Author Emily Giffin Has a Lot of Opinions on the Royal Family: Read Her Criticism, Praise and More

Credit: Picture Perfect/Shutterstock; Shutterstock

Author Emily Giffin Has a Lot of Opinions on the Royal Family: Read Her Criticism, Praise and More

Emily Giffin has a complicated relationship with Meghan Markle — and she’s not afraid to share it. While the author made headlines in May 2020 for criticizing a video of the Suits with son Archie ahead of his 1st birthday, it wasn’t the first time she spoke out about the British royal family. The Something Borrowed author detailed her appreciation and fascination with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, Prince William, Prince Harry and their extended family for Glamour in 2018. “The day Diana died remains one of the saddest of my life,” she wrote. “I had just taken the bar exam, and was beginning my adult life as a lawyer in New York City, and I just couldn’t fathom that Diana’s life was over, her two boys motherless. I remember my closest guy friend being confounded by my grief—You didn’t know her, he kept saying. You don’t weep for strangers who die in a car crash; what made Diana so special? I tried to explain that that was precisely why I — and millions of others across the globe—cared so much.” Giffin was extra excited going into Harry and Markle’s May 2018 nuptials. [jwplayer aziyIW7O] “We will be reminded that royal or not, we are all the sum of our relationships, defined by love,” she wrote days before they tied the knot. “Harry is a prince—and sixth in line to the throne — but he is also that little heartbroken boy trailing behind his mummy’s casket. And now he is a handsome, courageous man marrying the love of his life. What will happen to Harry and Meghan after they say “I do”? Will they have children? What will they name them? In what ways will they serve their country and the greater world? And most of all, will they live happily ever after? The question shouldn’t be why am I obsessed, but rather, how can anyone not find this hopeful union—and this family—endlessly fascinating?” In the months following the wedding, Giffin even told Us Weekly exclusively that she was considering writing a royals-themed novel. “I’m toying with the idea of something set in the world of the royals. Did you know that I like the royals? Did you know that? Maybe in the backdrop of the story line,” she said at the time. “I think as much as I love the monarchy, I lived in England, I got up early to watch Diana’s wedding when I was 7 years old. … I watched The Crown, I’m obsessed with all things, I’m an anglophile.” After Harry and Markle announced their plans to step back from their senior royal duties in January 2020, however, Giffin struggled with her feelings for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Scroll through for Giffin’s thoughts of Markle and more over the years:

Credit: Picture Perfect/Shutterstock; Shutterstock

Author Emily Giffin Has a Lot of Opinions on the Royal Family: Read Her Criticism, Praise and More

Emily Giffin has a complicated relationship with Meghan Markle — and she’s not afraid to share it. While the author made headlines in May 2020 for criticizing a video of the Suits with son Archie ahead of his 1st birthday, it wasn’t the first time she spoke out about the British royal family. The Something Borrowed author detailed her appreciation and fascination with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, Prince William, Prince Harry and their extended family for Glamour in 2018. “The day Diana died remains one of the saddest of my life,” she wrote. “I had just taken the bar exam, and was beginning my adult life as a lawyer in New York City, and I just couldn’t fathom that Diana’s life was over, her two boys motherless. I remember my closest guy friend being confounded by my grief—You didn’t know her, he kept saying. You don’t weep for strangers who die in a car crash; what made Diana so special? I tried to explain that that was precisely why I — and millions of others across the globe—cared so much.” Giffin was extra excited going into Harry and Markle’s May 2018 nuptials. [jwplayer aziyIW7O] “We will be reminded that royal or not, we are all the sum of our relationships, defined by love,” she wrote days before they tied the knot. “Harry is a prince—and sixth in line to the throne — but he is also that little heartbroken boy trailing behind his mummy’s casket. And now he is a handsome, courageous man marrying the love of his life. What will happen to Harry and Meghan after they say “I do”? Will they have children? What will they name them? In what ways will they serve their country and the greater world? And most of all, will they live happily ever after? The question shouldn’t be why am I obsessed, but rather, how can anyone not find this hopeful union—and this family—endlessly fascinating?” In the months following the wedding, Giffin even told Us Weekly exclusively that she was considering writing a royals-themed novel. “I’m toying with the idea of something set in the world of the royals. Did you know that I like the royals? Did you know that? Maybe in the backdrop of the story line,” she said at the time. “I think as much as I love the monarchy, I lived in England, I got up early to watch Diana’s wedding when I was 7 years old. … I watched The Crown, I’m obsessed with all things, I’m an anglophile.” After Harry and Markle announced their plans to step back from their senior royal duties in January 2020, however, Giffin struggled with her feelings for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Scroll through for Giffin’s thoughts of Markle and more over the years:

Credit: Shutterstock

On the Royal Exit

“They insisted they wanted to ‘modernize the monarchy’ and ‘hit the ground running.’ They said they were ready for the challenge and the responsibility,” the author wrote in January 2020. “They were all in. But I believe, with hindsight (and after taking off my own royal rose colored glasses) that what MM really wanted was fame. Before her wedding and since her wedding, she has had a PR team working on making her famous. This isn’t a bad thing—plenty of good people aspire to be famous. But anybody who disputes that MM wanted to be famous is ignoring the facts. She took the famous part, along with a royal wedding, title, and residence—and then decided she didn’t like the life. Being a royal is hard work. It looks glamorous, but the daily life is a grind; the rules are onerous; and I believe the cons far outweigh the perks. On top of that, MM was a new mother and the victim of vile racist attacks. I’ve been a new mother but never the victim of racism or the paparazzi, and I can’t fathom how painful that would be (though I try). But I will forever maintain that they—both MM and Harry—behaved selfishly. I feel like I’m part of another generation when I say this—but not everything is about ‘happiness.’ Sometimes it’s about duty and honor and sacrifice for something bigger than you.”

Giffin added that the duo should have made a decision before their May 2018 nuptials. “OR I think they should have given it longer than 18 months before they threw in the towel,” she wrote. “And in any event, they should have made the announcement differently and acknowledged some culpability. ‘We are sorry …’ Look. People make mistakes and life is messy. But when things go wrong, own up to your own role in the mess. Based on the facts I have before me, I just don’t respect how they’ve behaved. And I’m not a bully, or a racist, or misogynistic, for holding this opinion. #sussexit.”

Credit: Shutterstock

On Initial Feelings for Meghan

After the royal exit news first broke, Giffin shared a series of her old posts praising Markle. “Flashback to when I was a huge Meghan Markle fan. Just 10 of the dozens (and dozens) of times I posted her photo, along with glowing, downright girl crush captions,” she wrote, adding the hashtag, “#ithinkyougetmydrift.”

Credit: INSTARimages.com

On the Royal Kids

“Oh, it’s going to be SO much fun watching this one grow up ... GO CHARLOTTE! 💗” she wrote alongside a sassy snap of William and Kate’s daughter in August 2019.

Credit: Shutterstock

On Not ‘Liking’ Meghan

“When I said I don’t like MM, I don’t actually know her,” Giffin clarified in January 2020. “It’s a conclusion I’ve drawn from afar based on many data points (and people who do know her and have worked with her). But I acknowledge that I could be wrong; the data points could be wrong; and that the issue is very complicated. I also want to say that the racism that MM has endured is absolutely vile. Nothing excuses it. And if that’s why they are leaving, I get it. Regardless, I wish them well. #sussexit.”

Credit: Shutterstock

On Love for the Queen

Giffin wrote in March 2020 that there is no one she respects more than Queen Elizabeth II.

Credit: Shutterstock

On Harry’s Ex Chelsy Davy

“She broke up with him because she didn’t want a royal life and didn’t want to come between him and his family,” Giffin wrote of Harry’s ex in January 2020. “I want Harry to be happy, just like everyone else, and if he’s truly happy now, great. Leave the monarchy, and do your thing. Good on you. But do you really think he will be happy away from his brother and father and entire family and country? I don’t. But I could be wrong. Also, to all those who say Diana would have applauded this? No mother wants her children to be fighting and estranged. William and Harry were always so close. She would have been heartbroken.”

Credit: Shutterstock

On Harry and Meghan’s Doc

Giffin had a lot of feelings when Harry and Markle opened up about their struggles in their ITV documentary. “I’m still refraining from officially commenting on the ITV documentary except to say that I think all of this sadly detracts from Her Majesty’s selfless, stoic decades of duty to God and country,” Giffin wrote in October 2019.

Days later, she added that she is still “processing” the revelations: “All the layers and shades of gray of this interview. It touches on so many issues that cut deeper than Harry and Meghan. What I do know for sure is that this is the messy, nuanced emotional terrain that makes me love being a writer.”

Credit: Shutterstock

On Her Passion for the Family

“Yes, the royals are famous by virtue of birthright or marriage, and we are intrigued by the glamour and mystery of their world, but that’s not why we feel attached,” she wrote for Glamour in May 2018. “Rather it’s the common, human thread that bonds us to that famed family. It’s the relatability of falling in love, getting married, having children.”

Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock; Duke of Sussex/@SaveChildrenUK/Instagram

On Archie’s Birthday Post

“Why didn’t she film and let Harry read? And why didn’t she take the moment at the end to say ‘He said daddy!’ Because that would make it about Harry for a split second,” Giffin wrote in May 2020 alongside the video of Markle’s birthday video for Archie. “God forbid. Also, you want privacy for your child so you put out a video (by your authorized biographer) of him … wearing no pants?! Ooookay.”

She also referred to Markle as “unmaternal” and “such a phony.”