Royal Author Says Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Handled Nasty Press Coverage Differently but Meghan Could Have Made It Go Away
Meghan Markle spoke about how she was treated by the press and the coverage she received in her Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. Being stalked by the paparazzi was a theme in the documentary but she certainly isn’t the only royal family member who has been hounded by the media.
After she began dating Prince William, the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) was constantly followed and harassed by the paparazzi but she managed the press much differently than Meghan. Now, a royal author is claiming that if the Duchess of Sussex handled the negative coverage the way her sister-in-law did the stories would have “vanished.”
Racist headlines about Meghan
In 2016, after it became known that Meghan and Harry were dating, the communications secretary to the prince released a statement explaining that the former Suits star was subjected to coverage with “racial undertones” and Harry was “fearful for Meghan’s safety.”
“Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments,” the statement from the Palace read. “Some of it has been hidden from the public — the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.
“Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game.’ He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his.”
Meghan also accused the tabloids of spreading fake news about her including a story about her being from Compton, somewhere she never lived.
Paps would yell insults at Kate
Prince William’s wife didn’t have an easy relationship with the press either.
For years while she was dating William they followed her every move which had some comparing the harassment to what Princess Diana went through. There was also a time when the paps would yell insults at her saying things like a ‘b****, w****, and s***g to try and get a rise out of her.
Months after she and William tied the knot, the couple were vacationing at a private residence and believed they were alone. However, a photographer was hiding in the bushes near the private estate taking photos with a long lens camera. Pictures of the pair including photos of Kate sunbathing topless were sold and published on the cover of a Swedish magazine.
Kate Middleton attends Chakravarty Cup polo match at the Beaufort Polo Club | Indigo/Getty Images
Differences in how the women handled the coverage
Tom Quinn, who authored the book Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, compared the coverage the women got but opined that Meghan could have dealt with it the way Kate did to make it go away.
“I remember when the press was so horrible to Kate,” Quinn told Fox News Digital. “They said because her mother was a stewardess, as it used to be called in those days, no one would invite the family to any events … The press would remark how she was descended from working-class people, which is an absolutely cruel thing to say. But Kate never responded. She didn’t complain … She said nothing. And that was a good move. She illustrated how calm she was about those things and didn’t make a fuss. And then, it vanished.
“Kate and Meghan got the same nasty press coverage. But in Meghan’s case, she complained that it was unfair, it was unkind, it was horrible. That only keeps the story alive for weeks. In Kate’s case, she ignored it. She’s very wise for it.”
