I think people are forgetting the rough time everyone gave Kate before Meghan came along. The snobby headlines about her mum being an air stewardess, ‘Waity Katey’, she’s just waiting around for William, her dodgy uncle, the photos of her as a student in underwear at the fashion shoot, long lens topless pics, I could go on.
The difference is Kate seems to understand that this is a pitfall of the job, that the media go through a phase of savaging every new member of the RF (Camilla, Fergie, Beatrice’s new husband because he has a child from previous marriage etc).
If Meghan had just held a dignified silence and showed willing by doing some ‘boring’ engagements like visiting community centres and old people’s homes, I really think it would’ve blown over within a year or two.
But instead she showed herself up by leaping at the chance to surround herself with take A-list ‘friends’, seemingly only wanting to attend film premieres and ‘fun’ engagements like fashion shoots and Vogue, the embarrassing interview in South Africa, the bizarre privacy demands around Archie’s birth, dodging her duty to meet Donald Trump (because clearly it would’ve tarnished her Hollywood liberal reputation) etc etc
Everything she has tried to do ‘differently’ to royal protocol doesn’t look fresh and modern, it looks awkward and staged - the engagement photos, the bizarre walk down the red carpet in Windsor Castle to introduce Archie, the baby foot photo, the recent pregnancy announcement etc.
The public don’t see royals as celebrities, they see them more like politicians - they want to see them doing boring engagements and fulfilling their duty, not living the high life off taxpayer’s money and acting like they might burst with excitement at the opportunity to hug Beyoncé.