Queen Elizabeth Prepared Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Quite Differently for Life in The Firm - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle had completely different paths to the royal family, in no small part to how Queen Elizabeth treated them as they prepared to enter the royal family. Not only did they come from opposite backgrounds, but they were both reportedly advised quite differently before they married into “The Firm.” With Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, leaving the monarchy at the end of March, here is what Queen Elizabeth told her and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, when they were getting ready to become royalty.

Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate Middleton | Neil Mockford/GC Images

Kate Middleton waits on Prince William

Middleton met Prince William when they were attending the University of St. Andrews in the early 2000s. What started out as a friendship quickly turned romantic, and by their second year in college, they were already dating.

After they went public with their relationship upon graduation, royal watchers expected William to propose at any minute. But it took Prince William a whole 5 years to introduce Middleton to Queen Elizabeth. In fact, the two experienced a few ups and downs — including a breakup in 2007 — before he popped the big question in 2010.

Because she waited so long for William to propose, the media started calling Middleton “Waity Katie.” The future Duchess of Cambridge also came under intense media scrutiny and it took her a while to adjust to her new life under the spotlight.

Although Middleton and Prince William seemed destined to be together, Queen Elizabeth reportedly had some reservations about her joining the royal family.

Queen Elizabeth wanted Middleton to have a career

Once things started to get serious between Middleton and William, Queen Elizabeth reportedly fretted over her lack of a career. Her Majesty felt as though Middleton should have a better work history before marrying William, and advised her to start some charity work.

“Privately [the Queen] had grave concerns and believed that Kate needed to have a job and an identity in her own right before an engagement was announced,” royal author Katie Nicholl wrote in The Making of Romance. “The Queen is one of the hardest-working royals, despite her age, and that a future member of the Royal Family was without a full-time job was unacceptable to her.”

Before tying the knot with William, Middleton worked for a company called Starlight, which helps children who are terminally ill. She also took a job at her parent’s company, Party Pieces.

Queen Elizabeth was reportedly quite pleased by Middleton’s work and happily welcomed her into the royal family when she wed William in 2011. Since then, Middleton has continued her charitable work with a focus on early child development and education.

Although things worked out for Middleton, the same cannot be said of Markle. This past January, the former actress and her husband, Prince Harry, formally announced that they are leaving the royal family for a quieter life in North America.

Queen Elizabeth offers Meghan Markle different advice

In stark contrast to Middleton, Markle had an established career in Hollywood when she started dating Harry. Apart from starring in the popular legal drama, Suits, Markle had already done a lot of charitable work, including being a women’s advocate for the UN.

Markle was also very outspoken about politics and social issues. In 2016, for example, she lashed out at Donald Trump for being “divisive” and “misogynistic” in his campaign for the presidency.

According to Express, Queen Elizabeth asked Markle to tone things down when it was clear she was going to marry Harry. Paul Burrell, who used to be the butler to Princess Diana, claims that Markle would have been required to “toe the party line” at the behest of Her Majesty.

“What comes with maturity is a set of beliefs and they don’t sit well with the Royal Family. She has to toe the party line,” Burrell explained.

Whereas Kate Middleton was asked to increase her workload and establish a career, Markle was pretty much advised the opposite. Although Markle did her best to satisfy the royals, things have not turned out well for her and Harry.

Inside Kate Middleton’s relationship with Meghan Markle

To make things even more complicated, Markle and Middleton never really hit it off. They first appeared in public in 2017 shortly after Harry proposed. Their first joint outing without their husbands was in 2018 when they watched a few tennis matches at Wimbledon together.

One reason Markle and Middleton were not fast friends is that they did not share a lot of things in common. They also barely got to know each other as Harry and Markle’s relationship moved very fast.

“Meghan and Kate have known one another for a relatively short period of time. Though they both clearly adore their husbands, they are hugely different people,” author Nigel Cawthorne shared.

Despite their differences, Middleton reportedly did her best to welcome Markle into the family. In fact, when she was engaged to Harry, Markle admitted that his family had been great at making her feel at home.

Queen Elizabeth has not commented on the reports about the advice she gave Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle when they were joining the royal family.

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2020-02-26 14:50:44Z
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What's next for Harvey Weinstein following NYC rape conviction - Fox News

Now that Harvey Weinstein is officially a convicted rapist that will spend time behind bars, the disgraced movie mogul's legal strife is far from over.

After a jury of seven men and five women handed down the verdict on Monday after five days of deliberating, Weinstein remained at a New York City hospital on Tuesday, his new life as an inmate interrupted by concerns about high blood pressure and heart palpitations.

Lawyers for the 67-year-old Weinstein said he was buoyed by plans to appeal Monday’s sexual assault and rape conviction, and that the detour to Bellevue Hospital on the way to the city’s notorious Rikers Island prison complex was precautionary.

“He’s in pretty good spirits. He’s energized,” Weinstein lawyer Arthur Aidala said.

Elsewhere, it was Weinstein’s accusers who were feeling energized.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN IS 'FLABBERGASTED BY THE VERDICT,' DEFENSE ATTORNEY SAYS

They’ve continued to herald the verdict in the landmark #MeToo case as a sign that women's voices are being heard, with some even saying they're ready to testify in his looming California criminal case if asked.

With Weinstein poised to begin life as an inmate, there are many questions that remain as to what the justice system still has in store for him.

WILL WEINSTEIN GO TO JAIL ONCE HE LEAVES THE HOSPITAL?

Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape charges in a New York court. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Aidala said Weinstein wasn’t handcuffed when they greeted each other Tuesday in a large hospital room as jail officers stood guard outside. He said that Weinstein was looking forward to visitors, and it wasn't clear how long he would be there.

If Weinstein gets discharged from Bellevue, it’s likely he’ll end up at a protective unit at the city’s Rikers Island jail facility. It’ll be a short stay because he’ll be moved to state prison after sentencing.

While it’s up to the city’s corrections department to decide where inmates are housed, Judge James Burke said he’d ask that Weinstein be placed in the jail's North Infirmary Command, where he’d have “something tantamount to protective custody.”

Martin Horn, a former city corrections commissioner, said that despite its name, the infirmary is more like a regular jail than a hospital unit.

Built in 1932 as the original Rikers Island Hospital, the infirmary now has smaller, 10-cell blocks that are used for protective units for inmates who might be targets in the general population, such as sex offenders and former law enforcement officers.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN'S GUILTY VERDICT PROMPTS IMMEDIATE CELEBRATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 'JUSTICE SERVED'

Horn said the city’s jails have specialized units for the disabled. However, inmates with serious medical needs are often sent to the hospital ward at Bellevue.

In lobbying to keep Weinstein out of jail following the verdict, his lawyer, Donna Rotunno, told Burke that he has back injuries stemming from a car crash last summer and a condition that requires shots in his eyes, so he does not go blind.

After visiting with Weinstein Tuesday, Aidala told reporters: “He's not the picture of health by any stretch of the imagination.”

WHEN WILL WEINSTEIN BE SENTENCED AND WHERE WILL HE BE IMPRISONED?

Harvey Weinstein will be sentenced in New York City after a jury found him guilty of rape charges. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Weinstein is due to be sentenced on March 11. He was convicted on two counts: criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex on a woman in 2006 and third-degree rape for a 2013 attack on another woman. Together, the charges carry a maximum penalty of 29 years in prison.

On the criminal sex act count, he faces a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 25 years in prison, while the third-degree rape count carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison. The judge could have the sentences run concurrently.

At Weinstein’s sentencing hearing, his accusers will again get a chance to confront him in court and the former producer will be afforded an opportunity to speak after declining to testify at trial.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN FOUND GUILTY OF THIRD-DEGREE RAPE, CRIMINAL SEX ACT; DA SAYS CASE 'CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY'

Once Weinstein is sentenced, he’ll be transferred from the city’s jail system to the state prison system. There, he will undergo a thorough evaluation, including a comprehensive medical review, to determine which facility is best to imprison him.

“They're going to make sure that nothing happens to him while he's in their custody. Not because he's important, but just from a public relations point of view it would be awfully embarrassing," said Horn, who now teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

WHAT ISSUES COULD WEINSTEIN’S LAWYERS RAISE ON APPEAL?

Harvey Weinstein and his attorney Donna Rotunno plan to appeal the New York jury's decision. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Weinstein’s lawyers were upset with the judge's handling of the case, from his inclusion of a juror who’d written a novel involving predatory older men to his rulings on evidence, witnesses and objections.

They could challenge Burke's decision not to delay the trial when authorities in Los Angeles announced new charges against Weinstein just as jury selection was about to get underway.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN INDICTED ON NEW SEX CRIMES IN LOS ANGELES

The defense team was also upset that some evidence was turned over to them at the last minute or after witnesses had already testified. In one instance, an accuser said she found the dress she was wearing the night of an alleged encounter with Weinstein just days before she was to take the witness stand — too late, the defense said, for it to be tested for DNA.

Aidala said Tuesday that Weinstein was “somewhat flabbergasted by the verdict” but remained “cautiously optimistic” he could prevail on appeal.

WHAT ARE THE ALLEGATIONS IN THE CALIFORNIA CASE?

Harvey Weinstein still faces charges in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Weinstein faces charges that he raped a woman at a Los Angeles hotel in 2013, then sexually assaulted a different woman in a Beverly Hills hotel the next night.

Eleven other women alleging sexual misconduct by Weinstein told reporters Thursday that they hope to testify against him at that trial.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN ACCUSER CAITLIN DULANY RESPONDS TO GUILTY VERDICT: ‘I HAVE A RENEWED SENSE OF JUSTICE’

“We will get you in LA,” said Louisette Geiss, a former actress and screenwriter who said Weinstein asked her to watch him masturbate during the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Weinstein could get up to 28 years in prison on the charges in the California case.

Additional sexual assault cases are under investigation by police in the Los Angeles area.

“This is only the beginning. We will continue to fight,” said Sarah Ann Masse, another of the women who spoke Tuesday as part a group calling itself the “Silence Breakers." She says Weinstein once sexually harassed her in his underwear during a job interview.

HOW ARE PEOPLE REACTING?

President Donald Trump spoke about the Harvey Weinstein verdict shortly after it came down. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Asked about Weinstein Tuesday, President Donald Trump called Weinstein's conviction a “great victory” for women that “sends a very strong message."

"He was a person I didn't like," Trump told reporters.

TRUMP SAYS HE 'NEVER LIKED' HARVEY WEINSTEIN, WHO WANTED TO 'DEFEAT ME IN THE ELECTION'

Trump himself stands accused of sexual misconduct, including a rape allegation, by more than a dozen women when he was a private citizen. He has denied all the allegations.

Mimi Haleyi, the former production assistant who accused Weinstein of forcing oral sex on her in 2006, called the verdict “a huge relief."

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“I just think that we’re being educated about the reality of sexual assault and sexual assault victims,” Haleyi said on “CBS This Morning.” “It’s not always just a stranger. It’s very often somebody that the person knows, and with that comes an entire other layer of processing."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2020-02-26 15:26:53Z
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Pop star Duffy says she withdrew from public spotlight after being raped, drugged and held captive - The Washington Post

Duffy, 35, whose given name is Aimee Anne Duffy, asked her fans to “please trust me I am ok and safe now.” The singer did not offer further details of her assault but said she will post a “spoken interview” to social media in the coming weeks in which she will try to answer more questions.

View this post on Instagram

You can only imagine the amount of times I thought about writing this. The way I would write it, how I would feel thereafter. Well, not entirely sure why now is the right time, and what it is that feels exciting and liberating for me to talk. I cannot explain it. Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why. A journalist contacted me, he found a way to reach me and I told him everything this past summer. He was kind and it felt so amazing to finally speak. The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days. Of course I survived. The recovery took time. There’s no light way to say it. But I can tell you in the last decade, the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine. You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes. I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke. In the following weeks I will be posting a spoken interview. If you have any questions I would like to answer them, in the spoken interview, if I can. I have a sacred love and sincere appreciation for your kindness over the years. You have been friends. I want to thank you for that x Duffy Please respect this is a gentle move for me to make, for myself, and I do not want any intrusion to my family. Please support me to make this a positive experience.

A post shared by @ duffy on Feb 25, 2020 at 10:12am PST

Duffy’s first album, “Rockferry,” went platinum seven times after it dropped in 2008, hitting No. 1 in six countries and netting her the British Breakthrough, Best British Female and Best British Album titles at the Brit Awards, the BBC reported. In the United States, she was nominated for two Grammys and won a third for Best Pop Vocal Album.

Her single “Mercy,” which echoed the tone of contemporaries Amy Winehouse and Adele, topped the music charts in 12 countries, according to the BBC. Duffy’s second album, “Endlessly,” was released in 2010 with less success, and she dropped a handful of other songs in 2015 that included tracks for the Tom Hardy movie “Legend,” in which she appeared as a nightclub singer.

For fans and observers in the music world, the sputtering trajectory of her musical career over the last decade felt strange after such a strong start.

In her statement, Duffy explained her absence.

“Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why,” she said in an Instagram post.

When a journalist contacted her last summer, Duffy said, she “told him everything.” She said the reporter was “kind” and that “it felt so amazing to finally speak.”

“The recovery took time. There’s no light way to say it,” she said in her statement. “But I can tell you in the last decade, the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine. You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes. I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke.”

The singer thanked her fans for their kindness over the years and said has a “sacred love and sincere appreciation” for them.

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2020-02-26 14:38:00Z
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Singer Duffy says she retreated from the spotlight after being 'raped and drugged and held captive' - CNN

The "Mercy" singer said she still wasn't sure now was the right time to share but that it felt "liberating" to do so.

"Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why," she wrote. "The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days."

Duffy says she survived and spent "thousands and thousands of days ... committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again."

"You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes. I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke."

Duffy took home the best pop vocal award at the 2009 Grammys for her breakthrough album, "Rockferry." That same year, she was also nominated for best new artist.

In 2010, she released another album, "Endlessly," after which she largely retreated from the music scene.

The Welsh artist said that in the coming weeks she'll post a spoken interview in which she will also address fan questions.

A rep for Duffy declined to comment when contacted by CNN about her post.

She closed by saying, "Please respect this is a gentle move for me to make, for myself, and I do not want any intrusion to my family. Please support me to make this a positive experience."

On social media, people commended the singer for her bravery.

"Wow, your strength is truly inspiring," one user wrote on Instagram.

"Your music is a reflection of your heart and who you are, beautiful and strong. I pray and hope for a real and long lasting healing," another fan wrote. "We are with you dear, precious @duffy you are incredible and very missed. Fight this thing, don't let it define you or determine your life."

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2020-02-26 14:35:00Z
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Harvey Weinstein to get special treatment as officials fear an 'Epstein incident' - New York Post

Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein will get special treatment in custody — because officials fear another “Epstein incident,” sources told The Post.

Still reeling from the uproar after pedophile Jeffrey Epstein managed to hang himself in his Manhattan lockup last year, jail officials are taking extraordinary steps to monitor their newest high-profile inmate.

Weinstein will always have his own cell, will constantly have a dedicated team of correction officers with him — and could even be shipped to a facility outside of the city, sources said.

“The last thing you want is another Jeffrey Epstein incident,” a jail source told The Post.

“Harvey is going to be isolated as much as possible and will always have a detail with him throughout the prison. He’s never going to be like other prisoners, able to walk down the hallway or sit in the canteen alone.”

The special measures have already started within Bellevue Hospital, where Weinstein was taken for chest pains after his conviction Monday, Joe Russo, president of the Assistant Deputy Wardens / Deputy Wardens Association, told The City.

A jail captain escorts him on every move, and the team watching him includes several members of the department’s elite emergency response unit to ensure he doesn’t try to harm himself, Russo said.

The entire jail hospital unit is shut down to eliminate any chance Weinstein could bump into other inmates, Russo told the site.

“There seems to be a Jeffrey Epstein influence here,” Russo said.

Russo suggested city officials are keen to keep the high-profile prisoner out of the city, with options being debated including a jail in Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester or even as far away as Albany.

Jeffrey EpsteinAP

If he does stay at Rikers he could even get an entire housing unit just for him, Russo told The City.

“He’s very high-profile and you can’t put him with somebody else,” Russo told the site.

Sources told The Post that while options outside of the city are being considered, it is far from straightforward, with state officials getting the final say.

The Correction Department declined to comment on The City’s Weinstein report.

“He’s in our custody right now,” Avery Cohen, a City Hall spokesperson, told the site.

Weinstein was convicted in Manhattan court Monday of rape and criminal sex act — which leaves him facing up to 29 years behind bars. Wherever he ends up, Weinstein should be well prepared — having hired a “prison consultant’’ to help prepare him for his time behind bars.

Epstein, 66, was being held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Manhattan, awaiting sex-trafficking charges, when he was found dead the morning of Aug. 10.

Corrections officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas with falsifying documents claiming they’d checked on Epstein and other inmates every half hour the night he died. Both guards pleaded “not guilty.”

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2020-02-26 13:30:00Z
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Prince Harry returns to UK for final round of royal engagements, requests to only be called 'Harry' - Fox News

Prince Harry returned to the United Kingdom for one of his final engagements as a senior member of the royal family.

The Duke of Sussex, 35, traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland by train to attend a summit for an eco-friendly tourism firm called Travalyst, according to reports.

The event host, Ayesha Hazarika, informed the crowd that Harry did not want to be referred to as "Prince" during the appearance.

MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY WILL END THEIR ROYAL DUTIES BY THE END OF MARCH

Prince Harry requested that the public does not call him 'Prince' at a royal event in the U.K. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via AP)

"He's made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry. So ladies and gentlemen, please give a big, warm, Scottish welcome to Harry," Hazarika told the crowd, according to Daily Mail.

It marked Harry's first official public appearance days after he and Meghan announced on their official website that they would no longer use the term "Royal" or "Sussex Royal" after the "Megxit" transition is completed in the spring of 2020.

QUEEN ELIZABETH SEES ‘MEGXIT’ AS ‘DAMAGING TO THE MONARCHY,' SOURCE CLAIMS: ‘THIS HAS BEEN RATHER HURTFUL'

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex attend the 91st Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Meghan's husband is also set to visit the Abbey Road Studios in London on Friday for a collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi. He and Meghan may be making five additional appearances before they end their royal duties on March 31, according to Sky News.

Harry and Meghan announced in January their decision to step back from their senior royal duties. The Sussexes no longer hold an office at Buckingham Palace. The deadline is part of the deal the duo made with Queen Elizabeth II.

Included in the transition is Meghan and Harry's agreement to stop using their "royal highness" titles. The couple also plans to split their time between the United Kingdom and North America as they attempt to live financially independent.

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While Harry and Meghan's royal transition comes after the Queen shared her approval with the public, a source close to Buckingham Palace told royal expert Katie Nicholl that Her Royal Highness “generally doesn’t want to talk about it,” Vanity Fair reported on Monday.

“The queen has been keen to get this resolved because she sees it damaging to the monarchy and on a personal level I think this has been rather hurtful for her,” the source said.

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2020-02-26 12:45:58Z
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Singer Duffy says she retreated from the spotlight after being 'raped and drugged and held captive' - CNN

The "Mercy" singer said she still wasn't sure now was the right time to share but that it felt "liberating" to do so.

"Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why," she wrote. "The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days."

Duffy says she survived and spent "thousands and thousands of days ... committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again."

"You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes. I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke."

Duffy took home the best pop vocal award at the 2009 Grammys for her breakthrough album, "Rockferry." That same year, she was also nominated for best new artist.

In 2010, she released another album, "Endlessly," after which she largely retreated from the music scene.

The Welsh artist said that in the coming weeks she'll post a spoken interview in which she will also address fan questions.

A rep for Duffy declined to comment when contacted by CNN about her post.

She closed by saying, "Please respect this is a gentle move for me to make, for myself, and I do not want any intrusion to my family. Please support me to make this a positive experience."

On social media, people commended the singer for her bravery.

"Wow, your strength is truly inspiring," one user wrote on Instagram.

"Your music is a reflection of your heart and who you are, beautiful and strong. I pray and hope for a real and long lasting healing," another fan wrote. "We are with you dear, precious @duffy you are incredible and very missed. Fight this thing, don't let it define you or determine your life."

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2020-02-26 12:40:00Z
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