Meghan Markle Thought the Royals ‘Behaved Like Babies’ When She First Met Prince Harry’s Family

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Meghan Markle may not have known quite what she was getting into when she first started dating Prince Harry. According to a new book filled with intel from palace staffers, Meghan was taken aback when she met the royal family for the first time, reportedly thinking they ” behaved like babies,” especially when it came to her interactions with Prince William.

The Times has released an excerpt from journalist and royal expert Tom Quinn’s new book, Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants, and according to those who worked with Meghan while she and Harry were still living in the UK, the Duchess of Sussex wasn’t expecting what she got when she married into The Firm. Apparently, she thought that the royals were “strange” and that Harry had less money than she thought he would – supposedly, she assumed he was a billionaire.

It sounds like she wasn’t too impressed with the royal family’s behavior, either, especially when it came to the way they treated Harry.

“Meghan really disliked the hierarchy,” one staffer who worked with Meghan told Tom. “Many of the rules do seem pretty pointless and exist only so that the relative status of each senior royal is protected. And the senior royals are such a sensitive bunch – if one gets a gold pen or a new car, they all want one. Meghan thought they behaved like babies.”

Then there was the fact that the family was “stiff” with each other that really had her baffled as she tried to navigate the “positively medieval, labyrinthine system” she found herself in.

“She couldn’t understand why Charles, for example, was so formal with his mother,” a palace employee shared in the book. “She once said, ‘But they’re mother and son – why are they so completely stiff with each other?’ ”

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Interestingly enough, it seems the staffers who spoke with Tom for the book didn’t confirm the rumors that Meghan was a tough boss to work for. Instead, according to his sources, it sounds like she was just struggling to find her footing in a new situation and “just wasn’t used to it as Harry was.”

“So, one minute she would be really friendly, perhaps overfriendly, hugging staff and trying to make friends with them, and the next she would be irritated by the fact they wouldn’t respond instantly at all times of the day and night,” the insider said. “At times it got so bad that I heard one of the senior staff mumble that Meghan should really have been employed in the palace kitchens.”

In the end, it sounds like walking away from royal life really was the best choice for both Meghan and Harry. At least, they both seem a lot happier for it.

Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.