Source : the age
By Victoria Ward
The Duchess of Sussex appears to have used her HRH title despite agreeing that she would not, it has emerged.
Meghan was interviewed by her friend, Jamie Kern Lima, the founder of IT Cosmetics, for a podcast broadcast on YouTube.
During the interview, an image was shown of a “gift basket” of ice cream and homemade strawberry sauce she had sent to Ms Kern Lima, with an accompanying note printed on monogrammed paper that said: “With the compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex.”
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said in her latest podcast that she expects to be married to Harry, Duke of Sussex, forever.Credit: AP
In the interview, Meghan recalls dropping off the basket, suggesting it was after she moved to California.
The duchess said: “I knew when I dropped off that strawberry… it wasn’t even preserves as it didn’t have time to set – I just made it quick because we had a lot of strawberries at the time – I just knew that even if we never talked about it, that it would brighten your day.”
The use of the title would be in direct contrast to an agreement made by the duke and duchess when they stepped back from their public duties.
While the couple kept their titles, they were essentially put into abeyance. A statement released by Buckingham Palace in January 2020 said: “The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the royal family.”
A source close to the Sussexes suggested the image may have been old.
This comes after Meghan published an image of a note from Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, that addressed her with her HRH title and apparently went uncorrected.
The note began: “Your Royal Highness, I would like to express my sincere thanks for everything your family is doing for Ukraine.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, the duchess hinted that she might one day write a memoir.
Meghan said she was enjoying working in hospitality and entertainment, and that a book offering tips on the subject “could be fun”, as could another children’s book following her first effort, The Bench.
But she did not rule out an autobiography, as she added: “People are often curious about whether I’d write a memoir, but I’ve got a lot of life to live before I’m there.”
In the interview, the duchess also became emotional and wiped away tears as she spoke about her love for her children Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, was published in January 2023 and became the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever, with his revelations about the royal family generating headlines around the world.
There has recently been speculation that the duke could write a second book.
During her time as a working royal, the duchess wrote the foreword for a cookbook which raised money for the Hubb Community Kitchen following the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire.
The Bench, inspired by a Father’s Day poem Meghan wrote for Harry, was published in June 2021 and became a New York Times bestseller.
However, the duchess hinted during an interview with The Cut magazine in 2022 that nothing was stopping her from writing a book about her experiences within the royal family.
“I’ve never had to sign anything that restricts me from talking,” she declared. “I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, she revealed she had set up email addresses for her children and had been sending them secret messages every night so they could look back on them when they are 16 or 18 and know how much she loved them.
She said of motherhood: “I really want to be good at it”, adding that she hoped her children would grow up to appreciate that “no one has ever loved someone more than the way our mom loved us”.
The duchess added: “Before I go to bed, every night, I email them,” explaining that her messages contained pictures “you’re not going to frame”, as well as their report cards and memories.
Meghan also called her husband a “fox”, insisting they would be married “forever”.
She said he was “very, very handsome” but his heart was “even more beautiful”.
The duchess insisted that she did not read any press or media about herself or her family.
She said that, as such, she considered herself “a good soundboard” for the duke as her opinions were formed solely “through the lens of loving him” and were not coloured by anything else.
She also suggested that their new life together in California was like “a honeymoon period” after a difficult few years in the UK.
In an apparent reference to the royal family, Meghan described being “in the trenches” in the early months of her relationship with Prince Harry.Credit: AP
In an apparent dig at the Royal family, she added: “You have to imagine, at the beginning it’s all butterflies – but then we immediately went into the trenches together.
“Right out of the gate, like six months into dating. So now, seven years later, when you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way.”
The duchess also insisted she would “never” run for office and was “not interested” in a political career.
She also described how Gwyneth Paltrow, the actress, had caught her out of the blue amid rumours of an alleged feud.
The speculation was promoted by a video Paltrow posted on Instagram, which many interpreted as a thinly veiled dig at the duchess’s Netflix series, With Love, Meghan.
The duchess claimed she was surprised to receive a call from Paltrow as the internet gossip had not been on her “radar”.
However, she agreed to take part in a joint video to put the rumours to bed.
“It really defines the age we are living in right now … that cycle would have kept going, they would have found some iteration of this fake conflict.
“There’s something really disturbing about the need to pit, especially women, against each other. I’m just glad we got to have some fun with it.”
The Telegraph, London
