty Images
Harry also wrote about the awkward situation in his 2023 memoir, Spare, claiming his brother “recoiled” from Meghan’s hug when they first met.
“[It] completely freaked him out,” Harry wrote. “He recoiled. Willy didn’t hug many strangers. Whereas Meg hugged most strangers.
“Will had hoped that she would greet him with standard reverence per the protocol,” he said, “[but] she didn’t know it and I hadn’t told her.”
