Meghan Markle 'rubbed up against' royal courtiers says expert

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“Courtiers” is the official name for the formidable team of professionals who work tirelessly for the institution behind the scenes. Notably nicknamed the “men in grey suits” and “the men with moustaches” by Diana, Princess of Wales, some royals who have married into the Firm have found the courtiers difficult to deal with. However, as royal author Valentine Low has pointed out, senior members of the Royal Family often have close relationships with the people behind the Crown. 

Mr Low, whose new book ‘Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown’ hit shelves in September, was a guest on this week’s episode of Podcast Royal, where he discussed his book and the nuances of the relationship between royals and their courtiers, noting the different ways in which senior royals communicated with their staff and revealing the late Queen Elizabeth II had a tendency to speak in “code”. 

Mr Low explained: “What I’d say about the late Queen was that I think she was a very good person to work for. She was quite good about listening to advice; she’d always want to listen to advice — even if it wasn’t the answer she was seeking. And the people who work for her learn to decode her answers. If you said: ‘Let me see,’ that might be code for ‘I don’t really think so.’ 

“But often, if she was interested, she would say to them, ‘well then, you have a word with Philip about it,’ and that was code for ‘well, this is an interesting idea, but you need to work on it a bit. Philip will be a good person to work with.’”

After 96 years of life and 70 years on the throne, the late Queen worked with several courtiers, forming close bonds with some of her most-trusted advisors. In fact, Her Majesty spent her final days at Balmoral Castle with her courtiers. 

According to Victoria Ward, The Telegraph’s royal correspondent, the Queen’s closest aides would help “with jigsaw puzzles, delivering her beloved Racing Post and simply keeping her company as she watched television.”

They “had become indispensable, keeping her spirits up and her mind sharp.”

These loyal members of staff were present for the Queen’s final journeys, leading her to Westminster Abbey, where her funeral was held on September 19. Some said their goodbyes as the Queen left Balmoral for the last time and others led the way as the coffin was taken in procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.

The passing of Queen Elizabeth reportedly devastated her loyal staff, many of whom have been serving the Royal Family for several decades. Following the Palace’s confirmation of the monarch’s death, a royal insider told PEOPLE that her personal courtiers were “devastated”. They continued: “They are incandescent with grief. However much you are prepared for it, after a lifetime of service, it was still a terrible shock.”

With the death of one monarch and the accession of another, the structure of the royal household faces an overhaul as two groups of staff amalgamate. For instance, while the Queen’s private secretary Sir Edward Young retained his position following Her Majesty’s passing, he will be replaced as private secretary to the Sovereign by Sir Clive Alderton, King Charles III’s right-hand man of over seven years. 

Reportedly the man behind the notorious phrase “some recollections may vary” after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Sir Clive is known for his fierce intelligence, love of culture and sense of humour, something that Mr Low has deemed particularly important when working for Charles. 

Comparing the King’s relationship with his courtiers to that of the late Queen, the well-respected journalist suggested that Charles’ approach is more straightforward, claiming the former Prince of Wales has “got quite a temper”. 

He continued: “Someone described him going from nought to 60 in a flash, but it’s not necessarily directed at you, it’s directed at a situation; I think he comes down pretty quickly. And a skilful courtier working for Charles knows the value of a sense of humour; if you can make him laugh, that’s a great way of diffusing a situation.”

But, despite his desire for comedic relief in his day-to-day life, the monarch maintains a level of formality, apparently contrasting with his eldest son’s approach, with Prince William leading “a much more informal household”.

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Mr Low explained: “There have been times when he encouraged his staff not to wear suits if they weren’t meeting someone that day or doing something more official. Because he was based in Kensington Palace, which was also his family home, he wanted his children around; he wanted to have the feel of a family home.”

The author went on to describe the differences between how courtiers addressed their principles (the royal they serve), saying: “With Charles, it was very straightforward — it was ‘Your Highness’ first, after that, it was ‘Sir’ and last thing at night, it was ‘Your Royal Highness’.”

In contrast, William is “more likely to be on first-name terms”, particularly with senior people within his household, the most senior member being the Prince’s private secretary, Jean-Christophe Gray, who maintained his role within the Royal Household following William’s appointment as Prince of Wales. 

Having worked as David Cameron’s official spokesperson and for chancellors of the exchequer including Alistair Darling, George Osborne and Rishi Sunak, Jean-Christophe was the second hire for William’s team of a former Cameron employee. Simon Case, the Prince’s private secretary from 2018, had held the same position for Cameron, but returned to work at Whitehall in 2020.

The Prince was appointed his first private secretary in 2005; Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton worked with the former Duke of Cambridge until 2013, also serving Kate, Princess of Wales and Prince Harry. He was known to be close with the royals and was even made godfather to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ eldest son, Prince George.

Mr Low discussed the early days of setting up William and Harry’s royal household, describing it as “incredibly informal”. 

He continued: “William and Harry were going around very informally dressed, sometimes wearing flip-flops, and shared pizzas with their team.

“The team would always wear ties, even though William and Harry were definitely not wearing ties, and when William and Harry came to the room, they’d get up. William and Harry would say: ‘No, no, please don’t get up!’ 

“But the team thought this is what happens if you’re a member of the Royal Family, people get up when you walk into a room so they’ve got to learn to get used to that so they just carried on doing it. And William and Harry kept on saying: ‘No, no, please don’t get up.’ But eventually, they just gave up because these staff and courtiers carried on doing it.” 

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