Meghan Markle complained about ‘not getting paid’ for royal tour in 2018, claims new book

Meghan Markle reportedly complained about not being paid for carrying out her royal engagements with Prince Harry during her 2018 tour to Australia. A new book titled Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown written by The Times' royal correspondent Valentine Low claims that Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, enjoyed the attention as crowds gathered to meet her and Prince Harry during the tour to Australia, The Sun reported. However, Meghan "failed" to understand why she was not getting paid for walkabouts and shaking hands with people. 

In the book, Valentine Low writes, "Behind the scenes, it was a different story. Although she enjoyed the attention, Meghan failed to understand the point of all those walkabouts, shaking hands with countless strangers." The author citing unnamed members of the staff claimed that Meghan Markle was shocked that she was not receiving money for the walkabouts. The author writes, "According to several members of staff, she was heard to say on at least one occasion, 'I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this.'" As per Valentine Low, the Duchess of Sussex was seen as an "inspirational role model" during the tour. Notably, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were on a 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand in 2018. 

Book claims Meghan Markle threatened to dump Prince Harry

The book also claimed that Meghan Markle had threatened to leave Prince Harry if he did not make the relationship public. Meghan Markle's demand had reportedly "freaked out" Prince Harry saying that "she is going to dump me." According to the book, Prince Harry "became determined to protect his girlfriend" but the Duchess of Sussex wanted "public validation that this a serious relationship," The Sun reported. The book revealed that a source claimed, "She was saying, ‘If you don’t put out a statement confirming I’m your girlfriend, I’m going to break up with you." Meghan Markle at that time was concerned that Buckingham Palace will not protect her from "media intrusion." The book has also accused Meghan Markle of “speaking particularly harshly to a young female”. Notably, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship was revealed to the public in October 2016. The engagement of the couple was announced in November 2017. It is to mention here that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior royals, and started a new life in the US in 2020. The couple now lives with their children - Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor in the US. 

Image: AP