Meghan's 'B-list actress' status did not prepare her to become the 'most famous person in the world': Expert
A royal expert has claimed that Meghan's experience as a "B-list actress" on 'Suits' was definitely not going to prepare her for the global spotlight and scrutiny that came with being a part of the British royal family. Speaking to 9Honey, royal commentator Katie Nicholl said that despite the Duchess of Sussex having had a successful career acting in the American legal drama, her fame wouldn't have helped her pivot herself into her new royal life.
When the duo first announced their engagement in November 2017, several royal experts and commentators felt that the American born actress would be able to handle the royal family's spotlight with ease. However, the mother-of-one admitted in the couple's tour documentary 'Harry & Meghan: An African Journey' that she had never anticipated the scale of media scrutiny that would come with her new role.
"As an actress, she was used to being photographed. She had herself said there was this suggestion that she would be able to handle the press attention and find her way in the spotlight because of her previous experience," Nicholl said.
"Whereas actually, I think what she encountered was almost impossible to prepare for and certainly her experience as a B-list actress wasn't going to stand her in [good] stead for suddenly becoming the most famous woman in the world," she continued. "She became a global celebrity on a stage just incomparable to anything Hollywood was going to offer or the Hollywood stage that she experienced before."
"It became very apparent from that documentary in Africa, that perhaps while she made it look easy, it obviously wasn't easy," Nicholl explained. "They projected a very happy image of themselves — Meghan and Harry — but scratch beneath the surface and all wasn't what it seems. They were both unhappy, Meghan particularly. There were big parts of her new life that she was finding hard to adjust to."
The Duchess of Sussex is heard in the ITV documentary telling presenter Tom Bradby how she wanted to "thrive" in life. "I've said for a long time to H — that's what I call him — it's not enough to just survive something, right?" she said while discussing the challenges of royal life. "That's not the point of life. You've got to thrive, you've got to feel happy."
Since March, the 38-year-old Meghan and her 35-year-old husband Prince Harry are currently living in Los Angeles with their one-year-old son Archie Mountbatten Windsor. They have taken up residence in an $18 million villa in Beverly Hills belonging to Hollywood actor Tyler Perry. The pair has never been pictured with Perry, but it is believed they met through their mutual friend Oprah Winfrey. Ever since moving to Los Angeles, the Sussexes have been calling the mansion home, which boasts of eight bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, and is located on 22 acres on top of a hill in the gated and exclusive Beverly Ridge Estates.
In recent news, it was reported that the media used Thomas Markle's absence at Meghan and Harry's wedding to drive a wedge in their relationship. Thomas was supposed to walk his daughter down the aisle as is tradition but was forced to sit out of the wedding citing a heart attack.
It is believed that Meghan was very upset with her father over the same. Cracks in the relationship between Meghan and her father had begun when he was accused of colluding with the paparazzi to stage photos ahead of his daughter's royal wedding. At the time, sources said, "The whole story about Meghan's father undergoing heart surgery was made up. The poor health story was his way of generating some compassion from the public, and taking the attention off those staged photos which were a complete embarrassment to Meghan and the royal family."