Meghan Markle’s wardrobe received pushback from palace aides long before she became Prince Harry’s wife.
As alleged in the forthcoming book “Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family,” the former “Suits” actress, 38, is said to have come under fire after she was seen wearing a 14k gold Maya Brenner initial necklace ($300) adorned with an “H” and “M” in late 2016.
“She was advised that wearing such a necklace only served to encourage the photographers to keep pursuing such images — and new headlines,” authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claimed in the book, according to an excerpt obtained by People.
Meghan, who started dating Harry, 35, that year, was said to have “felt frustrated and emotional” following a call with a Kensington Palace staffer, the book alleged.
“While she knew the aide had good intentions, the surreal experience of having someone from her boyfriend’s office tell her what kind of jewelry to wear or not to smile at a photographer was too much,” the book noted.
Meghan is also said to have felt like she “[couldn’t] win,” according to an alleged discussion she had with a friend.
![Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan, and the Making of a Modern Royal Family](https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/harry-meghan-book.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=661)
“They make out like I’m to blame for these pictures, that it looks like I’m encouraging them, that me even acknowledging the cameras may not be sending the right message. I don’t know what to say. It was only yesterday that people online were saying I look miserable in pictures, because I was trying to just ignore the [photographer],” Markle said, according to the book.
It’s not the only time the star’s jewelry has caused a stir. Last year, Jennifer Meyer was ordered by Buckingham Palace to stop using photos of Markle to advertise her designs; as an insider exclusively told Page Six at the time, “I can only imagine Jennifer must be mortified.”
Meghan and Harry tied the knot in May 2018, a year before they welcomed their first child, son Archie. In January, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they would be stepping down as senior royals, later relocating to North America.
In a previous statement to Page Six, the couple confirmed they were not involved in the upcoming tell-all from Scobie and Durand.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to ‘Finding Freedom,’” a spokesperson told us. “This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.”
“Finding Freedom” will be released on Aug. 11.