Meghan Markle has been a constant fixture in the news since her 2018 Royal wedding and subsequent departure from Royal duties. However, she isn’t the first Duchess to trade a life of service for commercial pursuits.
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, also chose to focus on her business interests after marrying into the Royal Family, a move that echoes Meghan’s own path.
Royal biographer Andrew Lownie spoke exclusively to Express US, drawing parallels between the Duchess of York and the Duchess of Sussex that have become increasingly evident over time. Despite retaining her title, Sarah’s divorce from Prince Andrew after a decade of marriage led to her falling out of favor with the Royal Family, effectively losing her place at the Royal table.
Mr. Lownie observed, “She’s a sort of early role model for Meghan Markle with a bit more charm.”
Since her 1996 divorce from Prince Andrew, Sarah has leveraged her Royal title in her business endeavors, such as The Duchess Collection. Lownie notes that using a Royal title for commercial benefit is generally considered a breach of Royal protocol and has been met with disapproval from other members of the Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Ahead of the release of Lownie’s much-anticipated book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, in the US on August 14, the Royal biographer shared his insights with us.
He said, “I think what Philip and Elizabeth would’ve liked was for them to split in 1996 and for her to disappear like a lot of divorced wives do, and not to hang around, and not coming back to live in the house, and to curate her own separate life, and she hasn’t done that, her best way of making money is to piggyback off the royals.”
Lownie didn’t mince words when he claimed, “She is absolutely blatantly exploiting being a royal for commercial gain.”
Sarah could have been a role model for Meghan
Sarah exited the Royal Family through divorce, while Meghan took a different route, relocating to the US in 2020 with Prince Harry and their young son, Prince Archie. They later welcomed their second child, Princess Lilibet.
Since stepping down from her Royal duties, Meghan has embarked on several ventures, including her popular Netflix series With Love, Meghan, and her e-commerce website As Ever. S
ome observers suggest she also capitalizes on her Royal connections, as seen in certain aspects of her branding and packaging.
Meghan liked to do things her own way
Meghan might have taken a leaf out of Sarah’s book. Unlike Sarah, Meghan doesn’t appear to be seeking reentry into the Royal Family; she seems content with her life in California.
However, it remains unclear if Prince Harry shares the same sentiment.
Harry has candidly expressed his longing for home and his desire to mend ties with his family, particularly King Charles. This reconciliation may occur in September when Harry is set to return to the UK for the WellChild Awards.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
