Meghan Markle was offered to keep acting after her marriage to Prince Harry but refused to pick up the Queen on her proposal, a former royal aide has claimed.
The Duchess of Sussex’s profile had considerably grown after signing on first as a recurring character and then as a lead in the USA Network legal drama Suits in 2011.
Her profile as an established career woman reportedly impressed the Queen, who reportedly went out of her way to ensure Meghan felt welcome in her new family – and her new life.
Paul Burrell, who worked as a butler for Princess Diana, claimed Her late Majesty offered her future granddaughter-in-law to keep acting after her marriage to Harry but Meghan declined.
Burrell told the Daily Mirror US: “The Queen was very gracious and very kind to Meghan. She even said to Meghan, ‘You can continue acting if you like, continue your career’.”
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Confirming her decision to step away from acting, Meghan insisted she was not “giving anything up, I just see it as a change”.
In her engagement interview, she added: “It’s a new chapter. And also keep in mind I [have] been working on my show for seven years, so we’re very, very fortunate to be able to have that sort of longevity on a series.
“For me, once we hit the 100-episode marker, I thought, ‘You know what, I have ticked this box, and I feel really proud of the work I’ve done there, and now it’s time to, as [Harry] said, ‘work as a team with him’.”
Since stepping down as a working royal in 2020, the Duchess of Sussex has somewhat reclaimed her on-screen career.
Months after she and Harry announced their departure from the institution, the Duchess lent her voice to the Disney documentary Elephant as a narrator.
And last year, she was part of a six-part docuseries focused on her and Harry’s departure from the Royal Family two years earlier.
Speculation has been rife in recent months about the Duchess of Sussex working on her social media comeback as well as a return to proper acting.
A source told US Weekly last week: “Meghan has a new team around her and they’ve been strategizing about what mediums will have the most impact.
“There isn’t anything locked in yet, but the most promising [thing] for everyone seems to be Meghan and Harry highlighting important issues through docuseries and bringing attention and fundraising.”
Meghan signed up with Hollywood agency WME last year, with the company confirming they would be working with the royal to build up her production profile.
They said: “The agency will be focusing on building out her business ventures across multiple facets of the agency & its broader ecosystem, including film & television production, brand partnerships & more.”