Princess Anne had her suspicions about Meghan Markle when the American tied the knot with Prince Harry, back in 2018.
The only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth, 73, is said to have believed that the “Suits” actress, 42, would have a “short shelf-life” as a member of the royal family.
Her prescience was soon proven — in 2020, Markle and Harry, 39, took a step back as senior figures of the Firm, ultimately moving to Montecito, Calif.
Royal expert Neil Sean gave some insight into the relationship between the princess and Markle, saying that when the two women first met, “Anne gave very sage advice to the new royal.”
“This senior royal takes no nonsense, much like her father the late Duke of Edinburgh,” Sean said in a recent video on his YouTube channel.
When the Duchess of Sussex first encountered Anne, she “left the meeting dumbfounded” after the latter said that she should view being a royal as “job” rather than a route to being famous.
“She [Anne] does endless amounts of engagements. She turns up, does the job and does not seek the limelight,” Sean explained.
He continued: “Princess Anne reiterated this mantra, she pointed out that it wasn’t a working monarchy, it was a job, you turn up on time, you do your research, and do the duty.”
Sean noted that Markle “failed to warm” to Anne, leading the accomplished equestrian to believe that the duchess’ days were numbered.
While Anne is one of the hardest working royals around, she still has a “soft spot” for Harry — despite him abandoning the crown.
“Reporting Royalty” author Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine earlier this year how the one-time Olympian has become “furious” with the Duke of Sussex in recent months, following the release of his bombshell memoir “Spare” in January.
“I’m sure she is angry at the damage he’s done to the royal reputation because she works so hard,” she said. “She says what she thinks, she doesn’t pretend anything.”
Anne also warned this past May how a “slimmed-down” monarchy wasn’t such a good idea following Harry and Markle’s exit.
In an interview with Canada’s CBC News, she was asked about the idea and shared that the concept “doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing.”
“My mother was the queen for a very long time. And although you kind of know that this might happen, you don’t really think about it very much — not least of all because the monarchy is about continuity,” she said.
“For the rest of us, it’s more a question of, OK, we have to shift the way we support. And that’s what we need to do.”
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