Meghan Markle reportedly “moaned about not getting paid” for carrying out one simple royal duty, a royal book has claimed. The Times royal correspondent Valentine Low previously revealed that the Duchess of Sussex “failed to understand” that walkabouts were a major part of royal tours.
In October 2018, a few months after their wedding, Harry and Meghan – who had only recently revealed that she was pregnant with their first child – carried out a major royal tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. In his book, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, which was released in 2022, Mr Low explains: “On the South Pacific tour, Harry and Meghan were going down a storm.
“Massive crowds were turning out to see them, and Meghan’s refreshingly informal approach to royal visits was proving a hit with the Australian public.”
Despite reportedly loving the attention, the 43-year-old failed to understand why they had to carry out royal walkabouts – and wondered why she was getting paid to do them.
Mr Low added: “Behind the scenes, however, 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.
“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’.”
The book also features an insider who claimed that upon seeing fans waiting outside the Sydney Opera House, Meghan said to the team: “What are they all doing here? It’s silly.”
The couple made the decision to step away from royal life in early 2020, and now reside in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
No longer senior working royals, the family-of-four live in a multi-million pound mansion in Montecito.
Despite stepping down from the Royal Family, Meghan and Harry carried out a walkabout alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales in Windsor shortly after the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The couple were in the UK at the time of her death, with this also now being the last time that Meghan visited Britain.
