It\u2019s been just over six months since Meghan Markle joined the British royal family. And the 37-year-old former \u201cSuits\u201d actress has been flying the American flag high as she stamps her unique personality on the institution of the monarchy.<\/b>
\nIt\u2019s been just over six months since Meghan Markle joined the British royal family. The moment the American said \u201cI do\u201d to Prince Harry, her contract began with \u201cThe Firm,\u201d as it\u2019s affectionately known in the UK.
And the 37-year-old former \u201cSuits\u201d actress has been flying the American flag high as she stamps her unique personality on the institution of the monarchy.
She has blown off dated traditions with her multicultural wedding, liberal leanings, rebellious fashion sense \u2014 she wore an above-the-knee skirt to the theater in August, something sister-in-law Kate Middleton would never do. Meghan was even at the center of a June kerfuffle when Irish politician Catherine Noone tweeted that the Duchess had told her she was pleased about the country\u2019s recent referendum result on legalized abortion. (It\u2019s seen as verboten for royals to be political.)
Of course, much of it is just the former starlet acting like a normal person \u2014 and highlighting just how ridiculous and old-fashioned royal protocol can be. In September, the duchess made headlines and was hailed as a feminist simply because she shut her own car door after stepping out at London\u2019sRoyal Academy of Arts. Such a menial task is usually reserved for a flunky.
But the winds are changing in the stuffy old House of Windsor thanks to the mixed-race Californian beauty. Take a look at the easy, breezy portraits that marked Prince Charles\u2019 70th birthday, complete with lots of laughter and Charles cuddling his grandkids (something we never saw him doing with his own boys). Meghan is letting everyone know that it\u2019s OK to loosen up a bit.
Even the way Prince Harry and Meghan interact in public \u2014 the constant touching and adoring glances \u2014 seems to have influenced the other royals. Take Prince William and Kate, who have always behaved in a very stiff, formal way that feels more out of the Victorian era than the Instagram age.
In a rare exhibition of tenderness at the wedding of William\u2019s cousin Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank in October, the parents-of-three were seen holding hands. At one point, Kate placed her palm on William\u2019s thigh, a move that\u2019s miles away from her usual habit of keeping a few modest inches between her and her spouse.
English journalist Phil Dampier told The Post the Duchess of Sussex is \u00adreally shaking things up. The go-getter, who has a previous marriage behind her, didn\u2019t grow up in awe of the royals in the way that the more deferential Kate was raised.
\u201cMeghan has hit the ground running,\u201d said the author of \u201cRoyally Suited: Harry and Meghan in Their Own Words.\u201d He went on to explain that her American openness and experience as an actress has helped smooth her path.
\u201cPrincess Diana and Kate Middleton were very nervous when they first started out in the royal family, but Meghan is an already accomplished public speaker,\u201d said Dampier. \u201cShe\u2019s also helping Harry with his speeches . he is increasingly doing them without [the need for] notes.
\u201cMeghan has not put a foot wrong.\u201d
Although she was criticized a bit for her awkward fashion choices immediately post wedding, she has quickly sharpened her style, favoring figure-hugging designs and eschewing headgear. The newlyweds triumphed on their recent tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji where they enchanted fans with their outgoing manner and Princess Diana-like ease with ordinary folk. Whereas Kate tends to keep a safe distance between herself and Queen Elizabeth\u2019s subjects, Meghan has no problems hugging people across the crowd-control barriers.
Of course, some Windsor watchers will always find something to complain about. When the Duchess of Sussex announced her pregnancy five months after marriage, there were mutterings that the 37-year-old would be a \u201cgeriatric mother.\u201d
Eyebrows were also raised earlier this month by the sudden departure of a personal assistant on Harry and Meghan\u2019s staff. It followed the resignations of communications secretary Katrina McKeever from Kensington Palace in September and Harry\u2019s former right-hand man, Edward Lane Fox, who is believed to be leaving his post earlier than expected.
Dampier believes the latest assistant\u2019s exit is a red herring: The employee turnover rate at Buckingham Palace is notoriously high due to the low salaries. But Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, is not so sure.
\u201cThere\u2019s lots of rumors swirling around that Meghan is a diva and staff are leaving because of it,\u201d she told The Post. \u201cThey are saying that she\u2019s upset Kate and William, too. She\u2019s not the most popular girl on the block.\u201d
It was just announced that Meghan and Harry are moving from their digs in Kensington Palace (where William and Kate also live) to Windsor, outside of London, in the New Year.
Dampier, former royal correspondent for The Sun newspaper of Britain, believes there may be some competitive feelings coming from Kate who was on maternity leave when Meghan first burst onto the scene.
\u201cThere\u2019s no hard evidence for it, but I\u2019m sure there will be a little bit of jealousy,\u201d he said. (To be fair, Kate is likely under more pressure to be perfect given that she will presumably be the Queen of England one day.)
While the American-born Meghan is a \u00adfavorite of Britain\u2019s middle and lower-middle classes, some members of the elite have yet to be won over.
\u201cThe Establishment is slightly skeptical of her jetting off to all sorts of deprived places and holding the hands of the unfortunate,\u201d said Seward, author of \u201cMy Husband and I,\u201d about the 70-year marriage of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. \u201cI think they feel she is too much of an actress.\u201d
Still, the Duchess of Sussex has a full calendar and is a hard worker. She is said to rise at 5 a.m. and sends six or seven texts a day to staff with ideas and requests.
Added Seward: \u201c[Working hard] is a very admirable trait as far as the British people are concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n