On this side of the pond, few public figures are as popular and well-liked as Meghan Markle. But for reasons that defy explanation, many Brits don’t share our objectively-correct positive opinion of the former Suits star, Last month, a documentary about Meghan and Prince Harry’s trip to Africa made its television debut and offered a far more intmate look into the lives of the Royals than the public is accustomed to receiving. The doc came on the heels of Harry’s lawsuit against a handful of British media outlets whom he accused of bullying Meghan in their coverage. Brits and Americans reacted very differently to these developments. In the US, the couple was widely praised for their efforts to curb the more slanderous tendencies of the infamous British tabloid press. And while many, many UK citizens expressed their support for Meghan — including female members of parliament who did so with an open letter addressed to the Duchess — she was also received a fair amount of flak from prominent public figures who accused her of conduct unbecoming a royal. Some of these critics are easily dismissed — after all Piers Morgan attacks Megha n every chance he gets, seemingly because they had a drink together like a decade ago, and he thought they were gonna get married. But some of them have real clout and when they speak, and their opinions can’t be ignored. And it seems Queen Elizabeth II might be the most prominent of the Meghan skeptics. To be clear, the Queen has not breathed a word against Meghan publicly. In fact, she’s kept mum (Queen mum, if you will) about the Sussexes conflict with the media, as well as their unexpectedly candid documentary interviews. Nothing unusual there, as the Queen typically remains tight-lipped about family matters. But some royal watchers have suggested that when she looks at the events of 2019, the Queen sees Kate Middleton as a paragon of royal values, and she believes that Meghan could learn from Kate’s example. “The Queen is a fan,” a source close to the situation tells Vanity Fair. “Kate is unflappable. Her mantra is very like the Queen’s keep calm and carry on approach in life, and she has the added benefit of making the Royal Family seem almost normal and in touch.” Yes, unflappability is big in the Queen’s book. When Meghan remarked on the “stiff upper lip” mentality that’s so prized among the royals, many suspected she was subtly rebuffing instruction or advice she had received from her in-laws. We may never know if that’s true, but we do know that the Queen is not big on public displays of emotion. And when it comes to keeping a tight lid on her feelings, Kate has Meghan beat. Of course, Kate is British, and prior to becoming a duchess, she spent several years in close association with the royals as William’s girlfriend. She was groomed for this life in a way that Meghan simply wasn’t. But apparently, the Queen feels that Kate has Meghan bested in another area, as well. According to insiders, QE2 feels that Kate is more in touch with the common folk than Meghan, which comes as a surprise. After all, early in her relationship with Harry, Meg’s commoner status — Hollywoodn couldn’t get much further from Buckingham Palace, culturally or geographically — was often cited as the thing that made stodgy royal traditionalists most nervous. But these days, the Queen feels that her family has a public image issue — and she sees Kate as the person who can best demonstrate to her fellow Brits that the royals are people, too. “It feels very much like this has been Kate’s year,” biographer Claudia Joseph tells Vanity Fair. “She looks happy, in control and there’s a new confidence about her. I think Kate seems much happier than a year ago,” Josaph adds. “She has three lovely children, has been honored by the Queen for her hard work and is really well liked not just here but around the world.” Joseph says many of Kate’s recent activities — such as drinking in a pub with some of the parents of her kids’ classmates — have endeared her to a public that’s increasingly wary of the Royals. Sounds like Meghan might have some work to do in regaining the Queen’s favor — fortunately, that work seems to involve sipping pints with the locals, so we imagine she’s up to the task. View Slideshow: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Documentary: All the Juiciest Reveals!
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Queen Elizabeth II: Does She Prefer Kate Middleton to Meghan Markle?!
