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Rumors have been swirling around Meghan Markle ever since her engagement to Prince Harry was announced almost two years ago. Fans of the royals were concerned the American actress wasn’t marrying Harry for the right reasons, and that she was only after the fame and money.

Now that Markle is firmly a member of the royal family, the rumors still persist. How much of it is true? Did Markle really lie about her knowledge of Harry’s fame? Here’s what we know.

Meghan Markle claimed she didn’t know much about the royals

In their BBC engagement interview, Markle claimed that she didn’t know much about the royal family or how big a deal Harry is in the United Kingdom, because she’s an American. Markle said, “Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family. And so while I now understand very clearly there’s a global interest there, I didn’t know much about him.”

Friends of Meghan Markle say she was obsessed with the royal family

However, that may not be the whole truth. The childhood best friend of Markle, Ninaki Priddy, explained to Express that Markle has always been obsessed by the royal family. Priddy shared her thoughts when she heard about the engagement. “I’m not shocked at all,” Priddy said. “It’s like she has been planning this all her life. She gets exactly what she wants and Harry has fallen for her play.” A 15-year-old photograph of Priddy and Markle posing outside Buckingham Palace seems to collaborate Priddy’s story. “She wants to be Princess Diana 2.0,” Priddy added.

Markle’s best friend since they were toddlers, Priddy also did an interview with the Daily Mail. “Meg always wanted to be famous,” she told them. “She just loved to be the center of attention. We used to practice announcing herself.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Priddy also provided further details about Markle’s fascination with the royal family. “I know the royal family was something she found fascinating,” she said. “She had one of Princess Diana’s books [Diana: Her True Story] on her bookshelf, and even when she was with Trevor [Markle’s ex-husband], she told me she wanted to go and stay in London for at least a month … I wasn’t shocked or even surprised to hear about Prince Harry. I knew she used to love The Princess Diaries- films about a commoner who becomes part of a royal family. She was very taken with that idea.”

Further evidence that Markle was obsessed with the royal family can be found in Katie Nicholl’s new book, Harry: Life, Loss, and Love. The author claims that Markle studied life at Kensington Palace, and that she would often watch videotapes of the royal wedding between Harry’s parents- Princess Diana and Prince Charles. In fact, Markle’s fascination with British culture was so well known, that she often received books on the royal family as birthday presents.

Meghan Markle wanted to date ‘a famous British guy’

Before Markle knew she had a shot at the royal family, it seemed she was ready for other famous British guys. According to Lizzie Cundy, a British TV host who befriended Markle in 2013, Markle asked her to set her up with a famous British guy. “We were having a girly chat,” Cundy revealed in her memoir, Tales from the Red Carpet, “and then she [Markle] said, ‘Do you know any famous guys? I’m single and I really love English men.’ So I said, ‘We’ll go out and find you someone.”

Did Meghan Markle really lie and why?

Markle’s claim that she wasn’t aware of how big of a deal the royal family is doesn’t make complete sense. Even without considering her friend’s revelations, Markle would have had to been living under a rock to not know about the royal family. Considering she grew up in Hollywood, and her dream was to become an actress, it doesn’t seem realistic that she wouldn’t have kept up with the gossip magazines, and have seen stories about the royal family from time to time. Add in all her friends’ claims, and it certainly appears that Markle wasn’t 100% truthful about her ignorance of the royal family.

The question now is why did Markle feel the need to downplay her knowledge of the royal family? Markle may have thought she’d look like less of a fame seeker if she stretched the truth. Royal critics can be brutal over the smallest details. Nonetheless, most people love her story: A beautiful American marries a prince and together they challenge outdated principles of the royal family.

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