The Palace Weighed In On That Rumor About How Meghan & Harry Treat Their Neighbors
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are clearing the air in light of reports that they demand a pretty eyebrow-raising code of conduct for people who live near their Frogmore Cottage home. While the royal family rarely directly comments on rumors, the Palace’s response to Meghan and Harry’s reported neighborhood rules breaks protocol to set the record straight on those reports and put them to bed. Elite Daily reached out to Buckingham Palace for further comment on the response and reported rules, but did not hear back at the time of publication.
If you follow along with the royals, chances are you saw reports that first circulated on Friday, July 26 claiming that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have demanded strict guidelines for how they expect their neighbors to interact with them, according to reports from The Sun.
According to a the publication, neighbors reportedly got a handout forbidding them from approaching and instigating a conversation with the royals (although they're allowed to say "good morning" or respond if the royal couple directly addresses them), touching or asking to walk their dogs, sending them any mail at their Frogmore Cottage home, or asking to see or babysit baby Archie.
The reportedly stringent requests have apparently annoyed locals, one of whom reportedly complained to The Sun, "It’s extraordinary. We’ve never heard anything like it. Everyone who lives on the estate works for the royals and knows how to behave respectfully. We aren’t told how to behave around the Queen like this. She’s very happy for people to greet her."
However, Buckingham Palace is now setting the record straight and claiming that an "overly protective palace official" sent the notice, and that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had no knowledge of it or its contents.
"The Duke and Duchess didn’t request this, didn’t know about it, and had nothing to do with the content or guidance offered," a Palace spokesperson told Us Weekly in a statement shared on Sunday, July 28. The Palace did not immediately respond to Elite Daily's request for further comment on the matter.
Considering Markle and Prince Harry have largely stayed out of the limelight since the birth of baby Archie, it's not too hard to see how wires might have gotten crossed, and it appears a well-meaning Palace employee was just trying to look out for the family's privacy might have overstepped with the notice. After all, it's not that surprising that they might not want strangers asking to babysit their baby.
Still, it's not the first time that the couple has come under fire from rumors that they're "difficult" and "demanding," which has reportedly earned the former Suits actress the nickname of "Duchess Difficult" from royal staff. However, a lot of the negative rumors seem to be attributed to the growing pains of starting a new role and just having a really good work ethic. Per reports, Markle likes to wake up early and enjoys sending texts to her staff about her work and projects, and has a direct management style, which I think a lot of people would probably see as a good thing.
Whether the reports are true or not, something tells me that she doesn't spend too much time worrying about them.
"I don’t read any press," the actress said in a November 2017 interview with Vanity Fair. "I haven’t even read press for Suits. The people who are close to me anchor me in knowing who I am. The rest is noise."
Because the royals rarely comment on rumors, the Palace's statement shutting down reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are difficult neighbors is noteworthy and puts the speculation to bed once and for all. Still, I'd probably ask before trying to talk to Archie or petting their dog.
