The Duchess of Sussex was last night embroiled in a fresh row over claims that she gave approval for a media blitz to boost her public image.
It followed Friday's broadcast of a 60-minute primetime documentary on the US network CBS in which her friends tearfully lavished praise on the 37-year-old and railed against her detractors.
'She's a beacon of hope for a lot of women… I really hope this is the first step to changing the narrative of our entire world and how we feel about race,' gushed the actress Jessica Alba.
Poignant: Vampire Diaries star and friend of Meghan, Janina Gavankar, 38, said that she and Meghan have been talking about the royal becoming a mother 'for ten years'
Emotional: Meghan Markle's longtime friend and makeup artist, Daniel Martin, broke down in tears while defending the Duchess of Sussex against 'undeserved negative press' in a new CBS special
No less enthusiastic was Janina Gavankar, another actress who has been friends with Meghan for more than 15 years. 'They are very philanthropic,' she said of Meghan and Prince Harry. 'You see them do great things for the world.'
Celebrity make-up artist Daniel Martin wept as he defended the Duchess against reports that she is difficult to deal with. 'In the years I've known her, the years I've worked with her, she's never had a diva fit, never,' he sobbed.
But the adulation was tempered by claims – angrily denied by the Palace – that Meghan had authorised her friends to take part in the documentary.
A CBS source told The Sun newspaper that each had only spoken 'with the blessing of Meghan'. In an article headlined 'Spincess Meghan', the source added: 'Our belief is Meghan has been aware of this TV project for at least the last month and hoped that certain allies and friends speak out… Meghan believes she is her own best PR.'
Star guest: Actress Jessica Alba, 38, also appears in the special, although it is unclear whether she is friends with Meghan. The pair do share the same makeup artist in Daniel however
Close bond: Janina, pictured with Meghan in an old social media snap, said of the couple's royal baby, 'To have the royal family bring a child of color into the world, it's pretty awesome'
In an unusually fierce response, Buckingham Palace issued a statement rebutting the claims. 'The Duchess has not had any involvement in the CBS special, nor has she requested or given permission to friends to participate,' it said.
Sources close to the Duchess argued that the documentary had been balanced by combining contributions from British journalists, photographers and Royal experts with those from her friends.
The controversy appears, however, to have been fuelled by previous claims that Meghan authorised friends to speak positively about her to the media and her close friendship with Gayle King, the veteran US TV presenter who presented the CBS documentary.
Royal protection officers guarding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are staying at a hotel in Windsor because there is no accommodation for them at the couple's new home, Frogmore Cottage.
Prince Harry and Meghan moved into their new abode in Windsor last month – but with refurbishments behind schedule, quarters for the couple's guards are not ready. According to sources, the officers are instead 'living out of suitcases' in the three-star hotel and face doing so for several months.
Rooms at the lodging range from £80 to £110 a night, meaning the taxpayer could be paying a bill of about £13,000 a month on the basis of four guards staying there.
The officers work for Royalty And Specialist Protection, a team within the Specialist Operations directorate of the Metropolitan Police. They are highly trained and usually carry 9mm Glock 17 pistols, but an insider said the lifestyle was far from
