In 2017, then-Meghan Markle appeared on the October cover of Vanity Fair. The cover story was about Suits, Meghan’s philanthropy and, obviously, how she was dating one of the most famous bachelors in the world at the time. When the VF cover story came out, there were no freakouts from the palace or from Meghan’s camp. That’s because it was widely assumed that the palace had implicitly or explicitly approved of the piece. For years after that cover, palace sources never included the VF piece in their litany of grudges against Meghan. It wasn’t until Tom Bower decided, in 2022, to make up some completely ridiculous lies about the VF cover that anyone even thought to use that as another piece of slander against Meghan. Bower lied about everything, to the point where Sam Kashner, the journalist who profiled Meghan, publicly called out Bower’s lies.
So, why are we still talking about a Vanity Fair cover story from nine years ago? Because the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden has run out of things to complain about or lie about. According to Eden, palace sources felt the VF cover was “like a punch to the solar plexus.” Eden posted this bizarre video last week:
Meghan Markle set alarm bells ringing before her engagement to Prince Harry was even announced 👀 – and what Palace insiders told me is brutal! Sign up to find out for free⬇️https://t.co/75wZQU0DEx pic.twitter.com/Hkj7yjdIuq
— Richard Eden (@richardaeden) May 20, 2026
So I actually looked into this because I was like “why is Eden bringing up this particular story?” He’s obviously trying to get people to sign up for the Mail’s newsletter, but it looks like he’s recycling one of his own lies from early 2025. Look at what I found on the Mail Plus, dated January 23, 2025:
While Meghan was jubilant at the prospect of her double-whammy – bagging a prince and a Vanity Fair cover – royal officials were perturbed by the article when it was published.
‘It was like a punch to the solar plexus,’ a royal source told me this week. ‘We do not expect friends of members of the Royal Family to give such interviews.’
The source pointed out that Kate Middleton and Lady Diana Spencer, for example, waited until after their engagements had been announced before they gave an interview. And, in both cases, it was organised by Palace officials for the TV cameras under the strictest of conditions.
Harry and Meghan’s engagement was not announced until two months after the Vanity Fair article was published.
‘While people were pleased that Harry had found a serious girlfriend, the article did set alarm bells ringing,’ the source told me. ‘It made people worry that Miss Markle was seeking to use the relationship for publicity purposes.’
A source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex insisted this week that Kensington Palace had ‘signed off’ Meghan’s interview in 2017.
However, while Palace officials may have reluctantly agreed to the idea of an article, they did not know what it would contain.
So… Eden is trying to reheat his own nachos and use sixteen-month-old quotes about a 2017 Vanity Fair cover, and the whole thing is entirely false in the first place. The palace wasn’t mad about the cover, and Meghan didn’t reveal anything intimate about Harry or the Windsors whatsoever. The craziest part is that the cover was timed to coincide with the new season of Suits, not with any engagement announcement. It was literally her job to promote her show, and btw, she’s not writing Vanity Fair’s cover lines.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Vanity Fair.
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle confirm their engagement. Broadcast on BBC News,Image: 356310148, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WENN does not claim any ownership including but not limited to Copyright, License in attached material. Fees charged by WENN are for WENN's services only, do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright, License in material. By publishing this material you expressly agree to indemnify, to hold WENN, its directors, shareholders, employees harmless from any loss, claims, damages, demands, expenses (including legal fees), any causes of action, allegation against WENN arising out of, connected in any way with publication of the material., Model Release: no, Pictured: Prince Henry of Wales,Prince Harry,Meghan Markle, Credit line: – / Wenn / Avalon
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- Meghan Markle at the CFDA-Vogue fashion awards held at Spring Studio in New York City on November 2, 2015.,Image: 516887229, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Dennis Van Tine/Avalon/Avalon
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- Meghan Markle at the USA Upfront at the pier 36 in New York City on May 16, 2013.,Image: 516887351, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Dennis Van Tine / Avalon
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- Meghan Markle attends the NBCUniversal New York Summer Press Day on June 24, 2015 at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, New York, USA.,Image: 524926184, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Robin Platzer/Twin Images / Twin Images / Avalon
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- 108954, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Tuesday November 19, 2013. Meghan Markle attends The Fourth Annual London Global Gift Gala at the ME Hotel in London. **UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG & TAIWAN OUT** Photograph: © i-Images, PacificCoastNews **FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE** **E-TABLET/IPAD & MOBILE PHONE APP PUBLISHING REQUIRES ADDITIONAL FEES** LOS ANGELES OFFICE: +1 310 822 0419 LONDON OFFICE: +44 20 8090 4079,Image: 528999238, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Duke (Willaim) and Duchess (Kate) of Cambridge visit Keswick, England 11th June 2019 (0)
Kate and Diana were not famous prior to their engagements. Meghan was, and doing promotion for her show was a part of the job, for heaven’s sake. She did publicity prior to the relationship with Harry, so why wouldn’t she continue? These people.
This is a NINE year old story. NINE YEARS. There is such an utter dearth of interesting activity coming from the BRF that they can only pick up a nine year old story to write about. What does that say about Chuck, Camilla, Willy and Kate and their absolute failure to engage with their public in any significant way? Being in the royal rota these days must be like watching paint dry.
Yup. What would these parasites be writing about if they weren’t making bank with their screeds about someone who hasn’t even lived in Great Britain for several years? Maybe Edward and Sophie are doing something scintillating — or at least something dutiful — that they can cover instead of rehashes of things that aren’t really news.
Carole and Pippa both gave interviews prior to Kate’s engagement.
Yep. Guess pictures of Willy sitting in a parked sportscar or hammering a nail aren’t bringing the clicks. And the tabloids know the Waleses are on another luxury school break vacation this week, but they aren’t allowed to write about it.
How many of the clicks on Maureen’s Sussex hate pieces are bots, though? And when will advertisers get a handle on how many bots (bots don;t buy products) and complain/withdraw from the Mail?
It’s the second week in a row that he recycles his own stuff/stuff that they have already whined about before.
Just as you say, he’s trying to get people to pay for this newsletter which is just old content. A complete rip off for the clueless. Things have to be getting really bad. More and more the rota are feverishly introducing new podcasts and newsletters. The mirror has a terrible and inconsistent podcast with that meyers fellow and rather than just pack it in they’re promising a whole new podcast infrastructure and content. Hello podcast is planning a NYC live show. Suspiciously like the Daily Mail did a month ago. Daily Mail is planning a live show H&M hate rally soon as well.
I think it’s all coordinated. Also piers has a podcast show now all of a sudden. Most of all the content is hate content on H&M.
I guess derangers are a built-in audience and as long as H&M are breathing they’ll have something to criticize and use for content.
It’s so weird that these people have such a stranglehold on their hatred. They’d rather shrink into irrelevance than let go and move on.
But you made your own point. The tabloids continue to churn out these stories because they get clicks. I don’t think it’s even personal anymore. The stories are so far removed from reality it’s basically fan fiction. I wasn’t upset in 2017, I’m certainly not going to be mad in 2026.
So the same palace hacks that lobbied for & actually obtained script approval on Suits knew nothing at all about a cover story in Vanity Fair which runs an ongoing continually refreshed segment covering royals worldwide, to which courtiers are continually providing helpful input in the capacity of a standing press liaison office. Riiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Is Richard Eden running out of stories about Harry and Meghan? It seems so. He has intimated in the past that he had sources in Harry and Meghan’s camp but for him to be regurgitating this story it means he’s lying and has no information about them.
LOL at the idea that they somehow expected a working actress who was promoting her show’s new season to not give interviews. And of course they were going to ask about her at that time serious boyfriend of a year who happened to be a literal Prince. If the palace was bothered by it, it’s just more evidence than them being completely out of touch with the real world.
But in general I think this is just Richard Eden being desperate for people to generate income for him. They all just go on each other’s YouTube shows and podcasts now, and use each other as sources in their sub stacks.
They have nothing to report about with the current crop of ” working” royals, and the longer hairy and Meghan are away from their work in Royal years, the harder it is for them to generate interest and outrage. New people that are interested and what they are doing are not Royal fans, so they’re not checking for the thoughts of the Rota and other commentators.
Who cares? Let it go. Oooh, she did a magazine cover! How bloody dare she? GMAFB. And she looks insanely beautiful on that cover so sure bring it up some more so we can all see how beautiful she is and how she’s always been an interesting person long before she ever met Harry.
Desperation and broke are what the gutter rats are now. A documentary on Prince Harry’s therapy which he covered in Spare. Now a nine year old magazine cover attack on Meghan
What kind of disability does Eden have? Is he on the spectrum?
He does seem to have jazz hand syndrome as well as drone tone.
😂
His mannerisms are difficult to watch.. I don’t know what he has besides a rotted soul but it’s something.
Meghan looked beyond gorgeous on that cover Something I’m sure made all the leftovers and racist pea green with envy even if they never admit it she just outshines them all effortlessly.
of course it was done with palace approval. We know this because it took YEARS as Kaiser notes before it became a talking point and that was from Tom Bower, who lies like a rug.
OMG, this is insane. Let it freaking go, dude.
Palace math and physics are different from the rest of us because dates and times no longer matter. It’s like everything happened yesterday, instead of years ago, but gets a new iteration or spin with each retelling.
The face that broke the conveyor belt. My Goodness Meghan is beautiful. As for Eden, ain’t you tired? Just moaning, whining, frothing at the mouth. We really need to bring back shame.
Maureen—Richard—you’re a grown man, FFS. You’re too old to be spouting this BS. And, for God’s sake, please get better-fitting pants. I don’t need to see the outline of the family jewels while you repeatedly wave your hands over them.
What would these folks be writing about if Meg and Harry never existed? Instead of endlessly retelling and reframing or digging up dead grandparents to diss the living to trash Meg some more, why don’t they write about the heir and his missus? Because there is plenty they could write on that score isn’t there? So know or suspect plenty but it will never get written because generating hatred towards a blameless couple is far more lucrative, isn’t it?
These people have their heads firmly into a 19th century ass, which is what The Firm seems to be. They should let the drawbridge down and step outside.