Meghan Markle may ‘pedal back’ on woke speeches, royal expert claims

Meghan Markle may ‘pedal back’ on some of her more woke speeches after realising it puts Prince Harry’s relationship with his family at risk, a royal expert has claimed.

The Duchess of Sussex, 39, has recently been outspoken on a range of hot-button  issues including the addictive nature of social media, Black Lives Matter and voter suppression.

Biographer Robert Lacey, whose most recent book Battle of Brothers picks apart the rift between the Princes William and Harry, said it has dawned on Meghan that her speaking out about ‘more extreme’ subjects could be detrimental to her husband’s position within the Royal Family. 

He also claimed the Duke of Cambridge has been proved ‘right’ to have concerns about the former actress causing ‘problems’ within the Firm.

Mr Lacey – who is a historical consultant on Netflix series The Crown – states in his book that William asked his uncle Charles Spencer to advise Harry against rushing into his marriage with Meghan.  

Speaking on True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat, he said: ‘Meghan is a self-made woman; she becomes a star; she becomes a self-made millionairess. 

‘I think when William sat down with Harry and said there could be problems, I think events have proved him right.’

He added: ‘Meghan acknowledged that it’s risky for her family to get involved in controversial issues. 

‘Maybe she’s simply talking about the physical risk that exists in America for anybody, because of the way politics has become so volatile and violent there… but I think that she has come to realise how [some of her] speeches risk her husband’s relationship with the family and perhaps she may pedal back on some of these more extreme positions.’

Biographer Robert Lacey, whose most recent book Battle of Brothers picks apart the rift between the Princes William and Harry, said it has dawned on Meghan that her speaking out about ‘more extreme’ subjects could be detrimental to her husband’s position within the Royal Family. Pictured: Harry and Meghan during a pre-recorded conversation with Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai last weekend

In October alone, Meghan has made six digital appearances, from serving as a speaker at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen Virtual Summit this week to her first podcast and a pre-recorded conversation with Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai last weekend.

In her most recent virtual discussion, Meghan made a bold comparison between social media users and drug addicts – and was later accused of ‘ripping off’ the ideology from Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an investigative movie that examines the hidden dangers of social media.

At the end of September, Harry and Meghan sparked furious backlash when they spoke out about the upcoming US election in a video for Time 100 that saw harry urge people to ‘reject hate speech’, while Meghan referred to the presidential race as ‘the most important election of our lifetime’.

Meghan, pictured during a conversation with senior Fortune editor Ellen McGirl, in which she said she doesn’t pay any attention to what people say about her

Although the couple did not voice their support for one candidate in particular, their words made waves on both sides of the Atlantic and were seen as anti-Donald Trump, including by the President himself.

Their decision to make any statement about the presidential election is also in direct opposition to the royal family’s policy of maintaining political neutrality.

Mr Lacey said he finds the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ‘too preachy’ and claimed William, 38, who recently launched his ambitious Earthshot Prize, does more for some progressive causes than his brother and sister-in-law.

‘People have said the Windsors don’t do “woke”,’ he explained. ‘They don’t know how to handle progressive causes. 

This week it emerged Harry and Meghan will host a special edition of TIME100 Talks on the State of Our Shared Digital Experience on Tuesday. Pictured in a new photo to mark the event. Mr Lacey said he finds the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ‘too preachy’

‘However, I think William does it rather well. He does it better than Meghan and Harry. This couple, in a way, are too extreme.’

Mr Lacey also claimed Prince William refused to attend a lunch with the Queen and his brother to clear the air before the Sandringham Summit.

He said Harry’s behaviour ‘infuriated William to the extent that when the Queen alright, let’s have a meeting to talk about all this – she said, beforehand [the summit] we will have a family lunch to talk things over – William actually said “No, I do not want to come to the lunch, I will come and negotiate over the table” but he would not sit down at the family lunch with Harry’. 

Mr Lacey also suggested that, should Harry’s role of Head of the Royal Marines be given to William, it would signal ‘the end’ of their relationship. 

Robert Lacey claimed Prince William, pictured yesterday with wife Kate on a video call to organisations they visited in Pakistan in October 2019, does more for some progressive causes than his brother and sister-in-law

‘I think that will mark the rift,’ he said. ‘I think that they have kept that position open for him [Harry] if he wants to come back into the family and if they are going to give it to William, I think that is the end of it [the relationship between the boys].’

This week it emerged Harry and Meghan will host a special edition of TIME100 Talks on the State of Our Shared Digital Experience on Tuesday. 

Themed around the topic of ‘Engineering a Better World,’ the special episode is set to reflect the couple’s focus on building online communities that are more compassionate, safe, and trustworthy.

The Sussexes will also discuss what that means for supporting and accelerating progress on critical issues like gender equity, racial justice, and climate change.