Meghan Markle's well-meaning comment before her wedding that caused 'shudders' at the Palace

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When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they were engaged in late 2017, they gave an interview to the BBC detailing how they met, the romantic proposal and their plans for the future. It was then that the Duchess of Sussex revealed she would be giving up her acting career and moving to the UK permanently to take on her new role as a senior working royal.

During her time in the British monarchy, she threw herself into a number of projects and charitable endeavours and often used her platform to advocate for positive change. She was also gifted patronages that reflected causes she was passionate about, including the arts, education, support for women and animal welfare.

However, her tenacious attitude and enthusiasm to make big changes happen fast wasn't always welcomed by the Palace.

In her upcoming book, The Palace Papers: Insider the House of Windsor, the Truth and the Turmoil, royal author Tina Brown claims that Meghan was determined to show her commitment to making positive changes - and quickly.

Just months before her wedding, she attended an event for the Royal Foundation alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton. She reportedly vowed to 'hit the ground running' with her royal charity work, but this innocent and well-meaning comment didn't go down all too well with Palace insiders who believed that the royals should take a much slower approach to their work.

As reported by the Telegraph, Tina writes: 'I think Meghan felt she could get in there and change it all. Frankly, she could have done a great deal to change things had she stuck around, but the thing that’s most baffling is such impatience. She could have spent a year away and come back with a great game plan.'

The phrase is said to have caused 'shudders at the Palace', and Brown continued: 'I do think that for a woman who’s had a high-profile US career, a professional woman of 35, dealing with the Palace must have been an absolute nightmare.

'Meghan knew what she wanted to do. Probably most of her ideas were rather constructive and good – but she had to go through this sclerotic culture. And live in a hierarchy, which she’s never done.'

Since leaving the royal family, the Sussexes have launched Archewell - an organisation committed to driving 'systemic cultural change' - and signed a deal with Netflix to create documentaries, children's programs and films aiming to 'inform but also give hope'.

Jadie Troy-Pryde
News Editor

Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.