Meghan Markle’s Hollywood Style A-List Behavior Isn’t The Best Approach, Expert Warns

When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry and became the Duchess of Sussex, many royal family fans viewed her as a breath of fresh air that might hopefully bring some modernity to the tradition-bound British monarchy. However, an analyst warned the duchess that doing so in a Hollywood style A-list behavior might not be the best way to do it as she could easily find herself in a “tricky situation,” just like what Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, experienced.

The warning came from Anna Pasternak, “The Real Wallis Simpson” author. “That the spotlight has to be on the Monarch or the heir apparent,” the writer said. “What Meghan has got to realise is that she can’t live life in the Royal Family like an A-list, Hollywood star, and that the monarchy demands a very different set of behaviours.”

Pasternak gave her warning to the duchess during an episode of “Royal Box,” Yahoo UK’s royalty-focused show. “I would like to offer a note of caution to Meghan,” Pasternak said. “I think she’s heading for a very tricky situation because actually, very little has changed in the last 80 years in terms of the power of the courtiers.”

Pasternak said that Meghan could be facing the same “tricky situation” that Wallis did decades ago. “What I’ve discovered in my research for my books on Wallis and Princess Diana is that the one goal of the monarchy, the ultimate goal, is survival,” the author noted.

The author said that there are a lot of similarities between Meghan and Wallis. “The most obvious similarity, the most trivial, is that they were both 34 when they met their princes,” observed Pasternak. “They are both American divorcees, they both share a passion for couture. I also think they were both well-educated women and bright women. Wallis was whip-smart, much brighter than the Duke of Windsor and I think Meghan is similarly smart.”

Pasternak said that Wallis was a “victim of brutal character assassination,” which lasted even decades after her lonely death in 1986 while exiled in Paris. The author argued that Wallis was “written off by a cunning, powerful British establishment who sought to destroy and diminish her,” yet interviews with her close friend revealed a woman who was loyal, friendly, charming and dignified.

It was not only Pasternak who observed that long-entrenched courtiers might not agree with Meghan’s style of doing things. For instance, Majesty magazine’s editor-in-chief and royal family writer Ingrid Seward said that some senior members of the royal staff are concerned with the duchess’ feminist advocacy. “Some of the more old-fashioned courtiers recoil when they see some of the things that Meghan says,” Seward observed. “Meghan is walking a very tight rope there.”