Was Meghan behind a crying TV blitz? Palace responds to claims that the Duchess approved the American documentary

The Duchess of Sussex was caught in a new dispute after asserting that she had approved a media blitz to improve her public image.

That followed the Friday broadcast of a 60-minute documentary in prime time on the American channel CBS, in which his friends lavished tears of praise on the 37-year-old woman and complained against her critics.

"She is a glimmer of hope for a lot of women … I really hope it's the first step in changing the story of our entire world and how we feel about the breed," he said. actress Jessica Alba.

Janina Gavankar, another actress who has been friends with Meghan for over 15 years, was no less enthusiastic. "They are very philanthropic," she said of Meghan and Prince Harry. "You see them doing great things for the world."

The famous makeup artist Daniel Martin cried defending the duchess against information difficult to treat. "In the years that I knew her, in the years I worked with her, she never had a diva crisis, ever," he sobbed.

But the adulation was tempered by claims – denied by the palace – that Meghan had allowed his friends to participate in the documentary.

A CBS source told The Sun newspaper that everyone had spoken only "with the blessing of Meghan". In an article titled "Spincess Meghan", the source adds: "Our belief is that Meghan is aware of this television project for at least a month and hopes that some allies and friends will talk to each other … Meghan thinks she's her best personal relationship. & # 39;

In an unusually fierce response, Buckingham Palace issued a statement refuting the claims. "The Duchess had no involvement in the CBS special, nor did she ask for or give permission to friends to participate," he said.

Sources close to the Duchess said the documentary was counterbalanced by combining the contributions of British journalists, photographers and royal experts with those of her friends.

The controversy, however, seems to have been fueled by previous claims that Meghan would have allowed friends to speak positively about her media and her close friendship with Gayle King, the veteran American TV presenter who introduced the CBS documentary.

According to reports, Ms. King – who suggested in her documentary, Meghan and Harry, Plus One, that "the critical press coverage [of Meghan] is rooted in "anti-feminism, even racism" – visited Meghan at Frogmore Cottage, the royal couple's home in Windsor, just days before the birth of their son, Archie, on May 6 .

She was also invited to Meghan's controversial birth party in New York in February.

The Duchess is far from being the first person to have trouble reconciling promotion and privacy after her marriage in the royal family.

However, she has not missed any friends ready to fight, even in her public disputes with her father, Thomas Markle. Last July, in an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Markle criticized Meghan for refusing to talk to him and for his "sense of superiority."

But in February, five of the Duchess's "anonymous friends" told US People magazine that Meghan had written to her father saying, "Daddy, my heart is broken. I like you. I have a father. Please, stop victimizing me through the media so that we can fix our relationship. & # 39;

The friends said Markle answered with a long letter in which he asked his daughter to take a picture. "I think she'll always feel truly devastated by what he's done," they said.

The article, which sent shockwaves into the well-oiled press office of the royal family, was the first sign that Meghan and Harry wanted to handle public relations in their own way.

He also highlighted that sometimes their priority would be their American public, not British. The two men's desire for independence was again highlighted this month when they ensured that the birth of their son, Archie, was wrapped up in secrecy.

Despite the interest aroused around the world by the newcomer, the Duke and Duchess made it clear that they wanted to get the minimum publicity for the arrival of their first child.

They broke with the protocol by refusing to appoint the medical team (the consultants are named on the traditional proclamation posted outside Buckingham Palace).

Even Archie's birthplace – Portland's private hospital in Westminster – was kept secret until his birth certificate was released last week.

Then, when they had to unveil their newborn, they organized a meticulously planned photocall. Posing for photos at St. George's Hall, in Windsor Castle, the couple chose to invite an American television crew to accompany a British broadcaster.

The award winning slot machine was ceded (by chance, insists the palace insiders) to CBS, the timing of the event coinciding well with the start of Ms. King's morning television show.

The Palace pointed out that the images had been directly transmitted to all the broadcasters, so that they did not present any unfair advantage.

However, the determination to reverse the tradition is accompanied by negative headlines about the duchess's overbearing behavior and a tense relationship with her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge.

If, as Meghan repeats, friends made the unilateral decision to speak out, their decision is bold, because William and Harry have long been cold on all friends who speak in public.

The CBS program tackled Meghan's difficult relationship with the media and how, as Ms. King has said, she went from "Meghan Markle, the perfect royal" to "Meghan Markle, Duchess Difficult".

& # 39; What are the tears for you? & # 39; Ms. King asked Mr. Martin sobbing. "Because I know her so well," he said. She does not deserve all this negative press.