Last week, text messages and emails between Meghan and her former communications secretary were made public for the first time. According to emails released in court, Meghan Markle was adamant that she didn't have a stylist, and that it was the only thing she seemed to be able to control.
Discover our latest podcast
Jason Knauf, a royal staffer, shockingly broke ranks to share bombshell texts and emails with the Duchess. In these messages, she expressed her displeasure with people claiming she had a stylist. Meghan confesses that, despite her assertions that she had little control over her life while at the Firm, she had influence over her personal style.
Personally frustrating
Having absolutely no control over her life, Meghan finds it frustrating that people believe that the only aspect of her life which was not controlled also belonged to someone else. That is none other than her personal style. One person named Meghan's friends as her stylist in a Tweet, which the Duchess took exception to. The Duchess sent Knauf an email in August that said,
You know how personally frustrating I find the 'stylist' narrative (as it's the only thing I seem to still have any control over—my personal styling).
But given we are being asked to cooperate with this evidently authoritative biography I need to share I will not be comfortable doing so if this person is considered an authority and is tweeting the below.
Meghan also mentioned that she did not have a stylist in a briefing letter she sent to Knauf to provide to the Finding Freedom authors.
Can we set up a time to chat? I feel he needs to be back briefed ASAP if there's any conversation about working with them moving forward. He's being quoted in Town and Country and various others as saying [redacted] styled me which is patently untrue…
The final line in her notes, written in the third person, simply said:
Also, Meghan does not work with a stylist; [redacted] is her close friend.
Royal dominance
All of this comes after Meghan revealed in a shocking interview with Oprah Winfrey in March that she felt trapped in the royal family. In addition to having to hand over her passport, driving licence, and keys, she said she had suicidal thoughts. Meghan also claimed that a senior royal had inquired about how black Harry and Meghan's son Archie would be when he was born, as well as how royal life had driven her to contemplate suicide.
However, Meghan Markle's messages have exposed five potential inconsistencies in her legal claims. After the evidence was presented to the High Court, the Duchess of Sussex's credibility was attacked. They came after a three-day high-profile battle brought by the Mail on Sunday to overturn Meghan's privacy victory.