Ever since Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in May last year, she has been at the centre of the tabloid news cycle with rumours of difficult behaviour and feuds with pretty much every other member of the Royal Family.
And whilst the reports seem… targeted and rather malicious, and despite Buckingham Palace continuing to deny the rumours, new speculation of royal rifts continue to emerge.
The latest report is that Meghan Markle has been banned from borrowing the Queen’s jewellery which were regularly worn by the late Princess Diana, and more recently Markle’s sister-in-law, Kate Middleton.
Reported by The Sun, a source, which they refer to as an “impeccably placed Royal insider”, revealed: “This is a surprising situation that has been going on behind the scenes over the past few months and has caused tension and upset, especially for Harry.”
“It is at the discretion of the Queen and trusted advisers which items in the Royal Collection she chooses to loan out and to whom.”
The anonymous source continues: "Aspects of Meghan’s behaviour, including before the Royal Wedding, caused resentment with forces within Buckingham Palace."
The insider further cites the Duchess of Sussex's rumoured difficult behaviour as the reason for her being cut off from the Royal Collection, saying "the Queen herself was not impressed with some of Meghan’s demands, especially as a new member of the family."
But perhaps proving that the rumours are to be taken with a grain of salt, the source then says that actually "the Queen likes Meghan personally", and instead "this is about the hierarchy".
"She is showing that maintaining the correct order and precedence within the family is important. Even if Meghan is the most popular woman in the world, she is of a lower rank than Kate."
Ouch.
But as pointed out by People, the Duchess of Sussex hasn't actually attended any event since becoming a member of the Royal Family that would typically see her wear a piece from the Royal Collection.
And on top of this, the Queen gifted Markle diamond earrings in June last year before their first public outing together, which she has worn a few times since.
And of course at the Royal Wedding in May, Meghan Markle - who is currently pregnant with her first child - was gifted a diamond-encrusted Queen Mary bandeau tiara from the Queen.
And for the couple's reception that night, the Duchess of Sussex wore an emerald-cut aquamarine ring that was part of Princess Diana's collection.
Who knows if these latest reports are true, but one thing is for sure: We can't trust every royal "insider" hat has ever made a claim about the Royal Family.
Top Comments
So, there’s a story that you admit is probably not true, but you’ll publish it anyway?
I think that the story is likely to be true, but the person writing it is reluctant to acknowledge that Meghan isn't that important in the royal family pecking order and hierarchy. Because, don't you know - we're all meant to think of the Royals as hashtagged, social media merching celebrities now - just like the Kardashians, only with posh accents and tiaras. Just the breath of fresh air that we've all been waiting for, right?
The premise that Meghan is not allowed to wear pieces from the collection on a casual basis, and that her access to the collection would be limited due to her relative lack of importance in the royal line, is not unreasonable nor unbelievable.
She'd probably get access to some things when she attends an event that calls for something a bit more fancy - after all the Countess of Wessex is down the line, but she has a couple of tiaras loaned from the Queen's collection for official events. But yes, she will always come after Camilla and Kate in terms of precedence and access to the good stuff.
This article also mixes up items personally owned by Diana (eg the aquamarine ring, the butterfly earrings she wore here in Australia) with items from the Queen's collection Diana may have had access to while Princess of Wales (eg Queen Mary's lovers knot tiara, various necklaces and earrings).