How far would young Meghan Markle go to get famous?
According to one author, the royal used one of her past relationships entirely for clout,
and the claims being made about the duchess are seriously turning heads.
The Duchess of Sussex's lifelong quest for fame is again in the spotlight following the
release of Tom Bower's new book, "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and The War Between The Windsors."
In an interview promoting its release, Bower claimed that Meghan's whole life was geared
toward achieving fame, saying,
"She said to her father 'I want to be famous, I want to walk down the red carpet,' and marrying
Harry, she achieved exactly that ambition.'"
Bower was appearing on "Good Morning Britain" at the time, where he argued that Meghan Markle
gained most of her notoriety from marrying Prince Harry, not from her work as an actor.
Despite Markle playing a main character on hit legal drama "Suits" long before she met
the prince, Bower said,
"It's wrong to say she was a famous actress.
She wasn't – she was a third rate actress."
Furthermore, Bower contended that the Sussexes are planning to return to the UK on a part-time
basis when Harry's father, Prince Charles, ascends the throne.
This is despite the fact that Meghan and Harry previously defected from the family in a very
public way, a split which he claims was mostly due to a major culture clash between Markle
and the royal family.
"She couldn't be number one.
There's only one number one in the monarchy and she didn't understand hierarchy.
And she thought the monarchy was like Hollywood."
It's worth noting that the Duchess' nearest and dearest allies weren't interested in speaking
to Bower for his book, by his own admission.
Newsweek contends that although he gathered around 80 sources for the book, most of them
were people who actively dislike her.
Even so, Bower maintains he's only written the truth, including this tidbit about golfer
Rory McIlroy.
Meghan Markle's relationship with Prince Harry has long been fodder for the tabloids, particularly
following accusations that she only hooked up with him in order to increase her fame.
Now, biographer Tom Bower is sharing another story of how she seemingly tried to do the
same thing with pro golfer Rory McIlroy.
Bower's book on Markle, "Revenge," posits that the duchess met with McIlroy in New York
City after he unexpectedly nominated her for the Ice Bucket Challenge.
"And I nominate George W. Bush, aka 43, Meghan Markle, and Wayne Rooney."
This was back in 2014, shortly after he'd won the Open Championship in the UK and — crucially
— following his recent split from his fiancé.
McIlroy admitted at the time, quote, "I wasn't quite on my game.
I was enjoying myself."
He subsequently met up with the Duchess of Sussex a handful of times.
Meghan, meanwhile, wrote about their encounter on her lifestyle blog, gushing about how impressive
a man she thought McIlroy was.
According to Bower, this was entirely strategic, with Markle attempting to use a perception
of closeness to the golfer in order to promote herself.
The author explained,
"She encouraged the media to publish photographs of McIlroy and herself.
As she would later admit, she 'occasionally set up a paparazzi photo or let info slip
out to the press.'"
There's even a suggestion that Meghan cheated on her boyfriend at the time with him.
The Rory McIlroy story isn't coming at the best time for the Sussexes, as rumors circulate
about the strength of their relationship.
Earlier this week, an awkward clip of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's PDA raised eyebrows.
The short video, which circulated on Twitter, purported to show the duke shrugging off his
wife's hand before Meghan clasped it tightly again, leading fans to question what was really
going on.
Some wrote that they looked uncomfortable, and not much in love at all.
Despite the chatter, body language expert Judi James told The Sun that in her opinion,
Harry was simply nervous to be in such a high-stress environment and exhibited several signs of
anxiety.
Moreover, James argued,
"A much calmer and more poised Meghan went into firm parental mode, using a correctional
gesture to ensure reassurance after Harry appeared to dismiss or shrug off her hand
clasp."
According to the expert, the duchess was therefore trying to comfort her man, rather than forcing
him back into line, as critics wagered.
That said, the latest revelations from Tom Bower's book are surely weighing on the royal
couple, showing that no matter how far away they get from the UK, the scrutiny from the
media isn't likely to stop anytime soon.
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