Although it was strictly forbidden by British royal protocol to accept gifts, Meghan Markle was delighted with all the gifts she received during her years in the UK. That writes Valentine Low, a journalist at The Times specializing in British royals, in a new book.
“Gifts were constantly being delivered to Kensington Palace,” Low writes in the book Courtiers: the hidden power behind the crown. “Clothes, jewellery, candles… It never ended.”
However, Markle’s personal assistant, Melissa Toubati, followed the rules of the British royal family closely and returned all the gifts. “And that did not go down well with the Duchess of Sussex,” said Low.
Toubati resigned with immediate effect in 2018, six months after the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. “Meghan Markle didn’t like her approach, so she decided to leave.”
According to Low, Meghan Markle also received diamond earrings as a wedding gift from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “She took it without hesitation, even though the Crown Prince was then accused of being involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”
However, according to Markle’s lawyers, there is “no evidence whatsoever” that the Crown Prince personally gave the earrings to the Duchess or that she ever met him. Markle is also said to have been unaware of the rumours of Bin Salman’s involvement in Khashoggi’s murder at the time.