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Meghan Markle’s bold move to have a “flashy” baby shower for her firstborn once made palace aides “spit out morning tea” in horror when they saw the pictures, according to claims in an unofficial royal biography.
Senior royal aides were understood to have been unimpressed by the Duchess of Sussex’s luxury baby shower before she welcomed her firstborn son Prince Archie – because it had turned into a “media circus”.
Meghan jetted to New York while she was seven months pregnant in February 2019 for the extravagant bash which took place in a penthouse at The Mark Hotel and was attended by various stars, including Gayle King, Jessica Mulroney and Amal Clooney.
Royal author, Omid Scobie, claimed that some palace staff found the whole idea distinctly unusual for a Royal Family member in the book, ‘Finding Freedom’.
The book, co-authored by royal reporters Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie, said: “While the trip had been a hit with Meghan, senior courtiers back in the UK were spitting out their morning tea when they saw her lavish baby shower thrown by friends turn into a media circus with what looked like carefully stage-managed paparazzi walks of the duchess in big black sunglasses from her hotel to her car and a laundry list of insider party details reported by US press.”
The book details supposed reaction from insiders. They write: “It’s fair to say that the optics of the somewhat flashy shower did not go down well with certain individuals at the palace.
“Meghan was often criticised for being too Hollywood, meaning too flashy. Especially for the reserved aesthetic of the monarchy.”
Another source said royal courtiers were left “disappointed,” saying: “I think a few people that had defended her over the months felt a little disappointed. But sometimes in this role you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
“Ultimately, the trip was just Meghan’s friends celebrating a really exciting moment in her life.”
Meghan’s baby shower, a typically American tradition, took place in New York, one of the Duchess’ most-loved cities. Despite the baby shower not being funded by taxpayers’ money, many accused Meghan of behaving like a Hollywood celebrity.
Speaking in a Channel 4 documentary called A Very Royal Baby: From Cradle to Crown, Mr Scobie explained: “I remember speaking to a palace aide at the time who rolled their eyes.
“They were horrified that something so common was happening within the House of Windsor.”
Prince Archie, who is now five-years-old, was born at London’s Portland Hospital on May 6, 2019, a few months after the baby shower, and moved to the US the following year.
Meghan and Harry have made very few public appearances with their children since their move to the US, but delighted fans with some personal pictures and footage of Archie and his younger sister, Princess Lilibet, in their Netflix series in 2022.