Queen Camilla pens personal note to author who criticised Meghan Markle
Queen Camilla has sent a personal letter to an author who previously described Meghan Markle as “unmaternal.”
The bestselling American author, who apologised publicly for her 2020 comments calling the Duchess of Sussex “phoney” and “unmaternal,” received praise from the Queen.
Emily Giffin, known for her 2005 New York Times bestseller Something Borrowed, shared on social media that she received a personal note from Camilla in July.
In the letter, which Giffin posted to her Instagram account on August 28, Camilla expressed gratitude for receiving a copy of Giffin’s new novel, noting that she looked forward to reading it “in the peace and quiet of Scotland.”
Camilla also mentioned that it was a “great pleasure to meet you” during her second annual Queen’s Reading Room literary festival at Hampton Court Palace earlier in the summer and hoped “our paths will cross again in the near future.”
It remains unclear if Camilla was aware of Giffin’s past comments about Meghan when she wrote the letter.
In 2020, Giffin faced backlash after posting critical remarks on Instagram about Meghan, who had shared a video of herself reading to her son, Prince Archie, for his first birthday.
Giffin’s posts labeled Meghan as “unmaternal” and “such a phoney,” and criticized the video as being “the [Meghan] show,” questioning why Meghan did not let Harry read on camera.
These remarks led to swift backlash from royal fans. Giffin later issued an apology on Instagram, posting a photo of herself with cardboard cutouts of Harry and Meghan.
In the caption, she said she regularly posts in an “unfiltered way,” and that she is “very interested in the British monarchy.”
“To be clear, I absolutely loved that a biracial, American woman was marrying into the Royal Family,” she wrote.
“It seemed a wonderful, happy thing for everyone. I celebrated their wedding by hosting a gathering here at my home and posting many, many photos. Further, I was appalled by any signs of racism against her.
“Over recent months my feelings about BOTH Harry and Meghan changed. But I can say from the bottom of my heart that my criticism of Meghan has never had anything to do with her race.
“Further, I understood why she wanted to leave the monarchy and carve out her own path. I do, however, find fault with the way BOTH she and Harry handled things, and those feelings bled over in later posts, including the ones today.
“I can see how some of my posts may have felt mean-spirited and could be construed as having racial undertones. It was not my intent, but I understand that intent and impact are two very different things. And I am truly sorry for that negative impact.”
At the time, Meghan did not publicly respond to Giffin’s criticism or apology.
