Meghan Markle Has Officially Lost A Royal Title To Camilla Parker Bowles
The Duchess of Sussex is making big moves after relinquishing her role as a senior royal. Meghan Markle's new Spotify podcast is coming this summer, as reported by Variety, giving her a platform to speak directly to the masses. She and Prince Harry have also been doing their part to help Ukrainians under siege by Russian invaders: The couple has donated to various charities through their Archewell Foundation.
As the Sussexes embark upon their new lives in America and pursue fresh opportunities, they've had to relinquish some of their royal roles, and Camilla Parker Bowles has just been given one title that Meghan had to give up. According to The Sunday Times, this particular patronage is one that the Duchess of Cornwall had her heart set on obtaining before Queen Elizabeth II granted it to Meghan in 2019. "She was pretty miffed when it went to Meghan, and will be all the more delighted to take it on now," an insider dished.
The news came on the heels of reports suggesting that Harry might be less than thrilled about his grandmother's announcement that Camilla will be known as queen consort. Paul Burrell, who worked as Princess Diana's butler for years, told Closer, "He'll feel betrayed that she'll now be Queen when that should have been his mother. He'll be livid." There's no word on how Harry feels about Camilla taking over Meghan's old patronage, as well, but it was a role that seemed perfectly suited for the "Suits" star.
Meghan Markle's former patronage issued a dramatic denial
On March 22, Camilla Parker Bowles was named the new royal patron of the National Theatre, a title formerly held by Meghan Markle. "The patronage is passed to The Duchess from Her Majesty The Queen," read the announcement on the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince of Wales' Twitter page. As noted by People, this is the first of Meghan's patronages that has been passed on to someone else. Before Meghan received it, it was held by the queen herself.
In January 2020, the Mirror reported that it had spoken to insiders from the National Theatre, including a "senior official" who claimed that some members of the organization were livid over Meghan's failure to inform the organization of her and Prince Harry's plans to step down as senior royals. Mere hours before breaking this huge news to the world, Meghan had met with the venue's director and executive director, but had reportedly acted "as if everything was completely normal." However, the National Theatre's artistic director later assured The Telegraph (via Tatler) that "there was no fuming" over Megxit.
As noted by Page Six, Meghan has not stepped foot on British soil since March 2020, but she's still working to further the aims of one U.K. patronage she kept: Smart Works. Per Newsweek, Meghan kicked off Women's History Month by donating to the nonprofit through Archewell. The grant will help fund research "looking at unemployment issues that affect women across the UK."