There is a lot to admire about Meghan Markle. Self-made, intelligent, and prodigiously hard-working, Britain has welcomed her as a free-thinking addition to our Monarchy. But even her staunchest fans would find last week’s extraordinary display difficult to defend.
Whatever Meghan’s intentions, her five-day trip to New York, which concluded with an elaborate ‘baby shower’, was not merely ill-judged, it was widely perceived as an exhibition of extravagance at a time of national hardship. As an exercise in public relations, this was a catastrophe.
Even the social media accounts run by Kensington Palace were deluged with criticism, with Meghan said to have delivered ‘a slap in the face to those in poverty’.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (left) and Abigail Spencer in New York for Meghan's five-day 'baby shower' holiday on February 19, 2019
The royal couple must refrain from crossing narrow line between royalty and celebrity, says Angela Levin
Harry said last year he wanted to be recognized for contribution to public life - not as a celebrity
If she seemed reckless with her own reputation, however, it is for Harry, her husband, that I fear the most.
When I spoke to the Prince last year, he made it crystal-clear that he had no interest in becoming a celebrity. He could see the dangers. He told me that, instead, he wanted to be taken seriously for his contribution to public life.
Yes, Harry is famous, too, but he clearly knew that his wife’s fame was different from his. Her world was founded on showbusiness with all the ostentation that implies, while he was part of something altogether more purposeful: the fabric of our nation.
Seven months pregnant Meghan Markle in New York City as she prepares for a baby shower thrown by her closest friends. Her trip was widely perceived as an exhibition of extravagance at a time of national hardship
Meghan Markle boarded a private plane to fly back home to London following her baby shower in New York (above)
Meghan Markle was seen leaving The Mark last week after her five-day baby shower holiday
Prince Harry accepted that the line between royalty and a celebrity is a narrow one.
But he was also clear that line was one he must not cross.
Now, his wife has told the world that she takes a different view, as the bare facts of her brief New York tour make plain.
The guest-list featured some of the wealthiest women in the world, including Serena Williams and Amal Clooney, who are thought to have picked up some, if not all of the estimated £330,000 tab, including the cost of a £125,000 private jet.
For the baby party, Meghan who is now seven months pregnant, hired the most lavish penthouse in New York, a £57,000-a-night suite in The Mark hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The guests dined on £150 steaks while celebrated harpist Erin Hill performed in the background. As a throwaway touch, guests were given a £445 suitcase as a present.
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit the Natural History Museum in London on February 12
These are quite extraordinary amounts of money, particularly to the millions of Britons who are struggling to get by. So it is all the more telling that Meghan’s husband stayed at home and visited a youth centre, where he handed out food to children.
As his press machine pointed out with unintended irony, an estimated three million poverty-stricken children in Britain go hungry in the school holidays.
In retrospect, Meghan’s statement of excess has been coming for some time. Her wardrobe has been expanding at such a rate, for example, that, according to one respected fashion website, she wore clothes worth nearly £500,000 in just six months – more than any other Royal woman in Europe.
That figure excludes her £395,000 Givenchy wedding dress, which she later replaced with a £116,000 Stella McCartney gown for the reception.
Stunning, yes. But appropriate?
How does such luxury fit with her patronage of Smart Works, granted by the Queen last month? Smart Works uses donated clothes to help
