Before Meghan Markle officially joined the British royal family, a dramatic incident occurred that reportedly set the tone for her future relations with Buckingham Palace. Royal author Tom Bower recently revisited the moment that led to a “hysterical” reaction from Meghan, following a breach of strict guidelines laid out by Prince Harry.
The root of the controversy traces back to Meghan’s 2017 interview with journalist Sam Kashner for Vanity Fair. Titled “She’s Just Wild About Harry,” the feature shone a spotlight on Meghan’s budding romance with Prince Harry, despite clear instructions to avoid discussing their relationship. According to Tom Bower, Prince Harry had explicitly advised Meghan to steer clear of sensitive topics such as politics, race, and most importantly, their relationship during the interview.
In the lead-up to the interview, Prince Harry, along with Keleigh Thomas Morgan, a publicist at Sunshine Sachs, had set strict parameters. They were acutely aware of how previous interviews had gone awry for royal figures like Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, who faced media backlash for revealing too much about their personal lives. Meghan was advised to keep the conversation focused on her career, philanthropy, and activism, steering clear of any mention of Harry.
However, as soon as the article hit the newsstands, it became evident that the guidelines had not been followed. The interview prominently featured Meghan gushing about her relationship with Prince Harry, a clear violation of the instructions given by the Palace. The headline itself, “She’s Just Wild About Harry,” placed their romance front and center, something Prince Harry and the royal aides were trying to avoid at all costs.
Tom Bower shared that Meghan was “hysterical” following the publication of the article. According to Express, she immediately contacted Ken Sunshine, founder of Sunshine Sachs, and Keleigh Thomas Morgan, in a state of panic. Meghan reportedly conveyed Buckingham Palace’s fury over the interview’s focus on her relationship with Harry, a topic that was supposed to be off-limits.
The fallout from the article was swift and intense. Ken Sunshine, puzzled by the Palace’s strong reaction, reportedly attempted to mitigate the situation. He contacted the editor of Vanity Fair, convinced that the magazine had made a grave error in ignoring the pre-set boundaries. Sunshine even suggested that Buckingham Palace itself might take drastic action, hinting that “the Queen” could personally intervene.
However, this threat was met with bemusement by the magazine’s editor, who did not see the situation as warranting such a dramatic response.
The incident left a sour taste for all parties involved. For Meghan, it marked a jarring introduction to the strict media management and control expected by the royal family. It also highlighted the intense scrutiny she would face as a future royal, with every word she spoke subject to dissection and interpretation.
The Palace’s response indicated their concern over any public discussion of the relationship, especially as it could disrupt the carefully managed narrative surrounding Prince Harry and his personal life.
The clash over the interview exposed early tensions between Meghan and the Palace’s communications strategy. Meghan, who was used to the relatively free and open nature of celebrity press coverage in Hollywood, found herself constrained by the stringent rules of royal protocol. This moment was a precursor to the larger struggles she would face within the royal institution, as she and Harry tried to balance their desire for openness with the royal family’s preference for discretion.
For Prince Harry, the mishap underscored his long-standing concerns about media intrusion and its potential impact on his personal life. Having witnessed the press’s relentless scrutiny of his mother, Princess Diana, Harry was deeply protective of his relationship with Meghan. The breach of guidelines during the Vanity Fair interview likely reinforced his wariness of the media and may have contributed to the couple’s decision to later step back from royal duties.
Ultimately, the “Wild About Harry” interview became a defining moment in Meghan’s early interactions with the royal establishment. It highlighted the cultural and operational differences between Meghan’s world of Hollywood publicity and the tightly controlled media strategy of the British monarchy.
This incident foreshadowed the challenges Meghan and Harry would face as they navigated the complex dynamics of royal life, media expectations, and their own desire for autonomy.
The uproar surrounding the article also set a precedent for the couple’s rocky relationship with the press and the Palace. It was an early indicator of the struggles that would follow, as they sought to carve out their own path while dealing with the demands and expectations of royal protocol. For Meghan, this was a stark introduction to the reality of royal life — one that would ultimately lead to their dramatic departure from their official royal roles in 2020.
