Meghan Markle 'told not to wear M&H necklace,' new book claims
11 August 2020, 08:20
The Duchess of Sussex was given training on how to curtsy and told not to wear a necklace showing off her attachment to Prince Harry by palace aides, a new book claims.
In the early days of her relationship with the Harry, Meghan was told not to wear a 300 US dollars (£230) 14-carat gold chain with the initials M and H.
Co-authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim in their book Finding Freedom, which chronicles the last few years of the Meghan and Harry's life as royals: "Two days after Meghan was photographed buying flowers at her usual florist, wearing her new initial necklace, she received a phone call from a senior Kensington Palace aide.
"She was advised that wearing such a necklace only served to encourage the photographers to keep pursuing such images - and new headlines."
The book claimed she knew the aide had good intentions, but she felt "frustrated and emotional" following the call and thought it was a "surreal experience".
After Harry and Meghan's engagement announcement in 2017, the duchess received training to prepare for a new life as a royal - just like the Duchess of Cambridge.
The book claimed: "Set to undergo the same informal training Kate had embarked upon following her engagement to William - a series of instructions that covered everything from how to most gracefully exit your chauffeured sedan while wearing a pencil skirt to when to courtesy to members of the family several rungs up the hierarchy from you - Meghan was connected to a team of experts."
But the instructions did not stop there, the former actress also underwent a two-day security course with the SAS.
The authors wrote: "The training - which all senior member of the royal family except the Queen have completed at SAS headquarters in Hereford - is preparation for all high-risk security scenarios including kidnapping, hostage situations and terrorist attacks."
Finding Freedom, which is published on Tuesday, described how the duchess was "bundled into the back of a car" by a "terrorist" and driven to a location before she was saved by officers.
The book also claims Meghan expanded Harry's "spiritual world", introducing him to yoga through her own practice and with her encouragement he began a daily session of meditation.
A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting."
