Meghan Markle became infuriated over her 2017 Vanity Fair cover, which ran with a headline that she deemed “racist,” according to “Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown,” a new book by royal author Valentine Low.
Markle and Prince Harry reportedly objected to the October issue’s headline “She’s Just Wild About Harry!” as they pointed out that “I’m Just Wild About Harry” was the title of song that Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney performed as a blackface number in the 1939 musical “Babes In Arms”
“They [Harry and Meghan] tried to get it changed online, because [they thought] it had been racially motivated,” said a source, according to an excerpt from Low’s book that was obtained by the Daily Mail.
In addition, Markle was reportedly “furious” with her public relations adviser Keleigh Thomas Morgan over the headline.
“[Meghan] was so angry with Keleigh, she wanted to fire her,” a source said, according to the excerpt.
At the time, Morgan, a longtime PR guru with the prestigious firm Sunshine Sachs, had been recently hired to help guide Markle as she managed her new celebrity status after revealing her relationship with Prince Harry.
Kensington Palace reportedly approved of Markle’s choice to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair’s October 2017 issue and participate in the accompanying interview but left the negotiations up to Morgan.
In the excerpt, Row wrote, “Ostensibly to mark the 100th episode of Suits, the interview was, in effect, Meghan’s big launch. The couple were not officially engaged — though everyone in Kensington Palace knew they had been privately engaged since the late summer — but this was Meghan putting herself out there in a confident, pro-active way.”
However, Markle reportedly “hated it” and was “upset” that the main focus was on her relationship with Harry.
Row wrote that the Duchess of Sussex was “furious” with Morgan. “She was very unhappy with how that had been handled,” said a source, according to the excerpt.
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“And she was looking to throw blame in every possible direction, despite it having been a positive piece.”
“She did not like the photographs. She thought the story was negative. She was upset that it was about Harry, not about her.”
According to Row, “Things eventually settled down. But for a while Keleigh was out in the cold with Meghan.”
The October 2017 Vanity Fair story marked the first time that Markle had publicly addressed her romance with Prince Harry.
“We’re a couple,” she told the outlet. “We’re in love. I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time.
“This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”
The two began dating in July 2016 and announced their engagement in November 2017, a month after the Vanity Fair issue was published.
Representatives for Markle, Harry, Morgan and Vanity Fair did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
