Meghan thinks if media had mistreated Kate instead of her, royals wouldn't have put up with it, reveals friend
Meghan Markle, reportedly told her friends recently that if the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, was being criticized by the press constantly, the royal family would have stepped in to change its media policies and would have slammed the tabloids.
"[Meghan said] no one would have put up with it, and the broken and outdated system would have been revised. Those outlets responsible for their vicious attacks would have been shut out," a friend of the former actress said, according to the Daily Mail.
The 37-year-old reportedly said that she believes if her sister-in-law was subjected to the same treatment given to her by the British media, "changes would have been made." The Sussexes, on the eve of the Queen's birthday last week, announced that they would have "no corroboration and zero engagement" with at least four of the UK tabloids, including The Sun, the Daily Mail, and the Express. The pair cited the outlets' poor treatment of Meghan as the reason behind the decision.
"This policy is not about avoiding criticism. It's not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting," a statement released by the couple said. "Media have every right to report on and indeed have an opinion on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, good or bad. But it can't be based on a lie. What they won't do is offer themselves up as currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion."
The decision had left palace aides stunned, however, the Duchess' friend said: "Meghan said no one in the royal family should be surprised with the announcement.
She said everyone knew exactly how Harry felt about the British tabloids and the changes he wanted made in order to protect his family. Meghan said Harry needed to take a stand for her, their son and his mother."
The source also told the outlet that what "irritated Meghan and Harry the most" is that if the media had "constantly criticized and needlessly bashed Kate the way they did her, changes within the royal's media policy would have been made. No questions asked." The friend added that the Duke of Sussex went to his father Prince Charles and his grandmother, the Queen, "constantly" to tell them how Meghan was being bullied, however, they "wouldn't do anything to change the protocol" despite seeing "how it was tearing him apart."
"[Meghan] said it was infuriating that Harry's very real and valid concerns fell on deaf ears," the source said. "Meghan said they made it seem like this is the way it is, deal with it. Harry had been dealing with it far too long. She said he wasn't going to let this destroy her life and their marriage."
The royal couple, this year on January 8, announced that they would step down from being senior members of the royal family and work to become financially independent. The pair, who had initially begun to settle in Canada, recently shifted base with their son Archie to the former actresses' hometown in Los Angeles, California in pursuit of a commercial career.
"Meghan said when she was living in England, she was being bullied by the media non-stop and Harry knew he had to do something dramatic to protect her and the family," the friend explained.
"She said she was being treated unfairly and picked on for everything she did including rubbing her belly too much when she was pregnant. She said there was no way she was going to go through motherhood being criticized for every little thing she did. She said she told Harry that it was only going to get worse, It was a no-win situation and the only solution was to take control of their own lives. Harry needed to take a stand for her, their son and his mother."
"Meghan said Harry made it crystal clear that they could not function in good faith under the current system... and that if it wasn't revised and updated to their liking, they would have no other choice than to break from the royal family," Meghan's friend explained to the outlet. "She said no one took his pleas seriously, so they had to take the issue into their own hands. This was about protecting the family and doing right by Princess Diana. She said the British tabloids have haunted Harry since childhood and should have been kicked out of the media pool long ago. The system is broken and Harry wanted to fix it. She said he needed to take a stand and now they are doing it together."