Meghan Markle is being kept at a distance from reporters, claims royal correspondent
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A royal correspondent is claiming journalists are allegedly being kept at a distance from Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle during official engagements so that they can’t overhear any remarks that might breach royal protocol.
Richard Palmer, a reporter for London’s Daily Express who has covered the former “Suits” star’s appearances, made the claim on Twitter Tuesday in a series of tweets.
“Royal rota journalists are being kept further away from her than we were before the wedding,” he claimed. “That means we can’t hear what she is saying.
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"If you can’t get direct quotes from members of the Royal Family that often makes for dull stories. You go afterwards and ask what she said. Mr. Bloggs said: ‘The Duchess expressed the hope that women would eventually get the same opportunities as men in this profession.’ Boring.
“So, just as with Kate [Middleton], that inevitably leaves you with little else to write about except what she wore and looked like… These stories have limited shelf life.”
Palmer believed this unusual move is part of an ongoing strategy created by the palace while the 36-year-old settles into her new role without worrying about being overheard for saying the wrong thing.
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“I suspect keeping the rota [royal correspondants] further away is about settling her in and nothing to do with any previous stories,” he said.
“My hope is that when they come back from their summer break, Meghan will be given of a freer rein to express herself (within earshot of the media) and get stuck into some of the serious topics she wants to tackle,” added Palmer.
“She has the soft power to help many people in this world. What she wears will always be of interest to some readers, of course, but it doesn’t have to be all of the story.”
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In response, a rep from Kensington Palace told Fox News: "This is something that we're not providing any comment on."
Despite the criticism, Palmer insisted Markle is worthy of writing about.
“So, to the Duchess of Sussex,” he wrote. “Like every [correspondent] and photographer I know, I am delighted she’s joined the Royal Family. She’s a breath of fresh air, beautiful, and — let’s be honest — a new character in the royal soap opera. It all makes for good copy.”
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Markle, who retired from acting in Hollywood to marry Britain’s Prince Harry in May, may still be learning how to safely find her away as the newest member of the royal family.
Despite her previous high-profile career, Markle has appeared visibly nervous during several events. And earlier this month, Markle seemingly broke royal protocol when she and Harry, 33, were on their first overseas trip as a married couple.
According to Irish senator Catherine Noone, who was one of the leaders of the recent referendum to legalize abortion in Ireland, Markle expressed her support for Noone’s efforts.
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In a since-deleted tweet captured by the Irish Sun, Noon said: “A pleasure to meet Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex at the British Ambassador’s residence this evening. The Duchess and I had a chat about the recent referendum — she watched with interest and was pleased with the result.”
Noone was quick to backtrack on her tweet as many pointed out members of the royal family are required to refrain from making political statements.
“I deleted it because it was unintentionally misleading — the Duchess was not in anyway political,” she later tweeted.
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A rep for the royal family told Fox News at that time they had no comment.
Fox News’ Sasha Savitsky contributed to this report.