Palace's bizarre response to Meghan's Harry necklace
Meghan Markle was reportedly told off by palace officials after she was photographed in 2016 wearing a necklace with the letters “M” and “H” on it.
The necklace, from Canadian jewellers, The Right Hand Gal, seemingly irked the hierarchy at the palace, after Meghan was spotted carrying a bouquet of flowers in Toronto, wearing the $230 14-carat gold chain.
In an extract from a new biography about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, called Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim the duchess was advised in a call that wearing the necklace was encouraging photographers to take photos of her and causing the headlines the couples got at the time.
Meghan reportedly "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 jewelry to wear or not to smile at a photographer was too much,” the extract reads, according to People.
It’s reported that a ‘distraught’ Meghan called her friend saying she "felt damned if she did and damned if she didn't."
While reports claimed the necklace was bought for Meghan by Harry, the jewellers actually told Meghan fan account meghansmirror.com that her best friend, Jessica Mulroney commissioned the piece for the duchess.
Meghan was again seen wearing the necklace in October 2018 when she visited Cockatoo Island in Sydney with Prince Harry to watch the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge at the Invictus Games.
The Right Hand Gal sells the ‘Meghan Necklace’ on their website and also released a special creation with a crown on it around the time of the royal wedding in 2018.
Finding Freedom, which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to have had no involvement in, makes a series of controversial claims, including that Prince Harry called Prince William a ‘snob’ after he told him to to "take as much time as you need to get to know this girl".
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According to the authors, William was happy for his brother, but "just wanted to make sure that Harry wasn't blindsided by lust".
But his younger brother allegedly took offence to the phrase "this girl", and interpreted it as "snobbish and condescending".
It also claims Meghan and Kate’s relationship had “struggled to move past distant politeness" for the whole two years Meghan was part of the family and that the Duchess of Cambridge “snubbed” the Sussexes at their final royal engagement.
Other claims in the book include that:
* The Sussexes felt their complaints were not taken seriously and believed other royal households were leaking stories about them to the press.
* Being told to operate under Buckingham Palace's umbrella after splitting their household from the Cambridges was "a big disappointment" to the Sussexes.
* The Sussexes even considered breaking protocol by springing a surprise visit on the Queen when they believed they were being blocked from seeing the monarch.
A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said the couple did not contribute to the book, but he did not deny the content of The Times's extracts.
The spokesman told the PA news agency: "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."
With extra reporting by AAP
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