This Meghan Markle necklace apparently caused controversy at the palace

(Image credit: 2018 Max Mumby/Indigo)

The new royal biography about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Finding Freedom, carries on to make waves since extracts from it started to be published in newspapers worldwide this past weekend.

On excerpt revealed the couple were apparently engaged much earlier than we thought, while another talked about their sweet first date.

Of course the book, written by royal correspondents and authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, also touches on the alleged tensions between the couple and the Palace.

One incident that happened quite early on in their courtship, at the end of 2016, revolved around a piece of jewellery. A necklace to be precise.

Meghan Markle is known for wearing jewellery with a special meaning, often related to her son Archie or her husband Prince Harry, whether it's personalised with their birth stones like her eternity ring, or their star signs.

The necklace that caused raised eyebrows at the Palace is a simple gold chain featuring two initials, an M and an H, for the at-the-time newly dating couple. She was pictured wearing it while out and about in Canada, where she still lived while filming Suits.

This came just a month after Prince Harry issues a statement warning against harassment and racism towards Meghan, essentially confirming the romance.

According to the authors, 'She was advised that wearing such a necklace only served to encourage the photographers to keep pursuing such images — and new headlines'.

They added that 'Meghan said little during the call, choosing instead to simply listen to the counsel. But after hanging up, she felt frustrated and emotional. While she knew the aide had good intentions, the surreal experience of having someone from her boyfriend's office tell her what kind of jewellery to wear or not to smile at a photographer was too much.'

The couple have denied taking part in the book, so of course this incident hasn't been confirmed. A representative of the couple said in a statement, 'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.'

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.