Stefanie Powers says Meghan Markle’s job is ‘to be Harry’s wife, not change the royal dynamic’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stefanie Powers has very strong opinions about Meghan Markle.
The former “Hart to Hart” star, who became friends with Britain’s Prince Charles through their love of playing polo, believes the Duchess of Sussex should rethink her role within the palace.
The 77-year-old told The Daily Beast on Thursday she believes the 38-year-old “wants to be a star, which, I’m sorry, is not what she is supposed to be doing.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Meghan’s role is not about being a star,” the actress continued about the former “Suits” star. “Those headlines saying she was Hollywood royalty marrying British royalty… She had a role in a TV show. Please, she’s obviously not a great actress. She’s not gotten in the role she has taken on. Grace Kelly did (when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco), but then she was Hollywood royalty — not a bit player in a minor television series.”
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Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex visits mothers2mothers during her royal tour of South Africa with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex on Sept. 25, 2019, in Cape Town, South Africa. Mothers2mothers (m2m) is an African not-for-profit organization with the vision of a healthy, HIV-free Africa. The organization trains and employs women living with HIV as frontline health workers across eight African nations. (Getty)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It’s her job to be Harry’s wife, not change the royal dynamic,” added Powers.
When the reporter suggested to Powers that perhaps Markle and her husband Prince Harry want to change the royal dynamic, Powers had some advice for Charles’ youngest son, 35.
“Then he should get out of the job too,” said Powers. “Look at [Charles’ sister] Princess Anne. I love Princess Anne. I know her. She is sensational. She is her mother’s daughter, totally committed to what she does. She has stepped back and doesn’t make a circus of life whenever she steps out. She’s the real thing. She’s kind of mischievous. She has a wicked twinkle.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When it comes to Markle, Powers felt the former American actress should take her royal duties more seriously, as opposed to turning it into another form of celebrity.
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HART TO HART - TV movie - Pilot - 8/25/79, Jonathan and Jennifer Hart (Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers) were rich, stylish and supersleuths. Jonathan, a self-made millionaire and head of the Hart Industries conglomerate, and Jennifer, an internationally known freelance journalist, roamed the world to solve crimes. In this two-hour TV movie, Jonathan's friend appeared to have committed suicide. (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“She has made it into ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,’ or like ‘The Adventures of Meghan in the Palace,’” said Powers.
While Powers felt Prince Andrew “is stupid” following his friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, there is one royal she does admire.
“Kate (Middleton) is impeccable,” said Powers about the Duchess of Cambridge. “She doesn’t put a foot wrong.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Britain is outstanding because of the royal family, and when a member of it misbehaves they shorten its viability," she added.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visits SOS Children’s Village, a charitable organization in the heart of the city, on October 18, 2019, in Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) (Getty)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As for her friend Charles, 71, the royal received a glowing review from his pal.
“I think he’s as much undermined and maligned person,” Powers explained. “He is a very knowledgeable man about many, many areas. He’s very concerned about the environment and about architecture. He feels strongly about things that he is obliged not to say anything about because of his public position.”
“I think he deserves… more credit than he is given,” Powers continued. “He’s lovely, witty. I think the general impression, because of [Princess] Diana, was thumbs down for him and thumbs up for her. That’s what the public does — make black and white judgments without knowing anything. The public doesn’t know who he is.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Powers insisted Prince Charles, who is next in line to the throne, will make his mother Queen Elizabeth II proud when his time comes to reign.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales during a visit to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, a rehabilitation center for orangutans found injured in the wild or rescued from captivity on November 6, 2017, in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are on a tour of Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and India. (Photo by Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“He will make a good king, I think, in spite of the fact he probably doesn’t want it — who knows?” she said. “He has very big shoes to fill. The queen is extraordinary.”
In October, Markle and Harry revealed how the negative press attention has hurt their family for the ITV special “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey,” which follows their royal tour in southern Africa.
In the documentary, Markle got candid about coping with the intense media scrutiny after becoming a member of the British royal family when she married Harry in May 2018.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a ‘stiff upper lip,’” Markle told ITV's Tom Bradby. “I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry came under fire in summer 2019 for various perceived offenses in the press. Royal insiders griped about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's alleged hypocrisy for preaching about environmentalism while flying on private jets, as well as Duchess Meghan allegedly courting the press. (Getty)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair,” continued Markle. “And that’s the part that’s really hard to reconcile. If things were fair… If I’d done something wrong, I’d be the first one to go, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I would never do that.’ But when people are saying things that are just untrue and they are being told they’re untrue but they’re allowed to still say them — I don’t know anybody in the world who would feel like that’s OK.’”
Markle said before she tied the knot with Harry, some of her friends warned her that becoming a member of the royal family would mean being under the constant glare of the public spotlight and losing your privacy.
“In all fairness, I had no idea, which probably sounds difficult to understand and hear,” said Markle. “But when I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life.’”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“And I, very naively — I’m American,” continued Markle. “We don’t have that there — [I said], ‘What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not in any tabloids.’ I didn’t get it. So it’s been, yeah, it’s been complicated.”
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Meghan Markle's alleged request for privacy has sparked a fiery debate on social media. (AP)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Markle also got candid with Bradby about the negative attention she has received from the media during her pregnancy and the first months with Archie.
“Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging,” said Markle. “And then when you have a newborn, you know ... and especially as a woman, it’s a lot.”
“So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed,” continued Markle while holding back tears. “It’s um… yeah. I guess, also thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”