Meghan Markle’s Friend Exposes Royal Family Double Standards
Quinn Parker here with the kettle whistling louder than my thoughts after three shots of espresso — buckle up, because I have a lot to spill about Meghan Markle and the royals!
In a fiery column for the Daily Mail on March 15, podcaster Bryony Gordon called out what she calls “ridiculous double standards” within the royal family, pointing out how Meghan Markle, 44, has been “vilified and trolled” while other senior royals get a free pass for misbehavior. Gordon, 45, first met the Duchess of Sussex at a 2018 Royal Foundation mental health panel. She remembers Meghan’s warm bear hug and unpretentious manner easing the nerves of everyone facing a sea of flashing cameras.
They struck up a genuine friendship afterward, sharing charitable projects, lunches and even visits to Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor home Harry and Meghan vacated when they stepped back from royal duties. Gordon says she has also visited the couple’s California estate in Montecito, where each encounter leaves her incredulous that Meghan is so harshly judged.
Gordon contrasts Meghan’s treatment with that of Prince Andrew, whose problematic behavior is detailed in Andrew Lownie’s new biography Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York. Lownie reveals that Andrew reportedly called a palace staffer a “f–king imbecile” for not using the late Queen Mother’s full title. He also alleged that Harry physically confronted his uncle over inappropriate comments about Meghan—a claim Harry later labeled “gross inaccuracies.”
Gordon admits she was “gripped” by Lownie’s revelations and outraged that while Andrew faced minimal intervention for decades, Meghan was dubbed “Duchess Difficult” merely for emailing her team at 5 a.m. She writes, “Why is it that people will tolerate all manner of misbehavior from the likes of powerful men like Prince Andrew, but not a woman who, according to critics, has a habit of occasionally emailing her staff at 5 a.m.?”
Defenders of the Firm might note that Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of his military titles, royal patronages and HRH status in 2022 after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and a civil lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre came to light. He was also removed from public roles and lost his Freedom of the City of York honor this February.
Gordon’s plea is simple: if the monarchy is truly a meritocracy of character and service, why are women like Meghan painted as troublemakers for minor protocol requests, while male royals skate through scandals? She implores the palace to apply standards evenly before history writes its verdict.
That’s the tea — and I’ve barely had time to cool off! Alright, I need to calm down after that!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, Daily Mail, Andrew Lownie
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
