A former Buckingham Palace insider has claimed in a new book that Meghan Markle thought she was going to be "Britain's Beyonce".
Harry and Meghan have returned to the US after having an extended stay in the UK following the death of the Queen earlier this month.
According to Meghan's pal and TV host Gayle King, "efforts on both sides" were made to heal the rifts between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their royal relatives, writes The Mirror.
The disagreements between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the Royal Family have been well documented in recent months. But a new book has suggested Meghan had different ideas over what her role in the Firm could be when she first became involved with Harry.
The book, written by The Times' royal correspondent Valentine Low, quotes a source claiming Meghan thought she could become 'Britain's Beyoncé'.
In an extract of 'Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown', an ex-palace insider tells the author: "I think Meghan thought she was going to be the Beyoncé of the UK. Being part of the royal family would give her that kudos.
"Whereas what she discovered was that there were so many rules that were so ridiculous that she couldn’t even do the things that she could do as a private individual, which is tough . . . It just required the decision-makers to sit around a table and say, ‘OK, what are we going to do about this?
"What do you need to feel better? And what can we give?’”
Meghan has previously shared how she felt "silenced" and trapped while living as part of the Royal Family.
In her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duchess described her disillusionment, saying officials "lied" to protect other royals instead of Harry and her.
Having been a working self-sufficient woman for many years, Meghan was shocked when officials even took her passport from her after her marriage.
She said: "When I joined that family, that was the last time I saw my passport, my driving licence, my keys - all of that gets turned over."
Meghan said she had been completely "naive" about what life as a royal would be like.
She also explained that being "judged" by outsiders unaware of the reality of her daily life was "really tricky".
She has since described finding her "happy ending" at home with Harry and her children in California.
And when US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres previously asked her what Harry loves about California, the Duchess replied: "We're just happy."
Meghan also told the audience: "I love to cook, we'll be (at) home and just relax and sort of settle in. It's our second Thanksgiving (at) home (in) California, so it will be nice."
Courtiers: the Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Valentine Low will be published on October 6 by Headline Books (£20)
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