The Martyr of Montecito

Meghan Markle thinks very highly of herself, so when she realised that being part of the royal family wasn’t for her, to the point of feeling suicidal, she and Prince Harry flew out of Britain six years ago.

.Despite such a drama she was surprisingly pleased with her title ‘Duchess of Sussex.’ She’s still using it for signing letters and occasionally with the prefix HRH which is used for high-ranking members of the royal family, despite the late Queen Elizabeth telling her she could not use it once she left the royal family.

It’s no surprise that Meghan has remained pompous, so much so that her house manager has begun to announce ‘Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’ when she enters a room to meet a visitor.

It is, however, her mistake rather than her gain. Decorum experts have been shocked as the protocol as laid down in Debrett’s New Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners is that the visitor should be introduced first.

Meghan, however, follows her own protocols. As Harry has said, “What Meghan wants, Meghan gets.”

She also misses detail and truth

.

Three years after her marriage she and Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. Meghan felt her life with the royals had been too unfair on her. She even sneered at the £32m wedding itself. Meghan said she hadn’t wanted their large public ceremony in 2018. It was she said a “spectacle ... planned for the world” but not for her. She wanted their own special “union” in their backyard with Justin Welby, then Archbishop of Canterbury, marrying them before the official ceremony. I wonder if Harry agreed as he had enjoyed being in the army.

The Archbishop was in such a difficult position that he made a public statement that it would be a “serious criminal offence” to wed people twice in a week and said he had just given a few prayers. Nor were there any witnesses. The couple had, however, specifically requested a horse-drawn carriage procession through the streets of Windsor after their wedding service, but obviously didn’t let anyone know they had changed their minds

.

Meghan still hangs on to her title while living in a large mansion in Montecito with 16 bathrooms. Despite this she often acts like a martyr, moaning how he gave up her career and life for Harry, but hasn’t yet grasped that there wasn’t an acting career waiting for her. It’s said her talent has not helped her make it in Hollywood.

For the last year or so she has talked a lot about making jam, which was eventually revealed to be mostly made in factories. Her other goodies include honey, herbal teas, crepe mix and alcohol. She’s keen on flower sprinkles for decorating food but they are not popular and far too dry to eat.

There have been candles too, which unfortunately have been sent out without a wick.

.

For Christmas, Netflix is showing a Meghan video called With Love Meghan Holiday Celebration. There have been many complaints that it doesn’t use the word ‘Christmas’ at all but the decorations and food are all Christmasy. There’s even a Santa mug for her children, Archie and Lillibet, although she said they don’t believe in him now.

.

Meghan looked thrilled when recently she went to the 70^th birthday of Kris Jenner, one of the Kardashians, hosted by Jeff Bezos, the Amazon billionaire who married Lauren Sanchez last June.

Meghan hoped that Bezos could give her some help in becoming a billionaire too. All was going well until photographs of the party were taken. Initially they were shown on the premises, then moved to Instagram. Harry and Meghan wanted them removed and started making a fuss. The party spotlight turned onto Meghan because she was determined to get what she wanted. It may make future friendships less easy.

At the same time Harper’s Bazaar ran a cover story on Meghan with a series of photographs that were an example of how to look negative and expressionless. In the accompanying article Meghan mentioned that Harry’s “childlike wonder and playfulness” drew her to him: it was a huge put-down for him and a revelation of how she sees herself.

Duchess of Sussex or not, having her name announced as she comes into a room is far less powerful than having a pleasant manner. And an increasing number of people remember the times she has been dishonest and hurtful.