Why A Necklace Got Meghan Markle In Trouble With the Palace

The new biography Finding Freedom, which details Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's decision to step down from their official royal duties, recalls a time when a personalized necklace landed the Duchess of Sussex in hot water with palace aides. Back in 2016—aka the early days of Harry and Meghan's relationship—Meghan was photographed wearing a gold Maya Brenner necklace featuring the letters "H" and "M" on the chain.

The photos of Meghan wearing the necklace ended up in tabloids, which resulted in a dressing down from palace aids. "She was advised that wearing such a necklace only served to encourage the photographers to keep pursuing such images—and new headlines," Finding Freedom authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand write in the book, according to an extract published by People.

Scobie and Durand report that Meghan "said little during the call, choosing instead to simply listen to the counsel. But after hanging up, she felt frustrated and emotional" about the situation. "While she knew the aide had good intentions, the surreal experience of having someone from her boyfriend's office tell her what kind of jewelry to wear or not to smile at a photographer was too much."

After the scolding from palace aides, Meghan turned to a friend to vent. She reportedly the friend: "I can't win. They make out like I'm to blame for these pictures, that it looks like I'm encouraging them, that me even acknowledging the cameras may not be sending the right message. I don't know what to say. It was only yesterday that people online were saying I look miserable in pictures, because I was trying to just ignore the [photographer]."

Ultimately, Meghan was left to feel "felt damned if she did and damned if she didn't," according to Finding Freedom.

Photo: Getty